Defiance of the Fall

"It's clearly the Stormwall Tor like the map said. But why is it here? Where's the Emerald Sea?" Esmeralda muttered. "It'd be one thing if it dried out. But this…"

Zac nodded in agreement, taking out the map he'd gotten from Mayor Truga. The jagged pillar crackling with lightning was marked just beyond the Withering Wind Region's border. It should have taken them months to reach it at Esmeralda's speed. At the border, there should have been a huge, viscous sea filled with deadly algae. And yet, they’d only traveled for a week before spotting the landmark.

“The continent doesn't seem to be randomized, and it makes no sense only saving the parts we've seen. We should have passed dozens of towns before reaching the tor, but we've only seen one ruin unrelated to the Limitless Empire," Zac said. "Could they have folded the continent like the Ensolus Ruins?"

"The further we travel, the more likely it seems," Esmeralda said, her eyes flickering with awe. “Just how did they do it? A Primal Heaven should resist any spatial meddling."

One thing was clear after their week in Black Zenith. The Left Imperial Expanse was unfathomably large, far exceeding anything Zac had ever heard of. Esmeralda even believed it was a Primal Heaven. Whether a Primal Heaven should be categorized as the highest order of Mystic Realm or a continent was an ongoing debate.

They were so incomprehensibly massive that they exceeded the limits of space. Sendor's Immemorial Realm might be larger, but the Perennial Vastness was mostly empty like outer space. It couldn't compare to a single continuous landmass drawing power from the cosmos. They even generated private dimensions.

There were extremely few Primal Heavens left in the world. They could only form during the Era's birth and only in pinnacle dimensions. Most collapsed on their own during the primordial epochs. The rest fell during the Dark Ages. After collapsing, a Primal Heaven would splinter into countless Mystic Realms and continents. Much of the Multiverse Heartlands were apparently built upon the ruins of continents like the Left Imperial Expanse.

Conversely, High-grade Continents and Immemorial Realms could still come into being if the circumstances were right. The Multiverse's peak factions could even construct one, though the costs involved would probably even deter Iz's family. It was much cheaper to find what you needed inside the Eternal Storm and drag it back to your empire.

"Folding the continent has to be part of the Fifth Pillar's design. I don't see how it's possible without the power of the courts and the Supremacies who built them," Zac said, looking down at the ground. "That's probably where all the actual ruins have gone. Maybe it was a protection for the population when they activated the grand formation."

"There's another possibility," Esmeralda said, looking solemn. "Sacrifice. All the memory lanterns and Imperial Faith have to come from somewhere. Something had to fuel the System's awakening."

"Either case, we should get going."

Zac hoped Esmeralda was wrong. It was difficult reconciling the Laondio and Karz from his bloodline visions with someone who'd sacrifice countless followers for their schemes. Laondio felt like a carefree tourist traveling by Karz's side. Karz had the ingrained ruthlessness of someone who'd desperately fought to stay alive, but sacrificing the weak for power didn't seem like his path.

Karz collected and refined garbage instead of scheming and robbing. He risked his life searching for treasures in the wild. He followed the orthodox path of seizing strength through effort. Did they change after failing to surpass the Terminus? Was the Limitless Empire's collapse intentional rather than the consequence of an enormous miscalculation?

If so, Zac's karmic entanglement with Emperor Limitless posed an even greater threat than he'd feared.

The ambient Lightning Energy reached painful levels over the next few hours. Eventually, they spotted a sparse rain of Memory Lanterns above a solitary, burnt-out tree close to the lightning rod. A Memory Domain would likely be born if given more time. Their running theory was that the memory events captured significant points in time, and the lasting pillar had no doubt changed more than a few lives.

Esmeralda kept a respectful distance throughout. The pillar was a mysterious relic left by a long-gone species that far preceded the Limitless Empire, and it was incredibly dangerous. The lightning storm above it unleashed bolts that could threaten Hegemons, and deadly lightning spirits had made the tor their roost. Lightning-based opportunities weren't of use to either him or Esmeralda, so there was no point in risking their lives for a closer look.

It was the same for Zac’s human side. While traveling through the mountains, he'd encountered a phenomenon at the Stormwall Tor's level. It was a small, solitary mountain teeming with energy from the Lost Plane, far surpassing the accumulations inside the Centurion Base. A place like that would likely hold some treasure with First Era's essence.

Still, exploring it was too dangerous for the current Zac. Ignoring the risk of running into C-grade Qriz'Ur, Zac couldn't even deal with corruption at that level. The Zenith Elixir had saved months of recovery for his Void Emperor Bloodline, but it was still far from its peak state.

