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Chapter 1,216.
🕑 Added 2024-03-08 21:05:29 +0000 UTC"It's about to start."
"Ironic, isn't it? For our kin to have the Cursed Heavens at his beck and call," Qul'Uster said with a smile. "No mishaps on your end?"
"It's all taken care of, and the signal remains stable," Nutzu said, her face scrunching with annoyance beneath her mask. "I wouldn't have saved that little shit if I'd known it would make me his helper."
"Yes, you would," Qul'Uster said. "If nothing else, the pay is quite generous, no? I hear you've been awarded access to the Sixth Outer Band."
"So what? Doesn't mean I have to enjoy it," Nutzu huffed. "You should've just taken over negotiations with that slippery bastard."
"You have to see things from his perspective."
"What? As as a test tube baby? Most of us are. Or as an integrated cultivator?"
"No. I mean his loneliness. Look," Qul'Uster said before activating the hologram.
Nutzu had to admit, her commander wasn't just here because of his pedigree. To think he'd managed to improve their ship's scanners to such an extent. They were over a week's travel away in a spatially unstable region. And yet, he'd somehow managed to extract the relevant energy fluctuations through subspace and interpret it into an actual display.
"The Sangha is fighting the unliving?" Nutzu muttered before taking a sharp breath. "Wait, are those Class-5 energy signatures?"
"Yes. He's all alone. Abandoned even by Leandra Kayar-Elu, facing threats and schemes from every direction. If we push too hard, we'll just become another party, and our dealings will be nothing but transactions. He might even cut and run. How are we supposed to find him again?"
"You're still on that? Shouldn't we contact base?"
"We can't provide any tangible reinforcement in time for it to matter. We'll do our part as agreed upon and trust he'll deal with things on his end. If he's truly the Void Emperor's inheritor, he shouldn't be stopped by something like this."
"How did they sneak inside? Even our elders didn't dare take the risk."
"The world is full of mysterious arts and powerful people. The Edge has made us strong, but the cosmos is different from the one our ancestors left. You need to be careful later."
"I know," Nutzu shrugged. "So, we'll just do him some favors now and pray he reciprocates? Is this the best your family could come up with? We should just pummel him a bit and drag him back, like how we do with those who try to shirk their Oath."
"He's Sindris, but he's also Kayar-Elu. Any attempt to force fate will most likely fail. See? Even the Sangha is having trouble dealing with him," Qul'Uster said with helplessness. "For now, we'll try to show him that not everyone is out to get him."
"Not counting those traitors," Nutzu muttered.
"True," Qul'Uster nodded. "Either case. The elders activated the Eclipse. She said he has a strong connection with the Eternal Storm. Maybe he'll approach us himself at that time."
"Sounds flaky," Nutzu said, looking at her captain. "By the way, can you tell me what those things were now? I couldn't make heads or tails of them. They only felt dangerous."
"A special model of Heavenly Disruptors."
"They were disruptors?" Nutzu said, her body tensing. "After all that talk, you're actually betraying him?"
"Of course not."
"Then why are we spending a fortune on hiding the fortress when we're supposed to mark it for the Cursed Heavens?"
"As I said, they're a special model. Grand Aunt and Grand Uncle have made some modifications and asked me to field test it."
"The twins?" Nutzu shuddered. "Are you planning on blowing up the whole graveyard?"
"They haven't installed any of their proprietary weapon systems," Qul'Uster explained.
Nutzu exhaled in relief, but she still felt a pang of fear. Not only had she come into contact with something made by those two lunatics, their next mission would take them into the neighboring region.
"They've simply replaced the shielding with a newly-designed amplifier."
"So they'll try to wrest the Cursed Heaven's control over the Heavenly Dao without hiding their traces? That'd do it," Nutzu nodded. "But without the shielding, they'll be destroyed instantly. It might not be enough to cause a lingering effect."
"The elders were of the same opinion, so they placed the innards of a Class-4 Outer Beast in each disruptor for good measure."
"Bastard, you actually had me carry around such a dangerous item?" Nutzu glared, though her mouth started tugging upward as she glanced at the screens displaying the Fort of Resolution.
"Serves you right for making me waste four of my puppets."
------------------------
The distant rumbles reached all the way to the chamber in the depths of the hidden base. Or maybe not so distant. It had only been two hours, yet the eruptions from pitched battle had come much closer. The energies funneled into the room would have been soiled by the Dao of Conflict if not for the stabilizing arrays.
Thousands of schemes and countermeasures were born and refined every second. Yzum discarded them all. Now that things had come this far, there was no need to perform feasibility calculations. Their Royal Father had ensured there was only one path forward. Only time would tell whether he had what it took to face his destiny.
A twenty-sixth rune was added, finalizing the circuit. Yzum exhaled as his Soul Aperture was shrouded in a primordial haze. Imperial Fate was swallowed by the building storm, subtly altered by its Grand Tapestry. Thread by thread, Yzum bound his Imperial Soul to the Heavens, anchoring his path to its mighty river.
The rumblings grew louder, mirroring the tearing pain in his head. One by one, the defenses of his base were run over, torn apart by unstoppable force. Yzum's heart bled as he felt the soul brands on his carefully nurtured subordinates shatter one after another, yet he knew ruthlessness was his only chance at survival.
Eventually, the fighting stopped, and a deafening silence spread through the room. The final door wasn't locked, and it slid open soon after.
"You're here," Yzum sighed.
Yrin's eyes held their usual disdain for the world as he stepped into Yzum's inner sanctum. His shoes left sanguine prints on the ground, and his sword was still dripping after slaying the two final guardians. Yrin's appearance and armor were otherwise spotless, like he'd taken a stroll through a garden instead of breaking into Yzum's carefully arranged base. Proof of the monstrous power locked within his eldest brother's frame.
Not that any reminder was needed. Yzum had observed his brother's brutally direct actions after picking up the mantle. Building the foundations set by Yselio, Yrin slaughtered everything in his path. The Seventh Heaven was unable to replace the steady loss of manpower, leaving them with just a skeleton operation on the inside. Yzum inwardly railed at the misuse of their limited resources, especially when he knew the truth.
"Fate approaches," Yrin calmly said. "There can be no loose ends threatening the Empire's goals."
