Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1415: The Last Ray of Hope

Observing that his allies were not yet prepared to depart, Zac turned his attention inward to examine his refined Dao Avatar. It remained a precise replica of himself, appearing neither more nor less sentient than it had been previously. Its familiar look was anticipated, given that his upgrade introduced no brand-new concepts. Rather, it represented a subsequent stride down a path he had already charted, serving as a deepening of his insight into existing truths.

The distinction lay in the Avatar’s newfound presence. Where the former incarnation was a blood-drenched soldier embodying the spirit of war, the Middle-stage Avatar resembled a veteran who had triumphed over a thousand conflicts. It possessed the solidity of a mountain, or perhaps a stubborn, immovable tree stump. Regardless of the rain or snow, it would keep swinging its axe for as long as a fragment of vitality remained.

Zac’s perception shifted as he dove deeper, bringing him to the Dao Continent forged from his own path. Since the breakthrough, the persistent wars raging throughout those lands had escalated in ferocity. Most notably, Zac observed soldiers and beasts thrusting themselves beyond their previous limits to overcome their adversaries.

It was all interconnected. Defiance in the face of death fortified the mechanisms of evolution, enabling combatants to shatter the chains of their destiny. Nonetheless, they inevitably encountered a foe who halted their progress by sealing their fate.

These transformations provided Zac with a clearer understanding of the advantages gained from his upgraded Earthly Dao. As he had hypothesized, it functioned similarly to [Conviction of Eoz]. The more formidable the enemy, the greater the power Zac could exert. His strikes would surge with the strength of defiance, pushing him past his typical constraints.

This upgrade bolstered his existing strengths rather than masking his deficiencies. When combining this benefit with his Eoz Nodes and [Spiritual Void], Zac could unleash potency far beyond what his attribute points would suggest. It was precisely the kind of edge a top-tier contestant required when confronting Heaven’s Chosen who possessed their own unique opportunities.

As expected from an Earthly Dao tied to the Peak of Conflict, it offered benefits solely related to strife. Conversely, Zac had already noted that his Earthly Dao of Reborn Life could somewhat accelerate his Body Tempering progress. This effect was more pronounced in his human guise, yet it certainly applied to his Draugr form as well.

In truth, his Draugr bloodline was primed to enter the Late Shallows phase at any moment; he simply lacked the method to trigger it. Rather than transitioning fluidly to the subsequent stage, his cells had ceased absorbing any further refined death essence. He had likely hit a bottleneck that could not be bypassed merely by flushing his system with a fresh wave of refined death.

Zac had attempted to channel [Abyssal Revolutions], but the general Draugr Bloodline Manual appeared irrelevant to his specific dilemma. He had been reluctant to consult Tavza, as she had already uncovered an uncomfortable quantity of his secrets. The ability to gradually advance his Eoz bloodline by having [Void Heart] refine Death-attuned items remained one of the few secrets left in his possession.

This was minor compared to the secret of having dual true bodies or cultivating both Chaos and Void, yet the ability carried significant implications. Tavza’s cooperation was, in part, predicated on the belief that Zac needed to visit the Abyssal Shores to unlock his Draugr potential. She might resort to drastic measures if she discovered he could cultivate Eoz’s bloodline anywhere.

Seeing the Ancestral Runes spread across Tavza’s face, Zac realized the opportunity had arrived. He could fabricate a story that a portion of Avīci’s nirvanic rebirth had inadvertently brought his alternate body to the precipice. Unfortunately, Tavza’s seclusion showed no sign of concluding. Meanwhile, Zac had already grasped that his breakthrough required no further consolidation.

He suspected it stemmed from the high-tier energy provided by the platform. Even his heart felt tranquil despite having just emerged from the torturous trials of the Eighth Hell. Recalling the crossing still made him shiver, yet no Heart Demon had taken root thanks to the nirvanic rebirth. In truth, the memories of the garden that preceded Avīci had left a more lingering shadow on his psyche.

Zac knew he ought to utilize this downtime to adjust his path regarding his upgraded Dao, yet finding focus proved difficult. Finally, he could no longer remain idle. Rising to his feet, Zac first went to observe Ogras’ cocoon. He could not approach within ten meters before his skin began to prickle from the all-too-familiar heat.

Instead, he wandered over to examine the sole artifact remaining on the floor of the Hollow Chasm. The fixed teleportation array in the center appeared immensely costly. While operational, it emitted no spatial fluctuations. Instead, Zac detected the familiar signatures of the Hollow Chasm: Life, Death, and the Inverse Peak.

Zac reasoned he shouldn't be surprised. If it were possible to construct Cosmic Vessels independent of the Dao of Space, why not teleporters? Though it did strike him as unnecessarily extravagant. Perhaps there was some reason a standard teleporter would not suffice. It made Zac question if the Hollow Court was even situated within the Left Imperial Expanse.

Approaching footsteps diverted Zac from his musings. Tavza had finally finished consolidating her breakthrough. Or perhaps she worried he might venture forth alone now that the finish line was in sight?

“Is something amiss?” Zac inquired upon noticing her troubled demeanor.

“Monster.”

“What the hell?” Zac blurted out.

