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Chapter 1,215.
🕑 Added 2024-03-07 21:25:47 +0000 UTCThe voice was filled with patience and compassion. It was everything and everywhere, from the blade of grass to the boundless Heavens. Zac screamed as two radiant halos rewrote reality, turning the desolate space of the deadzone into a part of Buddha's kingdom. He became one with the cosmic consciousness, where time held no meaning.
Mountains rose, seas surged, and civilizations rose and fell in an endless cycle of Samsara. With each reincarnation, the world grew more complete. A thousand generations passed in the blink of an eye; Zac could no longer tell whether the world was real or not. History created context, and a pure Buddhist tradition was born. Centuries passed, and the monks reached true enlightenment.
Merit was accumulated and pooled. Holy temples were erected and reinforced by millennia of prayer. Arhats emerged, and true saints sailed through the sky. The Wheel of Samsara kept turning, and eminent monks returned to the dust. And then he appeared.
A normal monk, no stronger than an E-grade cultivator, sat beneath a tree in a minor temple. His gentle gaze was fixed on the rustling tree crown above. A leaf fell into his hand, and he saw the past, present, and future within. It first looked like the epiphany was too powerful, winking out his life's fires. It did, but what remained was pure and unblemished.
Boundless merit accrued over thousands of lifetimes had been unlocked, and the dukkha that had followed him through reincarnation was discarded. The monk's aura rose without end, his ascent creating auspicious omens that spread for thousands of miles. All beings stopped in prayer, and the whole world celebrated their first Bodhisattva's nirvanic ascent.
Bolstered by a world steeped in history and consecrated by eons of devout prayer, the Bodhisattva shed his mortal coil. His celestial form grew to the size of a mountain. He stretched out his hand to pluck a star just as he did with the leaf that triggered nirvana.
The world darkened, and the star gained a sinister purple hue. For a moment, it looked like an eye. Then it shattered, and a bone spear as large as the Bodhisattva emerged. The apocalyptic clash between the Izh'Rak Reaver's spear and the Buddha's palm snapped Zac out of the dream.
Zac's body was slick with sweat after realizing he'd been swept up in the attack of a true Heart Cultivator at the B-grade. He only slightly relaxed upon realizing there seemed to be an implicit agreement not to expose Zac and Kator to the energy outspill. Perhaps this was simply how skilled Autarchs fought. Wantonly releasing their energies and Daos wouldn't just scatter the force of their attacks. It would cause almost irreparable damage to the fabric of space. It was the same when Zac saw Iz's guardian deal with the Orom.
That didn't mean he could stick around. He'd never fought a Heart Cultivator before, but the past weeks had given him a glimpse of their terror. The paradisial world with its thousands of temples was still there, pressing against the cage's walls. He could feel it try to pull him back, making him become part of it once more.
That was how many Heart Techniques worked. The growth of the Sangha from primitive ritualism to the Buddha's ascent had never occurred. It was more apt to consider it a backstory that strengthened the attack. The more real the world was in the monk's heart, and the more it affected those around him, the more power the skill would exhibit.
The power of the B-grade Arhats was utterly terrifying. He clearly wasn't the target of their attack, and he was still a hair's breadth away from giving in to the Buddha's majestic aura. The brand that kept Zac trapped became a saving grace, resisting the intense righteousness. However, the brand was faltering, and every flicker cost a significant chunk of his Miasma.
The culprit, if you could call it that, was his Specialty Node going all out to resist a Karmic connection. Even then, Zac vaguely felt a towering mountain far, far in the distance. Zac would have thought it was one of the pillars holding up the Multiverse if he hadn't already seen the Void Mountain first-hand. It was large beyond comprehension, where continents were nothing but small outcroppings.
Zac swore, realizing what the monks were up to. It might look like they were helping him out, but they were using that to force a Karmic Link to the Fourth Mountain the golem mentioned. His Specialty Core would only delay the inevitable for a few seconds, and that was provided the Eidolon's brand didn't suddenly fail.
Whoever won, he'd lose. Zac couldn't wait any longer. He'd been waiting for a distraction, and this situation certainly qualified. However, Zac suddenly felt two sets of eyes land on him. He quickly suppressed his bloodline just before he heard the powerful voice echo from his heart.
'Amitabha, benefactor. We meet again.'
It was like a curtain had parted, and Zac's eyes widened in comprehension. He finally understood where the threat and familiarity came from when facing the elementals. The monks looked like identical twins, and their auras may as well have been one. It was the very same aura that had spied on him during his breakthrough to Middle D-grade.
Zac couldn't help but wonder if Kator's scathing remark was actually right on the money. It seemed as though the monks had been parasites hiding in the hearts of the golem and elementals. Zac wouldn't even be surprised if the hosts hadn't been Buddhists before. The Centennial Pryer's subordinates might just have been the unlucky people picked by these Arhats.
It was impossible to say whether they'd been turned into puppets or if their will was subverted by carrying B-grade Dharmic will. It was very similar to how the entity used the [Epiclesis Bell]. And when their vessels were destroyed, their true forms were forced into being. Even then, they didn't seem too worried about being exposed.
'Let us have a proper exchange after the seas have calmed.'
The monks turned back toward the Crystal, which was guarded by the Izh'Rak Reaver. He radiated a monstrous Killing Intent that unraveled the world all around, while the Eidolon seemed to target the opponent's souls. It quickly became clear that the Sangha's approach was the opposite of Undead Autarch's. It was as though they wanted the whole cosmos to witness Buddha's glory.