"Empire's Goals, is it?" Yzum gently smiled. "Or did you realize you couldn't take the next step while remaining incomplete? After all, a strong constitution won't help you see the whole picture."
"How long have you known?" Yrin asked, seeming content to wait a while longer.
"My whole life," Yzum calmly said. "Just like I've always known you'd be the one to eventually knock on my door, second brother."
A familiar smile spread across Yrin's stony face—a smile that had given Yzum nightmares since he was a child. It was the smile of a devilish heart that wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice anything, even the Dynasty, to achieve their goals.
"As expected of you, Youngest Brother. You overcame our blind spot. Your incisive mind always left me in awe. I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't realize the truth until the very end," Yrin said. "But you shouldn't call me Second Brother. Yselio is dead."
"Then why are his words coming out of your mouth?" Yzum said. "I've observed you over the past year. You've hidden it almost perfectly, but I estimate that Eldest Brother only accounts for four or five percent of your personality. The rest is you putting on a show."
"Nevertheless," Yzum, or rather Yselio, said with a smile. "The smallest things can have unexpected effects, and change can come from the most unexpected of places."
"A body without direction holds blind power. A soul without purpose will become a stagnant pond," Yzum said, looking at his brother with a profound gaze. "A heart unfettered will be led astray."
"Do you think the experiment was a failure? That the three returning to their origin is futile because our experiences have tainted us?" Yselio said, his smile growing wider. "Have you ever considered it was our Royal Father's intention? Many say my heart is wicked, but so what? Righteousness doesn't translate to power. It's just another shackle. And won't I have your soul to expertly calculate the bounds, keeping us on the right side of the Law?
"I know you're tired, little brother. The weight of your soul has burdened you for so long, leaving you infirm. I also know you've made your preparations. It may very well be you who'll form the final nucleus. You're curious, aren't you? About the missing variable that has eluded you, the source of the disturbance—the answers are hidden in my mind."
Yzum gripped his robes, but he quickly calmed down his racing thoughts. "There's no point dragging this out. Do it."
"At the very end, I asked Eldest Brother whether Truth or Empire was most important," Yselio said as he raised his blade. "What do you think?"
Yzum looked into the dark eyes of his brother, suddenly feeling a great weight off his shoulders.
"Truth is Eternal. Empire is not."
----------------
"You!" Zac exclaimed in shock. "How can you be here?"
Zac initially suspected his overloaded mind was playing tricks on him, but he was almost certain his first guess was correct. The entity before him was formed from pure Chaos, a churning mass of steely confluence that remained unable to stay static. Nevertheless, it was Tavza who had somehow forced her way into his Atavistic Tribulation through the Dao of Chaos.
There were hints of the Abyss in the chaotic mesh, acting like glue on the mercurial energy. It was the pure aura of the Abyssal Lake that only the Azol branch wielded. How was she doing that? Zac tried the same, but neither his Eoz nor Void Emperor Bloodlines were accessible to him. He was just a spiritual wisp, equipped with nothing but determination and grit.
'I—' Tavza's words were drowned out by a deep groan.
The pathway Zac had forced open had become a faultline between two opposing realms. Deep, chaotic cracks had already appeared, and Zac could feel the deranged hatred from the tainted tapestries.
Neither side was backing down, and the tapestries generated a pull far greater than his small tunnel could endure. The layer between realities shattered like glass. Tapestries were suddenly superimposed, with Zac and Tavza caught in the middle.
The consciousness from thousands of remnants combined, awakening a presence far greater than what Zac previously faced. It didn't feel like he was looking at a sprawling tapestry erected across the Multiverse. He was looking at the Heart of Oblivion and Spark of Creation in the flesh.
The active erosion of his mind was gone, but an equally oppressive domain replaced it. Unlike the Autarchs from before, the two entities didn't care whether he lived or died. They unleashed their auras to the fullest, using their nodes to destroy or take over the Heavens.
Each clash unleashed tremendous waves of tainted Oblivion and Creation that dug right at Zac's mind. The bombardment was constant and unrelenting, and it only seemed to grow with intensity. Zac was already on his last legs, and he could barely withstand the Chaos by relying on his Void State.
Tavza was faring far worse. Her bloodline wasn't enough to make up for her lack of experience. She'd never dealt with the remnants before and was suddenly forced to face two Atavisms from the get-go. Her incorporeal body was growing increasingly unstable. She wouldn't last long. In fact, even her short visit might cause irreversible damage.
'Wh…at—'
Tavza's voice was incredibly unnerving. The voice was indistinguishable in that it constantly changed cadence, pitch, and direction. Zac even felt the syllables came from different timelines. It should be the result of using pure Chaos as a conduit.
'I—Hel…p'
Zac gritted his teeth and made his decision. At this point, how she was here didn't matter. It was clear she'd come to help him through this tribulation, and he wouldn't waste her noble gesture.
"Cover me! Just for a second or two!"
Tavza's voice and figure were disjointed, but her actions were swift. Her grey mesh of Chaos darkened, forming a thick wall infused with the Abyss. Shockwaves were almost completely nullified, and Zac made his move. He fiercely tugged at the hundreds of invisible threads that connected him to the tapestries.
A third of the strings were dislodged, and he reeled them in like a fisherman pulling in his catch. A surge of power filled his weakened spiritual body. He pulled again, this time with far greater strength. Again and again, Zac repeated his actions as quickly as he humanly could. The remaining tendrils were lodged much harder, but Zac was also growing stronger with each successful catch.
Tavza acted like a Dao Guardian all this while. Zac could sense she was being tortured by the hostile Daos. Thankfully, his goal was achieved even faster than he'd expected. The entities were no different from the individual remnants. They had only lashed out in his general direction when small snippets of their tapestry were removed, their minds fully occupied by their nemesis.
"Thank you. I will repay this favor," Zac said with utmost sincerity before pushing with all his might. Tavza's consciousness was ejected from his vision. Hopefully, her short visit wouldn't cause any permanent damage.
Once more, Zac was left to fend off the encroaching desire of Creation and the eroding nihilism of Oblivion on his own. However, thanks to Tavza's intervention, his situation was completely different. A few tugs retrieved the final threads, making him whole.