“Not even Lightning Cultivators following the Heavenly Dao can absorb tribulations, yet you devour them whole. How is that not a monstrous ability?” Tavza sighed.

“It was only because that one was fairly weak,” Zac muttered, rubbing his chin.

“If you say so,” Tavza replied.

The silence stretched out. Typically, it fell to Zac to break it. “So, that was Avīci, then?”

“The final ray of hope,” Tavza said with a complex expression.

“You know, that location bore a strong resemblance to Mox’s Heavenly Territory,” Zac remarked. “There might be some truth to the legends.”

Tavza possessed insider knowledge regarding the other Seven Hells. That did not always aid them when facing physical reality, but it provided a reference point. Regarding Avīci, Tavza only recalled a myth: it held the power to reset a being's lifespan. Coincidentally, Avīci was the only hell that openly welcomed any visitor who could locate it. Many believed the rumor was a trap laid by Avīci’s realmlord. Simultaneously, mortals grew more fearful of death the longer they survived. Countless powerhouses approaching their end had descended into the Lower Planes as a final gamble for a comeback.

To Tavza’s knowledge, nobody had ever walked out—not even Supremacies. Their corpses now blanketed the skies of Avīci, trapped in purgatory with their destiny extinguished.

Still, Mox’s situation mirrored it too closely to be a coincidence. It was plausible that Mox had devised her sinister method of pseudo-eternity by studying Avīci. Perhaps she had entered and managed to escape by relying on her mastery of the Void. Regardless, her technique looked nothing like the promised nirvanic rebirth.

It resembled her turning her Heavenly Territory into a private hell, siphoning the providence of others to nourish herself. It was fundamentally different from Avīci, as the Eighth Hell lacked the extremely malevolent Karma found in Mox’s tricks. Furthermore, it operated in the open, unlike Mox, who was compelled to hide within pockets of the Void.

It was possible the process utilized some Supreme relic, or perhaps it merely demanded volition. Those who visited Avīci did so willingly. Essentially, they were wagering with the devil in the hope of rebirth. Thus, Avīci did not violate the Four Laws when it forcibly extracted their providence.

“I held the same thought. It is quite possible the two are connected. Ultimately, such matters remain beyond our reach,” Tavza said, gazing at her left hand with a troubled expression.

“I wanted to ask, how did you arrive here before me? Was there some trick involved?” Zac prompted quickly as he saw her mood darkening.

“No trick. I suspect we all paid the same toll, although our payment methods differed,” Tavza replied, a faint smile returning. “Let me guess, you spent less Imperial Merit in Avīci than in the Second Garden?”

The query made Zac shiver, as it dragged up another series of unpleasant memories. The Second Garden served as the subrealm preceding Avīci, accompanied by its own variety of eldritch terror. Zac recalled only kneeling before a primal altar crafted from writhing dirt and leaves resembling eyes. His own eyes had been plucked out, yet he was forced to witness everything as he reverently laid a crying infant on the altar.

The next thing he remembered, Zac was lying outside the realmgate. Two weeks had elapsed, and he was 8,888 Imperial Merit poorer. Ogras and Tavza recalled nothing of the crossing, though each had lost merit. Making an exact calculation without a Disciple Token was impossible, but the weakening of their seals was roughly half of Zac’s.

They had nothing to show for their payment either. At least Avīci offered a miniature rebirth in return. Zac inspected his seal. He didn’t need to confer with his Draugr half to know Tavza was correct.

“It cost me around 5,000 to navigate.”

“I would estimate I spent nearly 9,000, based on the figures you mentioned,” Tavza sighed, glancing at the remaining cocoon. “Those lacking fortitude would be forced to supplement with their own providence.”

“Ogras arrived before you?” Zac asked with a frown.

“He did.”

“I’m certain it isn't what you suspect,” Zac said. “He can endure a beating well enough, and his accumulated merit is quite substantial.”

“If you say so. He does not strike me as the resilient type,” Tavza retorted, evidently venting some of her frustration onto Ogras.

Zac understood why Tavza felt so somber despite advancing her bloodline. Tavza had rushed from her starting point nearer to the Farsee Court, which cost her numerous opportunities. While she compensated by being tethered to Mox’s thread of fate, her contributions had not reached the level required to form a halo.

Squandering nearly 15,000 Imperial Merit during the final phase had effectively halved her reserves. Zac suspected they would be granted a significant portion of the Hollow Court’s local contribution points upon arrival due to their exploits in the subrealms, yet a loss of that magnitude remained a severe setback.

Three months spent scouring the Mercurial Court for opportunities had given Zac a comprehensive grasp on the value of Imperial Merit. The peak opportunities within the Outer Courts typically ranged from 150,000 to 250,000 Imperial Merit. For instance, the Mercurial Court featured three ultimate opportunities reserved for visiting Sealbearers: one pill, one dream, and one tear.

The [Lucent Longevity Dan] was a priceless Spiritual Pill crafted by the headmaster who preceded Grand Dream. It promised to double the lifespan of any Hegemon, with part of the effect carrying over to higher grades. According to its description, even Autarchs would enjoy 33% more time than usual.