They held nothing back, pushing their Heart World against the bone cage, making it strain with duress. Its bars twisted under the invisible onslaught of Dharmic truth, transforming by the hundreds. The spectacle resembled Creation's unfettered transformation but was founded on the theories of the heart. The bars became the chains of ignorance that trapped the world in the wheel of Samsara. The Botthisavha's ascent meant shedding the mortal coil, breaking these very constraints.
Whole sections were demolished, creating glaring weaknesses in the Reaver's shroud. A distant rumble and a familiar pressure indicated the System was about to descend. It was at that moment Kator turned into a blur, slamming the cudgel into Zac's chest. He was unable to put up any resistance with his energy still locked, and a deadly mix of Earthly Daos left bloody lacerations across Zac's body.
Zac thoughtfully looked at the Reaver as he disappeared in a flash but quickly discarded any errant thoughts. Another door had opened after the monks closed the previous one. A deluge of Void Energy spread through his body, filling him with power. It was far from enough to deal with the faltering brand, and his personal Void wasn't strong enough to reject the Sangha's invasion. However, it did open the door to new possibilities.
A second body appeared by his side, and the world was suddenly calm.
"Little troublemaker, you're asking for too much."
Sendor smiled at the chaotic scene like he was looking at a performance. He looked the same as when they met, except for the clear difference in aura. Zac felt nothing when looking into the old Realm Spirit's eyes or at his antlers. They lacked the supreme Dao of the original. Thankfully, even the shadow of such a powerful being was enough to stabilize the situation.
"Please, senior, the sealing brand," Zac said, resisting the temporal vertigo of being placed inside Kator's time-accelerated domain.
"That I can do," Sendor nodded.
The brand and wounds on his body were gone the next moment. Even the nascent Karmic Link had been removed after Sendor rewound his state before being sealed, though he didn't get back the three-quarters of his energy pool that had been used to resist the Karmic Link. Zac knew there was no point in asking the ancient Realm Spirit to give the four rampaging Autarchs a good thrashing.
Their background had nothing to do with it. Just shielding him and dealing with the seal had noticeably weakened Sendor's projection. It was just as Zac expected. Sendor had already warned him the saving seal was not like the Edict Valsa used. The old spirit refused to go beyond the limits of what the System allowed, so the projection's aura was roughly Early C-grade.
Certainly, the C-grade wisp of a Peak Supremacy was completely different from the Monarch guardians traveling with the outsiders. This sliver of Sendor's will seemed like it could deal with Brigadier Toss with a wave of his hand. Even then, facing Autarchs was far beyond its capacity. It didn't matter. Zac had never expected Sendor's brand to do more than what he'd already accomplished, and he was already moving on to the next step of his plan.
Multiple tendrils locked onto Zac as he took out two boxes, each presence so powerful he felt a mountain was pressing down on him. His flurry of actions had caused a pause in the battle between the Sangha and undead Autarchs. They'd realized Zac was up to something, and Sendor's barrier wouldn't last long against anything more than their indirect auras.
A moment was all Zac needed. The run-down prison in Zac's mind shattered when he grabbed the fifth Shard of Creation with his human body. Simultaneously, his Draugr side welcomed Oblivion. He hadn't dared to directly remove the remnants before, fearing the Eidolon's brand was strong enough to seal them before they could activate. With the seal gone and his bodies protected from the Karmic entanglement by Sendor's protective mark, there was nothing holding him back.
'Please protect my vessel with any leftover strength you have,' Zac urged in a mental message.
The sky rumbled again, this time much closer, and time ground to a halt. Even the Autarchs were frozen in place, their gargantuan avatars staring at Zac with inscrutable expressions. Zac glared right back until his vision faded. These bastards had broken the rules by sneaking into Zurbor, causing a disaster that risked their mission and his companions. He had no idea if Vilari had survived the Reaver's battering or if his crew aboard the Yphelion had enjoyed the same protections as he.
He couldn't wait to pull down the Heavens onto their heads.
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A frantic, scattered heartbeat echoed throughout the void, each thump bleeding with the primordial Dao. For untold ages, the Heart of Oblivion had grown, with each cycle inching closer to that impossible threshold. All to dust. A single breath annihilated Oblivion; reality became ash with a thought.
The heart was angry but also relieved. Death was destruction, and destruction was life. Not even Oblivion could overcome the ancient Law of Balance, and every end had its beginning. Hatred. Destruction. Desire. The splinters diverged, their madness tainting every corner of the myriad planes.
Oblivion was never over.
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A crackling sound full of dejection echoed throughout the void, each snap leaking the primordial Dao. For untold ages, the Spark of Creation had left its mark on the universe, its conceptions inching ever closer to that impossible threshold. A single breath brought stillness; marvels beyond compare faded with a thought.
The spark didn't mind. Death was Creation, and Creation was life. Not even Creation could overcome the ancient Law of Balance, and every beginning had its end.
Hunger. Growth. Desire. The shards flashed, their tendrils transforming every corner of the myriad planes.
Creation was never over.
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Two simultaneous visions assaulted Zac, their overlapping intensity nearly enough to end the Atavism before it began. It was never Zac's intention to undergo both at the same time. He was supposed to deal with the first and then call the bell over. The moment it appeared, he'd freeze it with the second Atavism. The Sangha and later Kator's 'Divine Alliance' had thrown those plans on their heads, and Zac was left suffering for it.
Using two bodies would lessen the strain on his body, with the shards entering his human form and splintering the undead. It was a small benefit, though it did nothing to help with the real threat he was about to face. If anything, he was in far greater danger.
There was no stream of scenes showcasing the miserable end of resisting the remnants. Now that they'd reached this point, there was no purpose. Instead, the original vision lingered, intensified, and expanded as they showed the aftermath and the birth of the immortal will.