Thankfully, there were plenty of smaller opportunities that didn't require Zac to risk life and limb. The Left Imperial Expanse's extraordinary spiritual accumulations ensured that high-grade resources would pop up all over the place. Zac was constantly picking up D-grade materials, to the point his progress would have slowed to a crawl if he hadn't tightened up his looting rules.

For example, he'd ignore things like the D-grade trees that littered Pangonian Wilds. Their spirituality wasn't intense enough to be considered Natural Treasures. Worse, their heterogenic composition indicated they would be difficult to use in crafting.

D-grade Spiritual Wood was sturdy, but it needed to be refined and engraved to bring out its true potential. A small team of Early Hegemons using skills could cut down a tree in minutes, and a single punch could damage a shield made from untreated Pangonian Lumber. A properly crafted shield made from Peak E-grade materials would showcase far greater durability at a fraction of the cost.

The higher the grade of the material, the more costly, complex, and time-consuming the refinement process. Many D-grade materials even required customized refinement methods. Effective techniques for common D-grade resources like Pangonian Trees were worth a fortune. It could even become the economic foundation of a powerful faction.

That was another reason why [Cosmic Forge] was so powerful. [Essence Extraction] could remove heterogeneity, making materials more suitable for crafting. Later, [Essence Union] would even let him create xeno-materials perfectly suited to his needs.

Zac mostly targeted Natural Treasures or scarce materials that had been born under special circumstances. He also investigated every call of fate, hoping it'd lead to a supreme treasure that could help his cultivation. Like the deadly mountain and the Stormwall Tor, most such calls lead him toward death traps.

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Ten days after Black Zenith, Zac's human side finally encountered something with potential. He carefully made his way into a large cave hidden behind a wall of bines. Zac would never have realized the cave was there if not for his Luck showing the way.

The tunnel was filled with moss on which dark-blue flowers bloomed. Zac quickly became queasy, but his body's natural resistance to poisons and other influences already surpassed the level of most active skills. The inheritance of Eoz worked hand in hand with the churning storm of Life inside his cells, whittling down the toxins he breathed. What little remained was dealt with by [Purity of the Void].

The noxious tunnel continued for two miles before terminating in a huge cave. Inside was the skeleton of a two-headed beast. Its size alone indicated it had been a Beast Emperor. Verun, who'd usually howl with hunger at such a sight, was quiet. Zac shook his head when a bone turned to dust from a simple touch.

Whatever attracted him wasn't the beast remnants. There had to be something else that prevented the vines from expanding into the cave. After an hour, Zac discovered it. There was a vein of orange metal right beneath the beast's chest that made Zac's eyes light up. The incredibly tough stone was no match before Zac's greed. Two hours later, Zac held a meter-long piece of copper that slightly resembled a branch.

The vein continued much further, and it wasn't the only one in the cave. However, the piece Zac extracted was different. For one, it emitted an intense bestial ferocity that made Verun release a low, threatening growl. Zac vaguely felt there was something else hidden within, something familiar.

"Desolation," Zac whispered, looking at the eroded bones and scorched ceiling with realization.

There was actually a hint of the Law in the piece of metal, though not at the level you could call it a Law-imbued treasure. The Beast Emperor must have failed a Four Desolates Tribulation. The piece of metal was right beneath its chest, and Zac suspected the C-grade Beast's Blood Essence had seeped into the ground during the tribulation.

It was a great material for [Verun's Bite], which hadn't seen any real improvement since becoming an Early D-grade Spirit Tool. Still, feeding Verun the copper spike outright was impossible. Zac was painfully aware of the dangers of Law-imbued treasures, and it contained a Dao of Metal that didn't suit his axe. Feeding it as is would undo his hard work of purifying its essence.

Thankfully, the copper seemed quite stable, and the stone it grew from worked as a natural container. Zac crafted a box from the surrounding stone and placed a few energy-gathering and sealing talismans atop it. The piece of copper became his first real haul since the Zenith Elixir. The next day, luck shifted to misfortune.

Investigating another pull of fate, Zac got trapped in a perfectly hidden formation. An intense vibration threatened to tear him apart at a molecular level. It was only through Esmeralda's guidance and [Void Zone] that he managed to break out before it was too late. Lesson learned, Zac ventured forth with renewed caution, stopping the moment he sensed the pull of fate.

"What do you think?" Zac asked.

This time, it was his Draugr half who caught the smell of treasure coming from a seemingly innocuous hill in the distance. They were currently crossing vast steppes filled with razor-sharp stalks the height trees. They'd passed hundreds of such hills before, but only this one exhibited a pull of fate. For some reason, Zac felt the hill was the center of the universe. The sensation held a fatal attraction, which could only mean something was wrong.

"It's not just another anthill," Esmeralda frowned. "Come to think of it, we haven't seen a single beast for the past ten minutes."