A failed Atavism meant that the remnants extracted everything you had and turned you into another node on the tapestry. You survived by seizing the power of the remnants and extinguishing their will. He'd already relinquished almost 90% of his mind to create the tunnel, putting his back right against the wall.
Zac could probably have survived until now without Tavza's aid, but it would have been a pyrrhic victory. Getting back two-thirds of what he sacrificed before severing his connection would have been a good outcome. It meant losing millennia of longevity, along with a significant chunk of his memories, emotions, and desires.
Retrieving everything would have been almost impossible. Even if he had the strength, it would have taken too much time. The intensity of the battle between Creation and Oblivion was reaching a point of no return, where an errant shockwave could snuff out Zac's soul in one go.
He'd already gotten everything he wanted. The last link between him and the ancient madness was severed. He couldn't feel his body in his current state, but he instinctively knew the remnants had become part of him now. He was already feeling his mind being extracted from the vision since there was nothing holding him back.
Zac resisted, his gaze trained at the lofty tapestries. His very being shuddered with hunger, though he remained careful not to let his emotions leave a gap. The Grand Daos of the Heart of Oblivion and Spark of Creation were awfully close to perfection. They might be sullied by their undying obsession, but didn't he have ample experience extracting benefits from tainted sources?
So why stop now? The remnants had seen him as prey, whittling away at him for decades. Why should he settle for breaking even after Tavza had paid such a heavy price to let him reach for something more? Why not treat it like a Dao Impartment like the one he received from Yrial at the beginning of his journey?
The environment was still incredibly dangerous. Zac furiously resisted the chaotic eruptions as he scanned the tapestries for what he sought. His soul was already exhausted, and he could feel his Soul Cores being drained beyond their safe limits to scan the seemingly unending paths for insights matching his path. Just as when he feared his search was for nothing, he discovered it.
Zac pounced, ripping a thread of pure Dao from each tapestry. Murderous wrath shook the realm as the battle stopped. Zac groaned, feeling cracks appear on his soul. He didn't care because it had worked. The next moment, he was gone, ejected from the vision after he'd stopped resisting the pull.
Left were two fractured and damaged creatures, who resumed their battle with a redoubled frenzy.
Comments
Ithoughtofsomething
As as a test tube baby? [Get rid of an as]
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Jeff McCulley
Rereading myself, looking at what Yzum was frantically doing, connecting himself, I’m wondering if he bootstrapped himself so that certain events would trigger his personality at opportune moments. You know, like if Yselio just happened (accidentally, of course) to be wounded and distracted and in the vicinity when a certain character’s Tribulation Lightning hit the immediate area. Guess we’ll see.
Lex Luther S
Coming back and reading this again, it makes me wonder if Zac and Arcaz were the answers yselio was talking about. He knows about zacs path from their battle and connecting those dots with the pillars sudden ascent could lead him to answers, questions and truths he could only dream of. Man I can't wait to see how zac and Yselios final match up goes. Our boys stronger than ever and if both bodies are working in tandem, then even a perfected yselio will need to tread carefully.
Kaladin
My guess is he'll control the zecia sector and the other will have it's fate consumed. Earth will become the capital world of the sector much like Atwood is the capital of earth and is a requirement to have once he took over the planet.
Jeff McCulley
Good catch! Not only the name reversal, but personalities as well. Iz doesn’t want or need anything from Zac, while Catheya didn’t start chasing him until she realized just how many benefits could be had. Polar opposites!
Jeff McCulley
The exact same as Ogras and Catheya’s. To help her out with Zac. Prolly where he got the idea to offer the same to Catheya. Only A. Ogras hasn’t had a chance to do anything for Iz yet, since they haven’t been together since, and B. The agreement with Iz has seniority, if there’s ever a conflict between the two,
Jeff McCulley
Zac’s dad is pissed at his mom. I suspect anything that throws a wrench in her plans (like a Draugr body) will tickle his funnybone. Thd spare body is a Kayer-Elu thing, not Sindris, after all.
Lex Luther S
I've read a lot of theories from this chs comments and some can make sense. One is that he somehow attached his soul to the flamebearer rune and took over at an opportune time while another says that Yselio, Yzum, and Yrin were originally one being but split into 3 by their father and yselio is just the one coming out on top. It's definitely gonna be interesting to see the truth of the matter and good news for zacs sweet revenge given he still wasn't content even after yselios' "Death" because of how the imperials acted, like they're the sole harbingers of fate and righteousness.
Douglas Davis
Yeah, I don't understand how Yselio possessed his older brother's soul. Last thing I remember is Yselio's fight with Zac leaving him on the threshold of death and his older brother retrieving his soul remnant to question it.
Collin Sorrells
Well, they do say scanner. Honestly to me, scanner sounds worse and more invasive than a tracker and I would assume that they can track the scanner. Karunthel seemed pretty worried that it was gonna cause Zac trouble or even lead to his death. I did listen to that part on audible and wasn't a subscriber yet, the narration made it sound a bit ominous.
Michael Sheetz
I always got the impression they were interested in chaos itself. And that the scanners were from them. And once they find out Zac can summon chaos. They will try to build a chaos engine with him. Allowing Zac to travel where ever he wants with few limits. And give the Creators a new legendary engine they’ve been working on for millennia
Michael Sheetz
Best comment
Lex Luther S
Yeah even I had to dig around for those from the beginning of the chapter and it doesn't help we haven't met Yzum before and given there's some typos from when swapping the names doesn't help either. Always best to just read it through another time or two as that'd helped me out a lot. Catching words or sections I had originally missed.
Lex Luther S
Bro zac is about to make all of the merit after he releases the foreign gods.
Lex Luther S
Bro zacs fate and providence are so overbearing that it's even changing the fate of an entire race🤣🤣 he really is a deviant. Man, once this little civil war is over with and the other 3 races are put back in their place, the draugr are gonna experience a golden age of cultivation that hasn't happened in eons. And with the return of the branch of EOZ, it's looking they'll be at the forefront of the divine races for a long while. And it would be cool if that was Catheyas' clan ancestor that was at the pond when Eoz forced his way through the river of time; also, I feel it implies that yes, catheya would likely reach Autarchy before her ancestor left to combat the madness his old age is bringing him
Lex Luther S
Zac himself mentioned that zecias forces will have to take advantage of what the foreign gods do, otherwise they deserve to fall if they can't even capitalize on the chaos he's sowing. so my guess is that as long as the pope and chapter masters are taken out, it'll make it a more even fight against the kan'tanu, maybe even more lopsided in zecias favor if more late stage monarchs and dao reserves like living arrays and golems are restored.