Zac felt his mind pulled beyond its breaking point as he was forcibly integrated into two vast, opposing networks. They were tapestries formed by the remnants scattered through the Cosmos. Together, they emulated the Grand Dao, the obsession of their existence. Most dots on the network were weak and insubstantial, having only drained some unlucky stragglers to nourish themselves.
A few shone brighter, and their radiance bolstered a section with sturdier truths. Zac could even sense a familiar aura from a few lights. They were the cultivators whom he'd seen when absorbing the second and third pairs of remnants. Their auras were mottled and mixed with dozens of foreign markers, meaning the fates he'd witnessed were only one of many tragedies these clumps of remnants had caused.
Twelve marks shone like bonfires in the night on both tapestries, pushing back the darkness and becoming major nodes. Their auras were clear and unblemished. Again, Zac sensed a few familiar auras: the minstrel, the flickering flame, the Dragon King, and so on—carriers of great conviction, one and all. And yet, they'd ultimately failed to resist the ancient madness, instead becoming a major node of the tapestry.
Some auras were missing, like the inquisitor who'd sacrificed everything to slay the mad God. He was one of the few to survive the Atavism, seizing a corner of the tapestry for himself. It made him the exception to the rule. Over the endless eons, the remnants had lured countless people desperate for power, and the vast majority met a wretched end.
The day the tapestry of Oblivion was made whole, the heart would beat once more. Similarly, the Tapestry of Creation would ignite the spark, ushering in another era of Creation. They were close, and Zac was a prize that would let them take a tremendous leap forward—the number of carriers who could survive until the Atavism were too few and far in-between.
Zac knew he'd cheated his way to this stage. Collecting both pieces certainly added to his difficulties in some aspects, but it helped him in others. The remnants had restained each other as much as Zac had restrained them, and generating Chaos let him keep the remnants in a perpetually weakened state. It would have been significantly harder to have to deal with the one seal.
Only this time, the two sides were working against him. Zac could feel his mind and bodies being taken over by the ancient will of the Innate Existences. He wasn't fighting the combination of five remnants. He was currently no different from the fallen bonfires, so he was fighting the whole tapestry.
He tried to resist the creeping Obliteration of his mind and seize the tapestry's corner for himself. It felt like trying to hold back floodgates with his bare hands. Worse, the crazed drive of Creation simultaneously invaded his mind, turning his thoughts of resistance into twisted nightmares. Resisting the Creation with temperance only invited Oblivion.
He was being destroyed from both ends, and his Heart Cultivation only prolonged his suffering. Of course, he hadn't taken such drastic measures without a plan, even if Autarchs were bearing down on him. Zac had considered his Atavism from every conceivable angle and turned to the plan that best suited the situation. Like before, he needed to have the remnants fight each other to lessen his load.
It was easier said than done. He might only have one soul, but the visions were fully separated. It was like Zac was watching two separate windows, and the Dao Tapestries didn't actually touch each other. Zac furiously rallied, resisting Oblivion and Creation's delineated nature. He could feel the other half of his soul in the distance, and he pushed beyond the vision's bounds, carving a tunnel through nothingness.
The closer he came, the fiercer the resistance. Zac had no choice but to cede more and more territory of himself to lessen the load. Eventually, nothing but a core of unyielding will remained. Zac roared without a voice, piercing the curtain, and two visions became one. Tremendous explosions rocked Zac's consciousness, almost knocking him unconscious.
Zac desperately held on. He'd created the path, but the fight wasn't over. He needed to survive the upcoming clash. Opposing wills met, and mayhem ensued. Zac's mind was rocked by a blast of Chaos. Another wave followed, but the pain never arrived. A hand had appeared in the darkness, shielding his frayed will. Zac's muddled mind rapidly cleared. Or did it? Zac looked at the newcomer standing before him, unable to compute what was going on.
"Tavza? Is that you?"
Comments
Ithoughtofsomething
This one felt abrupt, to me. Granted I just re-upped after taking a year long break but it didn't have the build up of, say, the twilight ocean
Thenais
Tavza ? Whaaaaaat?
Banana19
Bruh. By this point Zac needs to understand whatever the “plans” he makes never works. It might work till 70-80% but the rest of the % is a blind captain navigating ship.
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Jeff McCulley
Welp, you’re wrong. And your misunderstanding of “pretty straight” is just the beginning. Let’s try this: Completely straight = 100% Nearly straight = 90-99% Pretty straight is “more often than not”, so a clear 60-89% of the time. Weighted. Not worth trying to convince you, so I’ll leave it there.
Jeff McCulley
Kator didn’t ask anyone to help him out. He got told that they were going to. Part of the reason he’s resenting being a peon.
Jeff McCulley
Nah, it wasn’t visible. In such fights they just assume people have marks, and block them out of habit.
JaykeTheGeek
Yeah, the system wants him to collect them so bad it sold them to him in the alliance shop, lol.
Michael
Everyone is assuming Kator is going to be an enemy, but from his POV chapters we’ve seen that above everything he cares about his own cultivation. I still see him becoming an ally, especially after he gets really swept up in Zac’s fate.
Hartmann
Nutzu is the Sindhis descendant from the Centurion Fortress and Inda is the granddaughter of the late Endemic Sage.
Hms
Ideally, he forms his glimpse of chaos in front of Kator's face and gets the system to take out the other guests. As intriguing a character as Kator is, Zac needs to dish out some payback and get rid of at least one obvious threat before he enters Ultom.
Roland Thomas Junior
He just bought them
Lex Luther S
They were in the zecia alliance shop.