The overlord of the steppes was a colossal ant colony. The other races in the region were no more than cattle raised and slaughtered with mechanical precision. Even the workers were Beast Kings, which could only mean the Ant Queen was extremely powerful. There were probably multiple Beast Emperors nesting far beneath the ground, and Esmeralda worked tirelessly not to be put on their radar.

"It shouldn't be another beast's territory, right?" Zac hesitated.

"Unlikely," Esmeralda said. "This colony is extremely territorial. No strong contenders are allowed. They would have thrown countless lives against any interloper wanting to settle in the middle of their domain."

"If even the ants avoid this place, maybe we…" Zac said with some reluctance.

It was the strongest calling he'd felt since setting out. Esmeralda's gleaming eyes indicated she was similarly reluctant to just ignore this opportunity.

"Stay here, I'll investigate."

Zac jumped out of Esmeralda's pouch and deployed histechnique to fully retract his aura. Esmeralda did something to hide his presence further before sinking into the ground.

"There is something good there, alright," Esmeralda exclaimed upon returning ten minutes later. "It's protected by an extremely complex formation. The ants want it, too, but they're afraid of forcing their way inside. Instead, they've built formations of their own beneath the hill. It's like they're trying to extract the treasure's power without entering."

"So they're not skilled enough to get inside," Zac said, his lip twitching upon seeing Esmeralda's expectant stare. "I guess not everyone has the skills to pull off a heist like that."

"Not everyone?" Esmeralda preened. "The formation has almost reached the point of manifesting Law. It's drawing sustenance from the Cosmos itself. Only an absolute genius would dare to even attempt breaking in."

"Even absolute geniuses would have to prostrate before the great Esmeralda," Zac said, shaking his head in regret just as the toad's bluster reached new heights. "It's a shame she's not what she used to be. I suppose we're not fated for this treasure."

"Your tongue is getting sharper by the day," Esmeralda glared. "Don't come crying to me next time when your alter ego gets caught in a simple erosion field."

"I'm sorry," Zac laughed. "You can actually get us inside without taking undue risks?"

"I can get us inside. It's getting away that'll be the problem. We won't be able to hide the theft for long," Esmeralda said with a blithering stare. "Especially if someone decides to blow up the hill instead of silently nabbing the goodies like a normal person."

"I'll keep my explosive tendencies at bay."

Esmeralda's scoffed with disdain, but she still brought him to the foot of the hill. The next few hours, she didn't move an inch. Zac didn't disturb or ask questions. Instead, he tried to better understand what they were dealing with. Unfortunately, he came up empty-handed. He couldn't even see the formation until their surroundings suddenly flickered.

"What's this?" Zac asked, looking around with wide eyes.

They'd been transported to a vast square paved with octagonal tiles. Standing before them was a weathered stone fountain that made Zac think [Pillar of Desolation]. Eight twisted entities of indeterminable races were bound to the same stake. Turbid black liquid poured out of their eyes, filling a cistern below. Zac couldn't tell whether it was blood or tears.

The scene was something taken out of a nightmare. And yet, the tears gave off a sense of purity and belonging. Unfortunately, by the time the tears reached the pond at the bottom, the liquid was as tainted and evil as it looked. Zac looked around, seeing nothing beyond the statue. Was this really what they were after?

"It's not real," Esmeralda shook her head. "We've only passed the first layer of defense. Give me a second. I need to find the next key. Remember, don't do anything stupid. The slightest disturbance can cause a shift. Getting spat back out would be the best-case scenario. More likely, we'll be ripped apart."

Zac resumed his silent watch, this time inspecting the fountain in case it would become relevant later. The hours passed, and Zac's human other half kept going after realizing it would take a while to break in. Shortly after, Zac stopped with a crooked smile.

"When it rains, it pours..." Zac muttered, gazing upon the memory domain.

Almost half a month had passed since leaving Black Zenith, indicating stabilized domains weren't too common. Zac would normally have jumped at the opportunity of exploring another memory domain. Only, he'd decided not to simultaneously enter danger zones with both bodies after what happened in Black Zenith. And this new opportunity was unquestionably dangerous.

The memory domain was much larger than Black Zenith. In fact, it was so massive that Zac couldn't see its other end. The setting was an active battlefield. A bloody mist hid most of the details, but Zac caught glimpses of soldiers battling a beast tide. The battle was desperate, and there was no clear winner.

Zac only needed a single look to know it was a conflict involving Monarchs. Had the domain replicated one of the Imperial Road Project's purging expeditions? Or were they fighting over some divine treasure? Zac drew closer to gather information. It wouldn't be too late to step onto the battlefield after they'd explored the ant hill.

That plan went out the window before Esmeralda could even figure out the secret behind the fountain. For the first time since stepping into the trial, Zac had gotten a response on one of his tracking beacons. Of course, it was pointing toward the center of the battlefield.

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