Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1410: Emergent Pool

“Your doomsday rants have truly cursed us,” Ogras grumbled while they observed the chaotic feast unfolding far off.

To prevent being pulled into the mayhem, Ogras and Tavza had merged their powers to cloak themselves in Abyssal darkness. Zac pondered if such concealment would hold for long. The inhabitants of Emergent Pool seemed utterly deranged, poised to attack any hint of power the instant their true foes were exhausted.

Following three days of navigating descending ledges and probing burial grounds, they reached the subsequent realmgate effortlessly. As Ogras noted, certain graves held funeral artifacts or remnants, yet their condition was generally poorer than the sparse souvenirs he retrieved from his excursion. Most had forfeited all spiritual essence, even with the enriching properties of the rich terrain.

Merely the mightiest relics preserved some functionality, but their potency had eroded to the extent of being valueless to Hegemons. They chose to abandon them. Expert Restoration Artisans might restore the pieces nearer to their former splendor, yet the expense and duration would exceed forging a fresh Spirit Tool.

More encouragingly, they uncovered beneficial insights regarding the cemeteries. Firstly, the tombs resembled the stones discovered in Crushing Hell. The headstones formed integral components of vast arrays that merged artificial constructs with Natural Formations. Though the arrays had long ceased operation, an expert like Tavza could discern numerous hints by following the designs.

The burial sites marking primary array nodes appeared indistinguishable from surrounding ones, and countless ages of weathering had obscured further indicators. Nevertheless, solely the most formidable fallen could rest at those positions to bolster the array. And typically, it was there they unearthed items that still offered a trace of usefulness.

Understanding the locations of these corroded remnants would yield greater worth as they advanced. The terraces of the Hollow Chasm created a loop wherein fresh graves radiating Killing Intent gradually surrendered to the wild. Deceased warriors nourished the Fertile Earth, channeling their essence back to the Empire rather than the Cosmos.

The tombs they had met thus far were all in the advanced phases of this shift, explaining why the discoveries proved ineffective. They stood better odds of locating Natural Treasures on those levels, although the ground itself resisted yielding its gifts. Conditions would alter upon descending to inferior strata, where some graves seemed freshly placed. Genuine prospects of valuable finds awaited there.

The following realmgate transported them to one of the Nine Gardens, its vista evoking the twilight sea for Zac. The domain drowned in liquified essence, composed of Pure Life rather than Twilight Energy. No land appeared in this domain as Zac perceived, though he lacked time for exploration. Tavza recognized it as the Ninth Garden, Emergent Pool.

The instant they arrived, waves of massive carnage welcomed them. Creeping closer to the turmoil's origin, they witnessed two colossal schools of fish locked in fierce combat. The zone transformed into a golden syrup amid the deluge of blood spilling into the depths.

One faction consisted of stout brown fish exuding the robust aura of body refinement. Their hides were dense and resilient, resembling drifting pinecones. Yet, they weren’t solely defensive; the breed featured vicious horns capable of firing penetrating energy blasts, with leading specimens harnessing true intent. They also boasted burst acceleration, enabling direct skewering of opponents.

The opposing group comprised a lesser assembly of lithe silver fish. Remarkably, they could shed unique scales from their spines and wield them akin to a sword array. The chiefs manipulated thousands of keen-edged scales, even uniting for cataclysmic joint strikes.

The clash was sufficiently tumultuous with thousands of E- and D-grade beasts engaged, but the schools had descended into madness. Primarily assaulting rivals, yet infighting erupted whenever a kill occurred. The fish behaved as ravenous specters willing to slay kin for sustenance. At this rate, Zac wouldn’t be astonished if a lone survivor endured.

“No, this represents the essence of Emergent Pool,” Tavza explained.

“Represents?” Ogras queried.

“I never anticipated entering the Lower Planes in this trial, and the Nine Gardens lay beyond my scholarly focus. My scant knowledge of the inferior seven stems from rumors or passing mentions in ancient translations,” Tavza replied. “Regarding the two premier gardens? I’m as ignorant as you.”

“Whatever insights you offer aid us,” Zac encouraged.

“This plane functions as a colossal Insect Rearing Furnace. Ascension through consuming adversaries. The transformations are evident already.”

“They’re expanding,” Ogras whistled. “Hold on, did that lead hornfish just shed its horn? It’s wielding it as a flying sword!”

“Ingesting sufficient quantities of another race enables the triumpher to assimilate the foe’s bloodline traits. Likely, these school heads deliberately bred offspring, since only vast battles supply ample biological essence,” Tavza elaborated.