Crysus
Can anyone tell me when or where Zac got his final set of remnants? It’s usually quite a spectacle, that I thought I’d remember
Porter
I'm ready!
Khaleel Mansi
Nah, Zac does not forgive betrayal, besides, Kate’s showed that he’s bitch made cause he asked AUTARCHS to help him out. On top of being restricted by the system, system frowns on giving this level of support for the ultom trial takers
K S
I hope not. I like Kator even though he’s a snitch. After this episode, he’ll realise it’s better to grab onto Zac’s leg and ride the tides of fate 😂. I hope Zac relieves him of command of all missions going forward
Subliminary
Praise the eternal creator we get TWO more chapters this week. I’ll be edging off these cliffs in the meantime
Michael Fannon
Been a theory that Karz was made into the system similar to how Alea was made into love's bond for some time. And that Karz's influence has helped Zac from the beginning.
Kaladorph
Anyone else think the system is the original void empower trying to finish his 17 peaks? And the space the system operates in is the purification array of laon w.e infused with the entirety of his spirit. Maybe to imprison carz*sp after he went all evil trying to consume the Dao. The eternal storm the concentrated impurities of the entire universe acting as a prison. Heavenly path being discovered peaks because it exists to prevent carz Dao peaks
Jeffrey Worrall
Sendor's mark was visible, when Zac was fighting the 7th Heaven prince, the prince did something to prevent it's activation, and Zac thought about it, and figured Sendor had played him a little bit by making it possible for it to be blocked. I agree with James, Kator freed Zac up to use the mark, if he was actually trying to hurt him he would have hit him in the head.
SandreX
With faith? yess other stuff, nah
James Faulkner
I don’t think he needed to know about Sendor specifically in order to know that Zac would have hidden cards he could use as long as he was free to use them
Darnell Maxwell
As for the Theya and Kenzie thing. The book 12 proved that I'm objectively right. At least about Theya. So we don't have to discuss that. At least until the trial happens.
Darnell Maxwell
First off I'm not gonna give Tavza or the Primo brownie points for anything going on right now. Zac is mid epiphany and getting stabbed in the back. We don't know if what Tavza is about to do will help or harm him. So until stuff settles down and this graveyard business is concluded. I'm not gonna include any of this stuff Tavza is doing right now when it comes to my thoughts on how the Draugr/Primo have treated him. For all we know the next chapter can start with Tavza trying to kill Zac's human side. I wanna know what kind of backroom deals you are making where this is still considered pretty straight to you. Pretty straight is hiring armed security to watch over you when you make a deal with someone. At worst it would be having a sniper 3 buildings away and ready to off your opponent if they make a move to attack you. These people are doing the equivalent of telling Zac to meet them in an abandoned building to make a deal. Only the building is rigged to explode with 2 tons of c4 if someone trips any of the wires set around every entrance to the building! Then when Zac disarmed the bombs and brung it up halfway through the meeting they just went. "Oh you saw that. Oh well, I'll add an extra 5k to the deal and we can act like that didn't happen." Only YOU actually forgot it happened! If Zac wasn't so cautious, then every single deal he made with these people, before E Grade, would have ended his path or removed any sense of freedom he had for the rest of his life. Everything you said is referring to their behavior now. AFTER Zac had found the booby traps and disarmed them. Or it's under the belief that they're trick had 0 chance of success. If Ultom didn't wake up to pick Zac and he ended up practicing the body tempering method. Would the Emperor have just freed Zac? Hell no. Zac would have been a literal puppet for the rest of his life. If Ultom never chose him and Zac had to enter the war as an E Grade or more likely formed a far worse core that couldn't combine life and death. Would Leandra have come back to earth to help him? Would she send a message that would give him a path forward? Would she return Kenzie and just go, "woops. I thought being a hardass would make you focus on progression and reach new heights. But turns out it just made u rush and now u wont get farther than hegemony. Oh well, here's ur sister back and no hard feelings right?" No! She would just call him a disappointment and either find a different method to protect and progress Kenzie. Or risk her safety while focusing on Jeeves progression. You can't just focus on their behavior now, and act like they have been acting in Zac's best interests from the start. Every action they took was to kill, capture, or enslave Zac to there will. Whether that be Leandra, the draugr, or the Sangha. Just because Zac's insane luck and rightful paranoia has allowed him to evade all their traps doesn't remove the fact that they've put these traps here to begin with. And as we can see from these past 2 chapters, it's a good thing Zac hasn't been fully honest with any of these people. In short let's call a spade a spade. None of these people have been "pretty straight" with Zac. All of them have been rutheless because that's what it takes to progress. I'm fine with that. My issue is when people in the story and in these comments are acting like these empires are being upstanding citizens while Zac's being ungrateful or shameless. No! Everyone in this story that made it to peak E grade and beyond aint shit. They all have questionable morals at best and have been ruthless at times to achieve that power. So let's stop acting like Zac is the only one doing stuff like this.