BloodStorm
I’m struggling to keep up with parts of the story. Starting to feel like I’m slow or something
Lex Luther S
We all know zecia will become a blessed land eventually as Earth is his home and where he comes back to rest, relax, and plan his next adventure and that'll be rather hard if he can't rest and relax with such thin energy and dao, so the zecia sector at least being able to sustain 3-4th step autarchs is a must for Zac to be able to enjoy his home. And with the sheer amount of faction merit he's about to make, upgrading earth and enoulus to peak C grade will be just a matter of time, hell maybe even sub B grade if the sectors really do become able to sustain B grades.
Lex Luther S
It's already a done deal that the zecia sector and what will be left of the Zubor sector will come under zacs control one day. All he needs to do is have he and his core team of leaders reach monarchy and no one in either sector will be able to argue it.
Lex Luther S
No, it's a scanner. Karunthel argued for an upgrade to zacs' quest ship in agreeing for placing the scanner on it, which makes me think he did it just because he likes zac, given Rahm had asked if zac was worth it.
Lex Luther S
Because when Rahm asked Karunthel how zac got such an upgrade from the quest reward to the yphelion; Karunthel said it was a request from top management to put a scanner on the ship and that he had argued on an upgrade for the kids quest ship to which they easily agreed to. And one of them mentions "with him mentioning the Tyans" then one of them also says it'd make sense if it was them as not even their All Father would be able to reject one of their requests. It also happened not long before zac left off to the void star so if you go back and read from when zac just returned to earth from the OROM onward, you should find the relevant chapter pretty quick.
Lex Luther S
It's not a tracker but a scanner.
Lex Luther S
I have a feeling it's not as bad as Laz let's on; he just said that to keep kator in check. Though with being exposed to the remnants and chaos, there's no telling how that'd effect her path, the injuries shouldn't have fully manifest till zac ejected her and she was returned to her time properly. As for time flowing for everyone differently. Well, a minute is a minute even for a supremacy; it's only how they perceive times passing that changes unless ones following the dao of time like Kator.
Justin Durst
I'm looking forward to seeing how well the Monks' heart cultivation stands up to the effects of chaos on their karma manipulation and whether or not there will be any cultivation deviations.
Skai
Ohhh one more thing what is a theory about ogras and Iz agreement back then at void star?
Stephen Taylor
I thought it was self-evident it was equipment to scan for seals, not monitoring Zac.
Ty Cooper
Lol I cannot believe I have never noticed that. Even goes first and last name placements. Now whatever has been seen cannot be unseen. Fire - ice. So funny. And both halves always need balance
James Faulkner
Nah, I think he has to intentionally craft his earthly daos. Stealing pure oblivion and pure creation wouldn’t do it
James Faulkner
I don’t think he lost anything, I’m pretty sure the point of the comparison was to show that Tavza enabled him to take back everything and then some
Kevin Albers
Obviously Zac's adoptive Dad was amazing and his memory shouldn't be touched as a Dad, but I would love for an arc where Zac and his biological Dad at the Sindris clan reconnect though I don't know how he'll feel with one of his bodies being undead draugr
Ben Sagbo
Fair
BearHandMan
Zacia*
BearHandMan
Has to be some hidden Zac <—> Arcaz kinda stuff going on with Iz <—> Zi
Dev Rez
Is it sunday?
Ben Sagbo
So we're not getting chapter today?
Michael
I have a feeling that one of the main prizes of Ultom will basically give Zac and the sectors access to their own heaven. Something protected by the pillar itself that gives Zac full control over the region. That would give him protection to grow his empire in truth and would allow earth to still be relevant in the future if he can teleport the planets to the heaven.
Collin Sorrells
I seriously doubt that, Zac's gonna be flying around on the yphelion eating up and purging those nodes like oblivion and creation cookies.
Collin Sorrells
Bingo, exactly.
Collin Sorrells
He's also about to get something special from BeZi and her Dao partner, Their own versions of a remnant of oblivion and creation untainted.
Collin Sorrells
He didn't just take something random, he strained his soul finding two pieces of their grand Dao that perfectly fit his path. They even stopped fighting for a moment and seemed wounded by it. It will be a little disappointing if it just raises his branches from late to peak. That seems like something far beyond a normal peak D grade Dao treasure.
Collin Sorrells
There's a few typos. Y'esellio is mostly talking, he's the middle brother. It seems that their father split their soul into 3 pieces and made the brothers or something wierd like that and intended for them to eventually kill each other.
Collin Sorrells
Well, resurrecting the void emperor or bloodline was the mission of the Sendris Technocrats..... There should be members among them that are like a void emperor cult and Zac's Dad is a direct descendant of Karz and a powerful Sendris Technocrat. Zac should be like their Messiah or something to most of the traditional ones. Will be interesting to see how that all plays out.
Collin Sorrells
The Sendris are Zac's biological fathers clan. His amazing constitution and natural recovery ability actually has little to do with his path or void blood line or anything else and comes from his father. They probably have some special way to cultivate it that Zac is not aware of. The Void emperor was adopted into the Sendris clan and married and had children and everything and basically became the patriarch of their clan after millennia. The Sendris have been trying to reserect the void emperor since he died and prove that he didn't betray them and that he wasn't secretly Laondio's accomplice in creating the system and that he didn't betray the Technocrats. They described his father as an unkillable lunatic that went on a rampage after Leandra broke up with him and there's no telling what he would do if he found out about Zac's existence. But ya, apparently Zac's mom and dad had a real relationship and Zac's Dad is a real and direct descendant of the void emperor Karz.
Collin Sorrells
The creators were upset about it and didn't want to put the tracker on his ship. They were talking about who could have possibly convinced their elders to agree to something so nefarious. Mosius Tayn personally requesting was one of the only people they could think of being responsible. So that's why people would think that. It's what they speculated in the book. So.... Mosius Tayn or someone on that level is responsible. If it's someone else, It would have to be the Primo himself or three virtues master or someone like that.