“Sacrificing progeny to foes, then devouring the foes?” Ogras chuckled. “Sufficiently merciless.”

“It’s not merely novel powers they acquire. Certain frail survivors have already progressed two minor realms. A handful have even ascended to Beast Kings amid the fray,” Zac observed. “How does that occur?”

“The Dao of Life in Emergent Pool has liberated all bounds on evolution. Moreover, these aren’t ordinary beasts. They are spirits adhering to distinct principles from genuine lifeforms. They’ll persist in advancing provided sufficient biological matter exists.”

“Such exploits,” Ogras grumbled.

“A cost accompanies it,” Zac remarked, scrutinizing the energy currents in the blood-mad beings. “Their vitality burns fiercely, and consumption fuels the blaze further. They’ll perish swiftly once sustenance depletes.”

“Emergent Pool offers no cultivation paradise. It incarnates insatiable craving and despair,” Tavza stated evenly.

“What caps their growth? Could they reach Supremacy by endless feasting?” Zac inquired.

“Doubtful. Rapid integration of alien attributes will culminate in breakdown. Should they endure, would the Realmlord tolerate a rival’s ascent? Besides, this secluded zone’s essence can’t sustain beyond initial C-grade. Intriguingly, the surrounding energy feels markedly diminished compared to prior domains,” Tavza pondered, casting a swift glance at Zac. “HALT!”

Zac halted precisely as he neared biting into jerky. “Why? Their starvation began influencing me.”

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“Curb the impulse. Though not spirits, we remain subject to the Ninth Garden’s Laws.”

“We do?” Zac questioned, promptly inspecting inward.

Like his companions, he had barred external essence from entering since arrival. He recalled how his innards almost awakened sentience traversing Poised Meadows. Thus far, all seemed intact. Neither [Purity of the Void], [Void Heart], nor [Immutability of Eoz] detected invading essences or manipulations.

Simultaneously, Zac sensed escalating hunger throbs, verifying an anomaly. Invoking [Void Mountain] yielded no result. The Ninth Garden’s governing Laws exceeded his frame’s capacity to resist, implying [Void Zone] would prove marginally effective at most.

“Consuming beast flesh or even flora will impart some of its characteristics,” Tavza restated.

Opting for caution, Zac stored the provision. “So, what’s our course? Mere minutes here, and hunger grips me already.”

“Restraining our power and evading clashes should lessen the impact. When endurance falters, we’ll ingest pills in a shielded space. It remains risky, but refinement’s purifying phase may minimize alterations. We’ll address repercussions post-departure,” Tavza advised after deliberation.

By discussion’s end, the ultimate winner emerged: a scale-mastering silver fish chief. It had eroded its prime foe’s unbreachable barriers via a scale whirlwind. Each fragment bore dense flesh chunks inward, eviscerating the Beast King internally.

Its sparse surviving kin appeared to grasp victory’s peril. Only two swiftest fled promptly, the others fell as prey. The lone conqueror lingered, devouring maximal blood essence before vanishing into golden waters.

The Peak D-grade entity’s dorsal scales separated, its spine vibrating soon after blood consumption. It employed oscillations to detect prey, departing swiftly. Zac gauged the gore feast granted it scant weeks’ survival. The spirit endured ceaseless metamorphosis. Upon exhausting reserves, its cells would cannibalize for fuel.

“We should depart lest graver threats heed the scent,” Zac urged.

“Recall, restrain yourselves and shun combat,” Tavza reminded, eyeing Zac prolongedly.

Planning proved simpler than execution. Native ceaseless famine, where skipped feeds spelled doom, honed their perceptions razor-sharp. Their joint stealth failed against all, drawing ceaseless pursuits. Even E-grade weaklings menaced by luring fiercer predators.

Fortuitously, frenzied sea-roaming Beast Emperors radiated such glaring auras they dodged easily. Their sustenance desperation broadcast positions to peers, spawning distant colossal spirit clashes that birthed tempests.

Zac observed powerless as Ogras felled a Mid D-grade sea slug, sensing echoes of past trials. Bearing a Life-aligned Constitution, or perhaps due to it, he endured worst in Emergent Pool. Despite maximal sealing, agonizing stomach cramps assailed within hours.

Tavza coped slightly superiorly. Unlike Zac, she sustained bloodline activation against the Life domain. Moreover, her frame rivaled Zac’s vigor, provoking intensified evolutionary reactions.