Thenais
So … did Tavza got 3 ? That would make for a nice deviation
Thenais
Nope
Jeff McCulley
He said “pretty straight”, not “completely straight”. Your standard was Supremacies sucking out his providence, they haven’t done that. Yes, the Draugr tried to manipulate him to the death side—but they also went all out and sacrificed to make sure Eoz connected with him. That actually augmented his providence instead. The Primo gave the edict and has done nothing else—apparently you’re not counting helping Tavza connect—to screw with him. All the “screwing with” has been other parties. As far as the supplies, Zac was trying to gouge out advantages, they didn’t just cave. As far as the Lotus Emperor is concerned, his conversation with Kaldor suggests that neither one expected it to work, and the monk would be just as content if it nudged Zac into a different path. As in, at least partially, it warned him that people might screw with him. As far as Zac’s mom, it’s like absolutely, positively, blatantly obvious that the stuff she’s pulling and attitudes she’s taking are a deliberate facade to motivate and nudge him in the direction he needs to go—while at the same time not contaminating his path with her own. If he LIKES his mom, his path runs differently. She’s assuring that distance. And as far as Thea and Kenzie…well, I’m neutral, as neither are as of yet here nor there for me. But your strong dislike for two fictional characters looks an awful lot like what they call a “you” problem. Nothing more, nothing less, and that’s fine. Something about them simply strikes a strong negative chord with you. And nothing the rest of us say is ever gonna change that. And as is said often, everyone has their likes and dislikes about this story. Yours just happens to be those two. Mine is something else entirely. And both of those are okay. Because people aren’t all the same. Sorry if I missed any parties. It’s almost 1AM here now. Best wishes to you, Darnell. Hope you have a good weekend when it gets here!
Thenais
Tavza ? Unbelievable for Zac.
Jeff McCulley
Do you think Kator knew about Sendor’s mark? I can’t see why Zac would have told him.
Jeff McCulley
I think the odds are near certainty that he goes in another vision. The only way he doesn’t is if…TFD decides he wants to combine the trip with something else. ;) And for all we know, the foreign gods were supposed to be in the Eternal Storm, so maybe Be’Zi and her hubby are chilling nearby.
Russell Widger
They said they'd give him an impartment if he survived atavism
M💬
And the fights will be mind blowing 🤯
M💬
Who tf is Nutzu and India ? I am all for Leyara maybe pretty too
M💬
Tbh I have to respect it at this point. You stay standing on business with the Catheya hate not that I agree lmaooo
Jeff McCulley
Zero.
Rushin Lad
The foreign gods, I believe they're supposed to take some roll in all this as well
James Faulkner
Pretty sure Kator took the opportunity to empower Zac enough to use Sendor’s mark
Joey
So what are the chances that Be'Zi and A'Zu are external elders for the Kayar-Elu? There's Be'Zi's bloodline and the quantum node running on creation energy.
Kevin Albers
I thought TFD gave hints that he was only doing the two bodies for Hegemony and by Monarch it will be wrapped up
Darnell Maxwell
What are you talking about?!?!?! The draugr and Primo have been pretty straight with him!? They've tried to kidnap him on multiple occasions and force him to choose the path of pure death by sabotaging the treasures they gave him! Then when Zac split and Arcaz became a hegemon. He says how they shortchanged him every chance they got and forced him to bring spies onto his planet. The Primo's edict has been all talk since the trial hasn't started yet so he can go back on his word at anytime before it happens. Then the Tayns are better but they're still not being straight with him. Iz spied on Zac 24/7 and her family actively used Zac to inspire Iz into wanting to cultivate. I guaran-fucking-tee you that if it weren't for Zac, Iz would still be in E-grade right now. The only reason she evolved so quickly was to participate in the trial with Zac. And as for the Sangha, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE LOTUS EMPEROR HASN'T TRIED TO HURT ZAC!? Did you forget the body tempering method he gave Zac? The one that was specifically altered, so that Zac's soul would be sealed away in his body. Turning him into a mindless puppet that the Sangha could use to drain his providence? Or kidnapping his ex and using her like the parasite she is to cling onto Zac's fate and scoop up seals? And Leandra! Despite the praise I give her for removing those two parasites from Zac's planet. Still killed his girlfriend and kidnapped his sister. Then literally every time she speaks to Zac she goes out of her way to insult and belittle him. Then demand he go on missions for her by blackmailing him with Kenzie's safety. All these factions are shady as shit. And all of them would have killed, enslaved, or imprisoned Zac in some way shape or form; if Zac wasn't so chaotic/clever and they could easily transfer over his benefits to one of their up and coming faction members. PS: Sorry if your a Theya or Kenzie fan but some Theya fans gaslit me a couple of chapters ago so the gloves are off. I'm back to insulting these two every chance I get.
Nick
Love that idea! Hadn't even considered Verun getting miracle bones
Jacob Conway
I’m wondering if we are going to get a Be’Zi and A’Zu vision with the 5 shards and how that might affect the situation. I remember they said he could either go to them or go via the vision state that the system has sent him in the past for his rewards to their quests.
Zachary Blevins
Yep
Jeff McCulley
Pretty sure he’ll have to integrate the two by the time he perfects his cosmic core. The inner world.
Jeff McCulley
As I recall, he topped off void mountain, no?
Jeff McCulley
I’m caught on two possibilities, really. With a spare. One, the situation didn’t look good to Kator. Sure, it was two Autarchs to two, but his two were fighting while working to keep the Bell contained. Advantage Sangha—so he whacked Zac to make a good show to his Seniors that he was trying to thwart the Sangha’s goals—before they were forced to leave. If so, it was a pro forma whack, and he disappeared before the monks could decide to deal with him. Either that or, just at the moment the System started to gather, he whacked Zac to create an opening for him to act. The drawback here being that he used more than just the time Dao. The third option is that as soon as he say that everything was falling apart and his guys were gonna lose, he whacked Zac just for the sheer pleasure of it, before he vacated the area himself. Note that under none of these three was he directly trying to kill Zac—unless he figured that damaging and weakening him at a crucial time would do it. I’m afraid that TFD is going to have to elaborate a bit more for me to be sure which one is right.
Jeff McCulley
'Let us have a proper exchange after the seas have calmed.' This is thing that strikes me as funny—both funny/odd and funny/haha—is that the Autarchs on both sides have now told Zac, “I’ll talk to you later”. Which tells me that both sides value Zac, and see him as a far bigger chess piece than he thinks they do.