Collin Sorrells
Well it was nefarious and the creators were not happy about doing it. I thought it was the undead, but it obviously wasn't, unless it was the Primo personally and he's keeping to himself. The Buddhists or the Taynes are the only ones I can think of with that kind of pull who would be interested or have the knowledge.
M💬
I was listening to to book 12 and truly understand how the heavens work. My question is will Zac make Zecia a place like the heaves without the whole taking fate from the other frontier sectors? I also think when Zac claims the throne or seal of Chaos he will go on a Multiverse wide war to control the Era . Also I think peak of Chaos is a throne because it just fits Zac’s personality of a conqueror.
Skai
I dont remember tbh
Jeff McCulley
To add, that “Fortress of Resolution” must be the Chapter House we were told was stationed guarding the Imperial Graveyard. Looked it up, that would be the Chapter of Carnal Resolution, the defenders of the cult doctrine. Ch 1,192 (straight from Wiki) One of Seven Chapters. So, Zac is about to destroy or heavily damage about one-seventh of the Kan’Tanu’s strength. And a crucial one. Hmm, I’m guessing that’s worth a goodly chunk of War Merit. Oh…and draw the Pope’s attention.
Jeff McCulley
Supremacies can’t get into the Sector until the war is over, maybe even not until after a period of assimilation. All Zac has to do is take out a big chunk of the Kan’Tanu to give Zecia an edge, an leave the war on the back burner while he goes to Ultom. Then the Abyssal Lake. Who knows how long this Sector War could be drawn out? With Zac and his forces picking up planets the whole way.
Jeff McCulley
We’re at a juncture that a couple of long time threads are coming together, so I thought I’d post a couple of things I tossed together a while back. The first, since it seems we’re likely to see Be’Zi again shortly… Zi Fortunes Remember what Zac told Be’Zi, at Catheya’s request. “They are hoping you can come back home,” Zac said. “Your descendant, Re’Zar Sharva’Zi, is nearing his end, and they have no one to take his place. Your clan is facing relegation.” Here is Be’zi’s reply: “But they need not worry. I can feel that the annihilation of my kin has been abated. Ripples on the lake.” I admit, I wondered exactly what this meant. Even Zac was confused. I wondered, was she implying that Catheya encountering Zac meant that she would rise to Autarchy before Re’Zar Sharva’Zi entered seclusion? But then, the real answer presented itself. From the time Zac was in the Abyssal Pond. And TFD did so definitively: “Aewo didn't need the bloodline of Mez to understand what she meant. Those who lived at the shores were all blessed with great fate, but he'd never seen a storm like the one sweeping through the districts. Even those who had exhausted their potential suddenly burned with purpose as they fervently looked toward the lake. Lord Eoz forcing his way to this timeline had overturned the natural order, and there was no telling what would come of it.” Why yes, both figuratively and literally “ripples on a lake”. Ripples spreading from Zac’s presence, his fate, his passing…and literally, ripples on Abyssal Lake: “A ripple thankfully dragged him out of his thoughts…” “The Abyssal Lake rippled when the brand touched its surface, and a slow swirl emerged in the lake's center.” “It was gone the next, and both Aewo's and Ysil's arrays soon sank into the rippling waters to begin their journey.” So, did TFD make his point clearly enough? :D Just to reiterate: “Even those who had exhausted their potential suddenly burned with purpose as they fervently looked toward the lake.” Yep, that was the whole problem on the first place. Re’Zar Sharva’Zi had exhausted his potential. And…I’m quite certain that Re’Zar was standing on those Shores at this particular moment. Of course, we aren’t done with ripples yet. Back at the Abyssal Pond… “Meanwhile, the still surface of the lake rippled as it rose.” Even Alea got into the act: “I knew you were up to no good the second I felt the ripples on the surface,” And for Tavza: “As the crashing waves of the Abyss rushed closer, she couldn't help but look back at her life. What was she doing?” Yep. It was Tavza’s turn to receive some tangential benefits. Some more tangential benefits. Go Tavza! Wasn’t this fun?
Jeff McCulley
I have no idea why anyone would think that it had anything to do with the Tayn’s. The Creators as a people seem to be on the same level. If anything, I’d say they were scanning for clues related to their own lost heritage. As pretty much everyone else seems to be,
Jeff McCulley
What chapter was that, please? I’ve looked but couldn’t find it.
Jeff McCulley
Umm….Zac literally IS their “long lost son”. Katz’s son. One they thought they’d have to make.
Collin Sorrells
It was stated directly in the book that they they were peak B grade entities when they were whole beings and that they should have been peak supremacies but they were stuck at a bottleneck and unable to ascend due to their obsession.
DrSubterfuge
Yeah one individual was divided into three brothers who specialized in one of Heart, Body, and Soul cultivation, who are now uh Voltroning back together into a single being who is good at all three. But I suspect that while Yoltron is going to be very powerful, he's also going to be critically unstable. Beyond Yselio's general instability, it definitely seems like Yzum did something to preserve himself with the time his subordinates bought him. Mmm psychic indigestion.
Jeff McCulley
Zac is a test tube baby because he was “created”. As far as we know, they’re all naturally born, not from artificial wombs or incubators.
Jeff McCulley
Yep. And you can’t get Earthly through an impartment. I still wanna see if these might be brand new Daos. Sunday, where are you?!!
Jeff McCulley
She has a guardian with the Third Eye. And is hanging out where Zac told her too. If the Technocrats have ship scanners that can see from a distance through fluctuations, so do the Tayns.
Jeff McCulley
The problem is, Earthly are supposed to be his own creations. He just straight up stole a couple. I feel like either he just made two Peak, he figured out how to fuse something—or he just stole himself another one or two Daos that fit his path. What? Why not five Dao branches? It’s Greedy Zac! ;)
Jeff McCulley
True. Zac has not yet dived into his piles of treasure and swum through it. Yet.
Donovan Brown
Fortress of Carnal Resolution, yes.
Donovan Brown
The technocrats installed devices that will be used by Aunt and Uncle, or at least emit their vibe. They are located at the Kan Tanu Fortress guarding imperial graveyard. They will disconnect system from Heavens and piss the System off. System then destroys fortress.