This instance, Ogras cleared paths via his odd constitution. His form blended shadows and mirages from [Spiritlock Physique] practice, remaining hunger-free despite scouting and slaying hunters.

When Zac and Tavza teetered on collapse, they hollowed a cavern in a low-energy zone. Tavza erected Abyssal-empowered isolating arrays, draining all vitality from the space. Shadow cocoons followed, then [Void Zone]’s void. Within the negation field, the trio ravenously swallowed fasting pills until hunger receded from dominance.

“An anomaly persists,” a wan Tavza declared shortly after.

“I detect minor issues, but they’ll resolve easily upon exit,” Zac assessed, examining his form. Some bones bore verdant patches radiating botanical essence.

“Not that,” Tavza clarified. “Spirits are scarce.”

“Scarce?” Ogras choked. “I’ve battled nonstop today.”

“Per my knowledge, the Ninth Garden hosts the densest populace. They breed incessantly, the realm spawning novel breeds continually. Life should abound, yet we’ve beheld barren sunken isles and desolate expanses,” Tavza noted. “It’s as if the domain hemorrhages, fracturing its innate rhythm.”

“This constitutes the debilitated Emergent Pool?” Zac winced, vowing distance from the authentic version. “Suspect the Sangha’s schemes anew?”

“Warrants probe, though extended residence spells doom,” Tavza affirmed. “I’ve pinpointed the next realmgate’s approximate site.”

“Let’s uncover what we can. Rectifying it promises further Imperial Merit,” Zac proposed.

Five days of scouring revealed the offender. Against predictions, the Buddhist Sangha stood blameless this round, barring if they planted the colossal coral reef in the pocket realm.

Typically havens for ocean life, this reef brooded in unnatural quiet. Elevated ambient energy amplified the foreboding. Local creatures wisely evaded, justifiably so. Zac’s hunger surged alarmingly nearby.

Tavza toiled urgently to unravel the enigma. The reef had morphed into a lethal snare via microscopic algae it generated. This amplified the Ninth Garden’s evolution drive. Upon discerning this, she unleashed a Pure Death orb, eradicating life within a mile. Instantly, laws normalized.

“These are primordial,” Ogras murmured, eyeing the vibrant corals. “Do they live?”

“Indeed,” Zac verified. “Their vitality holds extraordinary steadiness. They’ve attained immunity to local laws.”

“That explains it,” Ogras assented. “This entity devours energy to expand gradually, its algae deterring beasts from approach or assault.”

“Beyond defense, I suspect,” Tavza opined, probing a vast cavity laced with root-like filaments. “This passage actively strains the waters.”

“Straining what? Density remains potent beyond,” Zac observed, then spotted a nuance. “No, pause. The essence has been purified somehow.”

“Purified of the ceaselessly spilled blood essence realm-wide. These are alimentary canals, and I’ve spotted scores identical,” Tavza detailed.

“Thus, this mass slays myriad beasts—Beast Emperors included—immobile,” Ogras marveled. “The ideal hunter.”

Zac abruptly lunged, axe cleaving a nearby structure. He merely fractured a palm-sized coral shard. This provoked fresh algae emission, compelling Tavza’s second purge.

“Annihilating the entirety feasibly is impossible. We must strike the core flaw,” Zac declared, eyeing the myriad tendrils in the closest “jaws.”

“To action. Prolonged presence is untenable,” Tavza urged.

The fibrous sinews resisted fiercely, requiring Zac multiple strikes to sever. Fortunately, merely 23 conduits spanned the coral expanse, and the entity lacked aggressive countermeasures. It persisted in algae production, only for Tavza’s Abyssal Death to annihilate it.

By dismantling filters, they stripped the reef’s energy renewal. Absent that, it would deplete reserves, ceasing algae output and courting famine. At minimum, that was the intent. Verification was impossible; no lingering to confirm absent contingencies or filter reconstruction.

Zac’s starvation birthed abhorrent urges toward allies, echoed in their gazes. Concurrently, his form neared critical mutation thresholds. As alterations integrated inherently and Creation Energy exhausted, manual excision was required. Permitting spread to cellular cores or marrow risked indelible damage.

The group bolted upon the final tendon’s removal. No cataclysmic blasts or beast swarms validated success. Solely a modest destiny influx in their seals accompanied flight to the realmgate, forsaking a muted demise to foster renewal.

Given Emergent Pool’s frenzied life tempo, subsequent Sealbearers would confront a vastly livelier vista.