Lex Luther S
Yeah, but I doubt that'll happen till he's aiming to forge his heavenly territory. After all, one body will be oblivion while the other is creation, and upon reaching supremacy, he'll bring his bodies together to forge a chaos constitution.
Joey
Maybe Kator will get some pointers on how the Imperial Tutor actually operates
Austin Barton
Idk it seems like the void mountain is a priority ability right now and he has done everything he can to strengthen it. It’s a big part of how he will merge his bodies by combining both void daos and normal dao
hachetnif
I feel both wouldn't do it justice in my imagination But I feel with the technology of today a live action movie could be possible especially with the first book I think it would be cool
orc
Eh, except most of the allies Zac has made that had supremacies have helped him pretty much unconditionally. It's one thing with random factions, but Primo and Draugr have been pretty straight with him. Tayns have been pretty helpful, especially towards Kruta. Leandra (even tho she's an autarch) has clearly been helping him in her own way. This might be shown as the Buddhists going against him, but it's just that one guy who wants to erase Laondio, we've yet to see Lotus Emperor try to harm him in any way. He's been helped by him multiple times by different incarnations. I dono, I get bothered by Zac's attitude that only thing that matters is how useful people are to each other, because that's basically the exact opposite of every relationship Zac has.
hachetnif
All them are attracted to him for some aspect of his power
hachetnif
Yeah there's probably more that is not talked about with how much his luck stat is at
Theta Time
Thx!
Joey
Nah, Kator helped him by accelerating time for him making it easier for him to summon the chaos because the system was coming
Salvo
What’s the vote on Kator just tried to kill Zac there? Getting mixed messages from the crowd. I think Tavza is there to guide Zac from oblivion to the abyss. The bridge that needs to be built in the moment is a paradox in this reality, so OTHER realities(planes) have to be used to make it possible. Creation into void as creation needs an empty place to start creating, a box without edges. and the oblivion still needs to exist SOMEWHERE even after it’s done its thing, thus abyss. A prison where nothing can escape.
Joey
Tavza having some questions about why Zac and Arcaz having one soul. Even Sendor didn't get that invasive.
DrSubterfuge
Now there's an idea. Wouldn't be surprised if it shows eagerness, but Zac might decide he has better uses for the motes.
Russell Widger
I'm willing to bet he will get Earthly dao that combine life and creation and another dao to combine death and oblivion. This should help him eventually bring his bodies back together
DrSubterfuge
Zac may bargain with the System to teleport them closer to the wall so that Zac can crack the bell there and call down the big bad Old Heavens on the Kan’Tanu.
ouroboros
It's about time. 😼
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Joey
Nah, he's going to get left behind and Vilari will mind control his guys out of the ship
Joey
More like the Void Emperor bloodline, don't know how he's to explain that one to her
Blayne Allsen
If the movie series is two-three movies for each book, then absolutely a movie series
Lex Luther S
Please, Catheya is the best girl for his undead side. I just feel one wife for arcaz, a bloodline patriarch, isn't enough, so why not throw in the abyssal Princess Tavza? Besides, you can easily say the same thing about Tavza, as she's doing this not entirely for Zac but to ensure the abyssal shores massive investment in zac doesn't go to waste and to find a path forward for the abyssal shores given the heart is sealed. Hell, I'm willing to bet this is how that item in the hollow court gets to the primo, thereby settling the matter right then and there. The primo will owe zac, tavza and even the abyssal shores a massive debt and the rebellion will be squashed.
Lex Luther S
Yeah, no. Thea barely matches up to carl, let alone the current Catheya and honestly their romance was always subpar washy washy; with even his mom calling them out on them both having one foot out the door.
Blayne Allsen
@Olivier Combe that's not what happened, otherwise Sendor's mark wouldn't have had a conversation with Zac about him taking on 4 Autarchs being too much. What I believe happened is Kator's hit plus his time dilation domain helped Zac activate Sendor's mark, which removed the seal that restricted him. Kator ran right away after the hit instead of finishing him off. Then Zac took on both atavisms and is about to call forth chaos and do some more system bargaining
Lucas Gulick
Appreciation post, we all know you work hard to provide this story and it means a lot to us
Lex Luther S
Well, if I could fight against a monarch as a fresh Late stage D grade, I'd think I would be the shit too.
Lex Luther S
Well, other the sea of purple and blue heavenly lighting to exterminate that entity, you're about right on the money. Though I sadly doubt Iz will end up accompanying them, as fun as that'd be.
Aaron J
Tavza is the one that jumped into the tapestry a couple chapters ago to make a path of survival for Zac I believe
Jeff McCulley
Hmm…a broad movie audience, like the Avengers movies, or a niche (animated/anime) TV series that a relative handful of people like, but gets lost in the shuffle? Gee, let me think…
Jeff McCulley
Catheya can blow chunks as far as I’m concerned. Even Tavza called her out for only being after personal power. Iz. Tavza, Leyara, Nutzu….and probably Inda.
Jeff McCulley
Better deal, the System takes their surrenders and hands the reins to Zac.
Jeff McCulley
More Tavza, less Catheya, please.
Jeff McCulley
Ogras with both Iz and Catheya—though the former came first.
SandreX
I bet Void mountain will be more than happy to feast on chaos
Cryfdwr
That would be great!
Jeff McCulley
Remember Uona and Ykrodas Havarok’s reaction to seeing Zac in a Chaos moment? That’s the itch that Kator is about to get. Much more powerful than a fungus.