Lex Luther S
They're just trying to get things outta him coming back. Certainly they might not be hostile and It'd actually be nice for Zac to have a powerful faction like his two technocrat heritage families looking out for him, but it doesn't feel like that'll be the case unless zac reaches a lvl of strength they can't help but want to nurture to its full potential. Even if he's only allied to the Sindris and what's left of his mother's clan, that'd be a boon for all parties involved. Zac gets unfettered access to his heritage and the 2 clans have a future throne bearer as an allies. Or Sealbearer? We don't know if the peak of chaos is a throne or seal yet, or maybe zac can turn the seal of chaos into the throne of chaos if it's a seal.
Skai
Make sense, but maybe i just miss remember it. But i thought back then that this is some kind of tracker on his vessel that they installed. Bcs of that karuthell made him better ship. Bcs of law of balance i guess. Though i may be mistaken.
Lex Luther S
Given how his mom was called a princess and his dad is called an undying lunatic thay almost destroyed sanctuary, I imagine his pedigree is royalty. Also explains why he enjoys blowing up so many places, even if unintentionally.
Lex Luther S
We kinda figured it was the Tyans doing, but it may have been the imperials making the request. I'm of the mind it was just a plot device to get zac a much better ship than originally rewarded, so his evading of monarchs makes more sense, given how powerful the ypehlion ships scanners and speed is.
Collin Sorrells
Y'esellio was a mad scientists of sorts and very gifted. I'm guessing that he temporarily bound his soul to the flame bearer seal somehow for a moment. Yirin immediately absorbed it and was possessed. It was probably only something that would be possible for him to do to Yirin or this other brother he just absorbed.
M💬
Technically he should be their Scion, depending on on his dad’s royalty
austin kutz
Doubt it, I think he's going to stir shit so hard that no one wants to associate with him at all least they be present when a supremacy descends to kill him
xerebz
There's 9 steps. That fire golem that Iz was calling uncle is probably 8th or 9th.
Thenais
Wait till she meets the technocrats
Thenais
Try Uncle Scrooge
Thenais
Can we even trust that ?
Ty Cooper
After he takes control over the whole sector you mean. Lol
Joey
Nah, she's still in shock that Zac is BFFs with Laondio
Michael
This is pretty huge news that the Sindris clan is willing to back him that strongly. They are at least a B-grade faction who are looking at Zac like he’s their long lost son. Plus the effort the Draugr are putting in, it seems like he’s about to be treated like a true heaven’s chosen after this war.
Philly Cheese
I was thinking conflict. Since he had to fight both creation and oblivion to earn that last bit.
Skai
She prob regrets her life decisions rn xD
DrSubterfuge
Definitely my take as well. Feels like it fits perfectly.
Skai
Btw does anybody remeber about scanners placed in his ship by creators(i mean this thing that he dont know about and which higher ranks of golems planned).
Jeff McCulley
And…just how many “steps” are there? I’ve seen mention of a “five step”. Is it a whole damn extension ladder?!!
Jeff McCulley
Sure, but I think Yzum also set up something to sabotage or bootstrap himself into control.
Jeff McCulley
Other reward: moved up to second on the “potential future wifey” list now.
Skai
Tbh i think it awesome perspective of time we got here. Look my theory is that Tavza alredy helped Zac much before. Remember about her "injuries"? Those are ptobably payment for helping zac. Time flows difrently for everybody. Nice
DrSubterfuge
I think it's been implied that they're stuck in Autarchy because the peak is broken. Maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't also the era of Order. I suppose it's kind of weird that there can be Death Supremacies even with a broken peak, but those people are also supported by two different Death Eternal Heritages, which by their nature carry insights from previous eras. Same with the Sangha actually. The reveal that they are supported by an Eternal Heritage too actually seems entirely predicable if you assume that one is necessary to reach Supremacy without mending a broken peak.
BelligerentGnu
Sailing merrily down, River Confusion....
Skai
Tbh rn she is not, she gave mirror back xD
Skai
But if he would make like super fast earthly daos with it, it still would be cool.
Jeff McCulley
Seal? No. When she says “helper” she just means she’s the one assigned to meet with him by the Sindris, and do the “favors” he asks for.
Skai
Yeap
TKOva
Zac is actually naturally born. Not a test tube baby.
Jeff McCulley
BTW—while Qul’Uster says that Zac is “lonely”, just remember that Esmerelda is going along for the ride in her little temple through all of this. :D
TKOva
You mean 3 early earthly daos
Jeff McCulley
Chapter 1,169. Hope I didn’t miss one. Nutzu was the technocrat who came up behind Yselio and stabbed him in the fortress.
Clayton Fisher
Ok can someone point me where I should go back to reread about Qul-Uster and Nitzu. I'm having trouble remembering how they tie into the story. Or if someone is willing to give a brief recap that would be great too, ty in advance.
trufflezz
I thought so, I might be confused since they are saying things like technocrats do but it seems she got a seal?
DrSubterfuge
I think Tevza's help prevented him from losing much at all, maybe just a few repairable cracks on his Souls.
DrSubterfuge
I think he's going to have too much to digest for a quick turnaround. Just like with Conflict he has to make the insights his own before Earthly. I could see Oblivion and Creation bleeding into the last stage of his Branches though.
DrSubterfuge
Pretty sure Nutzu is the technocrat who saved Zac during his duel with Yselio and whisked him away
Scott Mingo
I think they're only related by all being Sindris.
Jeff McCulley
More of a liaison at the moment. But I think that’s coming. And given her current attitude…probably girlfriend number four or five. ;)
Jeff McCulley
Finally, a faction that’s just trying to play it completely straight with Zac, and be nice to him! Yay! Er, I mean, aside from their traitors, who will doubtless try to sell him out to the rest of the Technocrats at first opportunity—in order to get back into the fold.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Skai
They are not but he might skip this part if dao impartment is strong enough. Though i doubt it. It would be awesome. But i dont think TFD will skip such a important matter like a first earthly dao.
Jeff McCulley
lol. Watch Zac now have FIVE Daos. Screw you, Mister Four Earthly Daos Guy!
Jeff McCulley
Well, basically the deal is to do him favors.
Jeff McCulley
I think the bombs are meant to focus some of the tribulation on a hidden base. Fortress of Resolution? Is that a Kan’Tanu chapter house?