Furthermore, because the pill’s primary ingredient was the River of Time, consuming it would drastically improve one’s affinity with the Dao of Time. The effect was equivalent to gaining an innate Time-attuned constitution, and it could be stacked with most bloodlines and similar abilities. Naturally, tyrannical bloodlines like Zac’s were the exception.

The [First Dawn Yearning] offered similar utility. It was a fragment of the final dream belonging to one of the Era’s earliest Primordials, subsequently refined by two court elders. Fusing it with one’s soul aperture would boost the soul’s potential exponentially. It was essential to note that few cultivators resembled Zac, who could endlessly strengthen his soul through dedication and time.

Part of the reason Mentalists were so rare was their slow progression. An equally important factor was that few possessed the qualifications to pursue that path. Each cultivation breakthrough would increase the soul's boundaries marginally. Beyond that, no amount of labor would suffice.

[First Dawn Yearning] was a shortcut that could allow a Dream Cultivator to possess a soul as formidable as Vilari’s. Zac questioned whether he could shake Janos’ illusions if he managed to acquire that priceless artifact. Additionally, it granted the user a genuine dream realm that could be transformed into a secondary Inner World tucked within the soul.

Lastly, the tear was known as the [Universal Tear]. Much like [Second Singularity], it was a resource originating from the birth of the universe. It had various applications, such as awakening Primordial Spatial Constitutions. Most would deem that a waste, however, as it served as one of the ultimate assisting treasures for constructing an inner world.

The tear would instantly open a space rivaling that of a Middle Monarch, one largely devoid of the gaps inherent in a cultivator’s imperfections. Utilizing the [Universal Tear] effectively guaranteed a smooth ascent to Divine Monarchy. Upon reaching Autarchy, one would be able to project more of their inner world onto their surroundings.

Since its utility was universal, it commanded a cost of 245,000 Potentiality, compared to 163,000 for the pill and 185,000 for the dream. The tear was the only item Zac coveted, though his reserves were far from enough. In comparison, studying before [Second Singularity] for one week “only” cost 65,000 Potentiality, which Zac accrued shortly after returning from the Peregrine Archipelago.

Zac anticipated that the Primo’s treasure would fall into this category if it were available for purchase. Losing 15,000 instantly was a massive setback even for him, to say nothing of Tavza, who also had her sights set on it. Zac had managed to accumulate just over 70,000 Imperial Merit between two bodies while nearing the courts, and roughly as much Potentiality in the same duration.

The issue was that his rate of accumulation had plummeted since. Slaughtering Qriz’Ul and seizing small remnants of destiny simply could not compare to the value of completing significant threads of fate. Over the past three months, he had accrued 18,000 Potentiality, mainly by hitting the fated opportunities recorded in his Disciple token. Once those were exhausted, his gains nearly ground to a halt.

There remained a slim chance that a handful of fated sealbearers could pool their resources to exchange for the treasures. Sealbearers from established factions such as Iz Tayn and Kaltosa Lu could likely conceive methods to combine their earnings. Nevertheless, Zac found it more probable that the majority of these peak treasures would be acquired through underhanded tactics, much like his upcoming heist with Esmeralda.

A major shift would certainly occur once the pillars were fully ignited. The prevailing theory suggested that the Left Imperial Palace and the Ultom Courts would manifest, triggering the Fifth Pillar’s hidden ritual by drawing upon the accumulated Fate throughout the continent.

At that pinnacle moment, the memory domains would disintegrate, exposing the assets sealed beneath. It could very well incite a final looting frenzy, where those who positioned themselves most effectively would reap the greatest rewards. Following that, the chosen few would be whisked to Ultom while the rest were expelled.

Ultimately, Zac would not stake his hopes on a conjecture, whether for [Second Singularity] or the Primo’s treasure. He wouldn't hesitate to empty his pockets if it meant fulfilling his mission ahead of schedule.

“Do not despair before we have even arrived,” Zac urged. “We will secure it one way or another.”

“I know. We have to, even if that means I must hunt down every individual Skybreaker myself,” Tavza replied with a resolve that permitted no hesitation.

Sensing the conversation shifting toward a perilous path, Zac returned to his earlier inquiry regarding his bloodline.

“I fear I have no answers. Bloodline Awakenings are rare even among our kind, and they are almost universally performed within the mountain lake. In those instances, it is a natural progression. Much like your experience in the pool,” Tavza replied.

“But not this time,” Zac insisted.

“The Abyssal Shores periodically provide the outer families with resources harvested from the depths. Occasionally, that is sufficient to trigger a minor awakening, especially when paired with the Bloodline Manual,” Tavza elucidated. “That is how I evolved, though I am somewhat apprehensive about advancing by using an external source of death. I shall have to ask my seniors to inspect my bloodline for mutations.”

“So, it is not possible,” Zac sighed.

“If you are truly at the threshold, a sufficiently powerful Abyssal Natural Treasure might suffice,” Tavza remarked. “However, I am afraid I have nothing of the sort on my person. You would have to…”

“Head to the Abyssal Shores, I realize,” Zac finished, not believing her claim for a second. An An’Azol descendant possessing zero Abyssal Natural Treasures? As if.