Will Banning
Have they established how close knit the Buddhists are? I know that every large faction has in-fighting and even the sangha has shown to have disagreements amongst itself. But they definitely had a much larger air of cult-like unity than any other faction we've seen.
Jeff McCulley
I think Zac is about to never have to worry about Kator ever again doing anything but puckering his lips to kiss Zac’s a**, as often and as frequently as he can.
Jeff McCulley
Let me see if I have straight what will happen next. After an immense internal battle, with the help of Tavza, Zac will master the Atavisms of Chaos and Oblivion. He’ll (likely immediately) pop over for a quick chat with Be’Zi and her hubby, and gain an impartment or two of some kind. Which will take more time to unravel than Zac has at the moment. Returning, he’ll form a whopper-sized Glimpse of Chaos to bargain with the System with. At which moment, someone (or someones) will get the Uona treatment. The System gets its boogie on, and does its thing. Shorty thereafter, Zac will be in an Autarch-free zone. He’ll own a badly damaged but entity-free Epiclesis Bell…or Vilari will. Same thing. And Vilari will be back. There will be a massive breach in the Wall surrounding the Imperial Graveyard. Iz may or may not pop by, to go along for the ride. Kator will be busy cleaning up the mess where he shat his pants. Assuming Reavers wear pants. Or excrete bodily waste. Also vowing internally never to mess with Zac again. Everyone aboard the Yphelion—aside from maybe Joanna—just got their first glimpse of just exactly who they work for. There are several more converts to Zacperial Faith. Carl rolls his eyes, and grabs his broom. Many Kan’Tanu are on their way to the party—perhaps including the Pope. Hmm. Did I miss anything?
Olivier Combe
He killed him when he was the most vulnerable, but Sandor's mark was designed to save Zac one time, so it activated just at that moment
DrSubterfuge
He did do damage, but he also put him into some kind of stasis bubble that gave Zac an opportunity to act. Novel use of a time domain apparently.
Orthes
Kator knows his faction is willing to sacrifice him for ultom and the UE civil war. This is Kator seeing the way the wind is blowing and betting on chaos.
DrSubterfuge
She's the one who contacted the Primo in desperation and stepped into the broken peak of Chaos, and seems to have stepped out...several weeks into the future in Zac's headspace the moment he started forming Chaos.
Dev Rez
Chapter 1,209. Tavza is shown the tapestry of death by the Primo and enters a small gathering of chaos caused by Zac.
Orims
pretty sure he activated Sendor's mark. Everyone hates him, but from the beginning of the arc with him, we see that he is just as tied down by the schemes of his faction's Supremacies as is Zac, and they would just sacrifice him if it meant a better chance at Ultom.
Omiso
@ Jeff I think Kator's hit was meant to break the lock in Zac's body to let him trigger the Chaos glimpse formation. I believe this to be the case because the Sangha were showing to be on top at the fight and there was no follow up hit to kill him, if anything he bolted out of there to avoid any fallout from the Chaos glimpse.
Sanc Asura
So many plot threads coming to a head right now. Excited to see where the cards land.
Khaleel Mansi
I really hope Zack kill Kator and feed his miracle bones to verun
Kevin Albers
Once Zac hits C-grade, I honestly wouldn't mind a slice of life/romance arc lol
Mike Naka
1209
Russell Widger
Forcibly hitching him to their wagon is a type of attack
Russell Widger
Tavza entered into chaos, not just oblivion
Amani
Yay for Tavza! Great chapter.
DrSubterfuge
We might be seeing weird time travel stuff with Tevza. Stepping into the broken peak from the visit with the Primo could have lead her directly to this newly joined tapestry of Chaos, but once she's done she's back in her original time and paying for all this nonsense with a deviation. (That would also have to mean that the effects of this chapter could be seen in the past.)
Theta Time
What chapters should I go back to in order to revisit Tavza’s situation - I can’t recall what foreshadowed her appearance here.
Mike Naka
Kator thinks he's the sh!t so he needs to suffer in an undignified way before Zac crushes him. Kinda like the joke 'What's the last thing that goes through a bug's mind when it hits your windshield?"
Tyler S.
With her being blocked out by Kator, during her conversation with the Primo he allowed her a vision of the grand tapestry of Death where there was a wrinkle of Chaos and as her self entered it she must have been sent to this space/time
Chemistrywarrior
Well, technically there are several Tecnocrat factions. Also don't forget that Ogras has some kind with Iz 😂
Darnell Maxwell
Oooooh so this is why everyone in the story was saying it was a bad idea for Zac to be making deals with supremacies. It wasn't a fear he'd get himself killed by being swept up in their fate. They were worried the supremacies would steal Zac's providence and not leave enough for themselves. This makes way more sense. I never believed they actually cared about Zac's well being so I wondered why they kept warning him.
Michael
Man I’d love a POV from the autarchs. Some D grade just casually has a peak supremacy pop up to help him as he ushers in true chaos.
Tyler S.
Or just kill him
ClaySavage
Second wife on the undead side. I’m just spitball in here. But two wifes that struggle to keep up with him for each body and two that are on the top of there game. Ice(Cathea)and Tavza death. Thea and fire(iz)for the living side.
Jeff McCulley
Trying to figure out why Kator just popped over and whacked Zac once with the cudgel, then disappeared. Not doing any damage?
Jeff McCulley
What Tibstrike said.
Mateo Lopez
Zac’s Atavism trial has been a long time coming! I can’t wait to read the fallout of this Chaos
Mike Naka
Zac ought to meet up with Boge's master and hire her to concoct a fungus that he can use to infect Kator with that makes him itch constantly. He'd have to spend hours each day, sanding down his bones so the itch doesn't get worse. That ought to shut that snickering skeleton up. A nice parting gift given through a handshake.