Jeff McCulley
At least, we assume that’s what happened.
Jeff McCulley
He’s about to get impartments from Be’Zi and her hubby that help him make sense and use what he’s already got.
Michael
Yeah this whole section was extremely confusing to read. I had to go over it like 10 times and I still have no clue who’s talking when
trufflezz
Question, from what I think I understand is Nutzu part of Zac's gang?
Jeff McCulley
Umm…nope. Be’Zi was a two step Autarch eons ago. She left because she wouldn’t survive without a breakthrough. And Zac literally just commented on how she was far more powerful than the Autarchs standing here.
Jeff McCulley
They’re all test tube babies. And Zac was test tubed in a Kayer Elu lab, not Sindris. It’s Qul’Uster who’s a relative of some sort.
Jeff McCulley
I’m hoping he recovered some of the lifespan he’s lost throughout the series. That was to Creation, after all.
Jeff McCulley
Two still aren’t at peak, are they?
Jeff McCulley
This. Came here to post it.
caelym
The first two sections made no sense.
Telewyn
I thought their conversation was specifically about how they didn’t have a deal with Zac, and the plan is to just do him favors and hope he’s friendly.
Kyle
Zac is the greediest MC of any story I have read and I love it.
Joey
She said that she was a test tube baby and her bloodline is significantly more pure than anyone else Zac met
Russell Widger
It never states specifically what their advancement is, they could be supremacies, they were at least 2-step autarchs when be'zi left the clan
Tyler S.
He will save the insights to use later as he doesn't want to be anymore damaged when entering the graveyard. But i imagine the insights gleaned will allow for a tripple assent, the creation/oblivion will bring his Life/death closer obviously then i can see a mid tribulation breakthrough for Conflict because that would be perfect for it
Ashar T
His life and death daos are still only late stage
Ralph
Unbelievable writing
X_XSilver
" 'Nevertheless' Yzum or rather Yselio said" Shouldn't it be " 'Nevertheless' Yrin or rather Yselio said" Since Yrin is the brother who's soul got taken over by Yselio
blarper
I would agree I don’t think he gets earthly Daos from this at all. I don’t think it has anything to do with it being an impairment though. Earthly daos do seem to be your own special take/flavor of dao but there’s nothing wrong with taking something already complete an adding it to your dao. Like if you made a mustard caramels Oreo shake you didn’t go out and make everything from scratch but it is still your own unique little flavor if that makes sense. At least that’s how I understand it My question would be if a impartmnet is more like a dao treasure or like an epiphany because it seems like he didn’t want to use a treasure to break through to earthly dao so if impairment is similar to a treasure than it makes sense but I always viewed an impairment as more of pure understanding than something that would have imperfection like a treasure would. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
night hawk
Dammmm
Kaladin
"As usual, there are some off-days in March. I'm doing 2 editing days this time (most likely the 14th and 15th), and I'm also taking Good Friday off (29th).". Extra Sunday chapter, no chapter next Thursday or Friday
Thomas Todd
He's seemingly made some sort of deal with them, it doesn't seem like they're randomly monitoring him. They're keeping an eye on him for some sort of plan or Zac's
FarStryder
I don't think so. In her last conversation with her commander they discussed Zach sindris father. And she said he was an unkillable mad man and didn't act he was family
Darnell Maxwell
I think the impartment was for his life and death doas. To help give him a direction on how to eventually evolve them into Earthly daos of creation and oblivion. So that he can start making progress on graspinf the dao of chaos.
Ethan Norton
No it was said they were peak B grade with the power of weaker supremacies
JJ Bb
I'm not sure about that. Zac was actually connected to the tapestries via the fragments so that they could drain him, Tavza was "just" generally assaulted by them while protecting him. It's quite possible that she does have a deviation or some other serious injury, but I don't think the fragments necessarily _have_ to had drained anything from her like they tried with Zac.
Luke Scheffe
I’m thinking that there will be a much greater increase in durability starting in monarchy, and that it will piggyback off of how inner worlds function to increase durability.
Philly Cheese
Earthly Dao is a comin'.
Chase C
It sounds like he recovered everything that he sacrificed in his initial struggle after Tavza's intervention: "A few tugs retrieved the final threads, making him whole"
Chase C
I think Thomas is right, Zac didn't actually end up sacrificing anything: "A few tugs retrieved the final threads, making him whole". The following paragraphs are about what he would have had to sacrifice without Tavza's help.
Joey
Well she definitely knows he's one person now
Joey
At least we got someone to comment on the shit show, then again the the real fireworks haven't begun
Kevin Albers
Since he took extra profit at the end from Creation and Oblivion, did he also recover all of his lost lifespan/longevity and maybe even gained some? I wonder what he could gain as extra from taking more from Oblivion
Chase C
Tavza's reward: Zac Piker being eternally indebted to her
Salvo
Too many views! Gives the chapter a real chaos flavor. Sounds like Zac got dao impartment, probably the greed of war or something.
Kevin Albers
I wonder what Zac's soul/spirit body looked like to Tavza, was it a mix of human/draugr?
Grant Prater
I wouldn't think he gets 3 earthly daos yet, that would put him much closer to the level of the other flame bearers and I don't think that will happen before the trial, though I could be wrong. also it was said earthly daos are sort of your own recipe, your own flavor of the dao so getting it from an impartment feels wrong. my guess is he gets one or all to earthly dao during the ultom trial
Dols1618
So the remnants will basically be energy/dao batteries for Zac now that they don't have a malicious will attached to them. Which means he will have passive regen for all his daos cause he already has the Warstone for conflict and the Void Engine for void. Also wonder if he will somehow integrate the remnants into his core at some point, they would be absolute peak materials for it, but who knows if it's even possible. Would be super cool though.
Kevin Albers
Yea I think this is the most accurate take of all this, honestly I think the brothers were an experiment of the Imperials trying to replicate the Kayar-Elu multiple body one soul technique but they couldn't figure out how to keep the split souls pieces synchronized properly thus they were each "tainted" by their own experiences and seeing each other as their own people, as compared to Zac where his soul was never actually split and thus there is no problem of his two bodies diverging in personality
Grant Prater
mm do we not think he'll try to fully reasemble them (heart of oblivion and spark of creation) and perhaps "purify" them? I assumed that would be part of his rise to autarch
Darnell Maxwell
Makes sense.