Rhys Rathbun
Draugr. Direct descendant of one of the prime bloodlines. She was supposed to come with them but Kator had her removed from the expedition as part of a plot against the draugr by the other majot undead races.
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Michael Fannon
Animated series like Vox Machina or Castlevania.
Chase C
I hope Kator makes it through this just so we can see his reaction when he realizes Zac somehow outplayed 4 Autarchs gunning for him.
Omiso
Damn how many conspiracies is Zac part of? it was bad enough with the System and the Technocrats, then the Empire and the Sanga but now even the remnants where a conspiracy on their own. Of course Rava has plans of her own and Iz is eyeing to help her grandma and her throne. Am I missing someone?
Jibryl
I honestly hope the system just punishes the Autarchs with death, breaking the systems rules to such an extent has to have serious and permanent consequences.
Ole Halvorsen
Tavza An'azol the draugr princess from the abyssal shore. Kator --- Tavza
Raymond Whitehead
They will probably deflect saying some dumb shit like the heart cultivator was "helping" by fighting the others. The thing you have to keep in mind, to the sangha its in zacs best interests to join them so its not lying from their point of view if zac fails to resist the pathbreaking. They would see it as zac coming around and accepting buddhas love or some other nonsense
Kevin Albers
Not cultivating, I think just being exposed to chaos (oblivion/creation) is enough to cause injury; cultivation deviation was just the excuse they told the others
Michael Fannon
Everyone is showing up!
Tibstrike
These aren't the Buddhists who Thea made a deal with.
Seaspike
Brain fart, who's Tavza?
Darryl Williams
I’d say tv series, but even if it’s a hit it’d be cancelled after one season or two, so I have to go with movie franchise
Joey
Sendor's just like what I expected
Andrew
Thank you!
Scott Mingo
Oh. So, the deviation might be Tavza cultivating Oblivion?
Progenitor of Supremacy
I need the next chapter!! Inject it into my veins
Kevin Albers
Damn Tavza being an MVP, want more of her, Kator's schemes honestly slandered their past interactions
Danny
Just wtf xD
Chris
Nice
TKOva
Brooooo, let's, f'in gooooo
TKOva
Animated Series is the best bet honestly. That would be legendary. Comic would be nice. But an animated series would be the GOAT.
Sam Williams
No, that's the problem with the Sangha. They're purveyors of Truth and Enlightenment. They would never kill Zac, they would simply show him the Truth. The Truth would change him, but from the Sangha's perspective that change would be a benefit to him.
Jeff McCulley
Arhats. Asshats. In this context, same thing.
James Faulkner
Now we know why the Primo sent Tavza to the broken peak! This is so goddamn good, I can’t wait for Zac to fuck over both the Sangha and the Reavers lol
Jeff McCulley
They’ve already made it clear they have nothing to do with that other bunch.
Kharas
Right... When Zac have the power, the first major faction that goes are the monks. Those shifty bastards deserve everything bad coming their way! And it seems like Tavza really meant it when she said she were gonna do what it takes to make sure Zac returns to the Abyssal shore for what ever opportunity awaits him in the depths. The Draugh really have been rather good to him... Now if just Kator can die from something nasty while this happens, and the Autarchs will get thrown out of the sector by the system when Zac somehow manage, with Tavzas help?, to resist the double atavisms. Ohh and the reward from Be´Zi and her husband is also waiting just around the corner hopefully.
Mateo Lopez
If it’s made the way TFD envisions then I’d rather have a tv series. The cliff hangers would be killer though
M💬
Anime tv series would be perfect
Alexander Dupree
Thanks for the chapter
Aaron Schwartz
Movie means bigger budget, and better effects and action scenes. TV series means more time to devote to the story and fewer things things get cut for runtime.
David
Maybe there are competing factions within the buddah
Orims
Time to bring chaos to this wretched corner of the multiverse! All those ashole autarchs are going to cry once the system gives them a spanking.
J. Guckeyson
They’re not attacking him, more like forcibly hitching him to their wagon
Lex Luther S
Holy, hell, bring CHAOS down on these bastads Oh, YEE SON OF CHAOS AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA. On another note, seems these 2 really were the autarchs blessed fate sent after zac, naughty naughty indeed. Well, seems they're gonna suffer heavily for this because the system is not gonna be happy, ohhh not one bit. Add in the systems greed for the glimpse of Chaos and the entity hiding in the bell and that wall of the Kan'Tanus' is toast. As for Tavza appearing here, seems zac really might have fallen to the atavism in the end but Tavza came through showing why she'll be arcazs' 2nd wife.
Observer Whimsy
Wow i, super impressed at all the people who called out Tavza showing up here, great call!
Thomas Todd
They technically never attacked him, it might be enough to slip through. Also I believe the exact wording of what they agreed was that they'd help him and the Atwood empire inside the trial and that hasn't started yet. I do imagine there will be some negative karma from this but not anything the B grades and the A grade behind them can't manage
Jason Bradford
This is good…I wanna see the System smack the autarch’s down after Zac ascends!!!
Saijibott Saijibott
Hot dawg!
Ryan Pepp
Here we go 👀
NeverNaught
I could get used to daily cliffs if there this good.
Will Banning
Question, does the Buddhists attacking Zac go against the promise that Abbot Everlasting Peace made with Thea?
Progenitor of Supremacy
Would yall rather have a movie franchise or a tv series of DOF
Progenitor of Supremacy
Lets goo
William Keith
Woohoo!
Rouslan Tourtsev
First