Thomas Todd
He didn't make any sacrifices, he retained everything. His original thought was he'd be able to regain two thirds but when Tavza got involved he got it all back
DrSubterfuge
His technocrat heritage is definitely going to be crucial for reaching Monarchy. Leandra told him needs to modify his specialty core so it doesn't fubar his ascension. Beyond that, I bet his father's bloodline can do more than just the passive increase in durability we've seen.
Thenais
Happy to see that iz isn’t the only one watching from afar while eating popcorn 🍿
Minh Nguyen
I wonder what his Earthly Daos will be called? Dang a few chapters ago Zac thought he was gonna break through for his Conflict Dao first but Chaos strikes again i see.
Joey
So Nutzu is probably his sister? Too bad Tavza didn't see him do Void Emperor stuff
Grant Prater
it's two high-tier autarchs
Thomas Todd
The current theory for Yselio is that originally the 3 brothers were the same person. Each brother focused on a different aspect of cultivation, one focused on body, one on soul and Yselio on heart. Now that this brother has been consumed all 3 will be one with all 3 aspects of cultivation
RGrocks
Yeh its one of those pay offs that we've been waiting for!
Chase C
I'm pretty sure it's been said that the original Spark of Creation and Heart of Oblivion were peak C grade creatures that had no path to advancement - so definitely not supremacies.
Chase C
Yeah, the phrase "The last link between him and the ancient madness was severed" seems to imply that Zac is done dealing with the lingering wills of the remnants from this point forward.
Thenais
So tavza’s bill : chunk of her memories, emotions, and desires.
Jeffrey Worrall
The Imperial section was very interesting. I think the 3 7th Heaven scions were originally one and were divided into 3 beings in childhood by their father and are now coming back together. "Do you think the experiment was a failure? That the three returning to their origin is futile because our experiences have tainted us?" Yselio said, his smile growing wider. "Have you ever considered it was our Royal Father's intention?"
DrSubterfuge
I think it's more likely that we're done with additional absorptions. I think the newly unplugged shards and splinters are going to be fodder for upgrading his core. They're basically D-grade Oblivion and Creation natural treasures now.
superfnh
Man, I’m so excited to see how the atavism wraps up. The remnants have been one of my favorite parts of Zack story: They were one of his first aces in the story, and so much of the early part of his rise, was about integrating the remnants and surviving them. Plus, there’s so much mystery surrounding the quest to collect five very curious what gift he receives from the two supremacies.
James Faulkner
Typical Zac 😂 let’s see what happens when you mix pure creation and pure oblivion into two peak dao branches!
Omiso
Yeah it took some time to understand she went to the "future" (the present of this chapter) to get injured and then went back to her "past" (the chapter where she met the Primo) just to send Zac a message. Still it was a nice touch, well played TFD.
Omiso
Yselio LIVES!!! he turned his seal into a trap to possess his brother Yrin, who was mentioned to be the strongest, and he killed the last one left Ysum, who was mentioned to be the smartest. The technocrat's bombs are meant to increase the tribulation of the heavens once the creature on the bell gets loose And everything else is chaos.
Darnell Maxwell
1) Technocrats aint shit. Glad to see that's a universal trait even they couldn't escape from. 2) I didn't understand a word of this. All I got was that Yselio ain't dead. Which is great. Zac will get a chance to kill him on an even playing field next time. 3) One thing I love about Zac is that unlike most litrpg protagonists, he is willing to surrender. So long as the stakes aren't mass casualties on his side or his own death he will call it quits. Especially if the reward isn't worth it. That being said, I also love it when he does insane shit like this. My man was faced with two items that damn near had the strength of a supremacy. And his idea was to let them fight eachother, then steal a piece of each of their dao when they weren't looking! Esmerelda may be a more skilled thief, but nobody is more impressive then Zac when it comes to taking what they want.
austin kutz
I guess that means that his subsequent absorptions can only be easier, right? If he reversed the process by which they become more difficult, this should be the hardest one he'll ever have to face, proportional to his level
SherbertSheep
THIS WAS AWESOME NOW WE KNOW WHY TAVZA WAS INJURED
bltth26
Sweet
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Craig
I have no idea what is going on and I look forward to reading some explanations in the comments (especially the two side character POVs)
Andrew
Thank you!
Lex Luther S
Interesting. So the atavism isn't something permanent but a threshold and once one reaches it, they are either absorbed into the tapestry or carve their own little home in it. Very very interesting. Although he had to make some sacrifices, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it would have been without Tavzas' help and we all know zac will do what he needs to, to repay literally saving his life and future. As for the technocrats; finally someone that understands that forcing the son of chaos to do anything will end in nothing but chaos and ruined plans. And while zac would love to have nothing more to do with them, I have a feeling his technocrat heritage will be integral into breaking through to monarchy and creating an inner world with no energy drain whatsoever. But the imperials side of things is even more interesting. To think Yselio was able to override his brothers very soul and body and seize control in the unbelievably short time they had contact. At least that's my understanding of what went down. And whatever it is he's doing now, he needs a lot of sacrifices to do so. Man the conclusion to the Ultom Arc is gonna be a wild ride and I'm all for it. Also, kinda hoping rhubat and ibtep meet that insectoid princess that's a flamebearer; would be funny as hell if the trials for ultom required them to work together and the grub knight walks up offering larva🤣🤣
Mason W
Epic
Russell Widger
So he's being watched by the Sindris clan eh?
blarper
Prettt sure they will just help Elevate his death and life branches to peak but it could be enough to form all three branches into earthly daos. Who knows. I would guess just life and death see and improvement but there was also big conflict between splinter and spark so maybe he gained insight from that. We know he’s on the brink of being able to form an earthly dao of conflict already after doing the million lives temple thing
Alexander Dupree
Nice thank you for the chapter
Chase C
TFD out here giving a new meaning to March Madness
trufflezz
Chaos time travel
Palmer Evans
Are the last threads he ripped out going to help him form an Earthly Dao like Chaotic Conflict or something?
blarper
Thank god
Thenais
Oh yeah
Progenitor of Supremacy
First
