Chapter 1,313.

A/N: Happy PoE 2 day, everyone!

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“You’re saying the Threaded Hell’s master and his siblings allied themselves with the Limitless Emperor, and the Primo was among them,” Ogras said, a crooked smile slowly appearing on his face. “It’s interesting how different their outcomes were. I remember how battered the Realmlord’s coffin looked.”

Zac finished the thought. “Meanwhile, the Primo was left in good enough condition to gather the Divine Races and found the Undead Empire. He even got his hands on an Eternal Heritage.”

“Maybe the Primo got cold feet at the last minute,” Ogras snickered. “He ran away while his siblings got caught in the crossfire. Seems like nothing was spared when the Limitless Empire went up in smokes. The Primo might even have rescinded his support at the last minute, forcing the other Hells to bear the pressure meant for the Primo’s hell. No wonder the Realmlord has survived to this day. He must be kept going by a bellyful of anger.”

Some possible scenarios didn’t cast the Primo in such a bad light. The Realmlord called the rulers of the Eighteen ‘moths to the flame’ to Laondio’s ambition. Saying that indicated they carried Imperial Destiny and became marked by the disaster-bringing taboo. If the Primo had been forced to assist the undertaking by his zealot siblings, he survived precisely because of his lacking faith.

“The Primo might be a Realmlord; he might be a thief. Only those involved know what went down back then,” Zac said. “We should try to learn as much as possible about the Lower Planes—how they work and which ones are connected to the Fifth Pillar—while making our way toward the Hollow Court. We might have to visit memories of the planes that were enlisted.”

“Good idea,” Ogras said. “But you’ll have to be careful. If that old thing could sense his future self on your body, he might have sensed the Primo, too. It wasn’t that long ago you were bound by his agreement. If the favor returned doesn’t involve helping him recover, the Realmlord could be planning on using it as a tool in his conflict with the Primo.”

”Perhaps. My gut tells me it's connected to me successfully cultivating both Life and Death. He focused on me being an Edgewalker and Peakmender, and he talked about both the Hells and the ‘Gardens.’ I think he’s eyeing the Peak of Chaos since recovering the Dao would strengthen the Lower Planes. They might be holding onto something related to the Dao of Chaos that needs an Edgewalker like me.”

“I guess you’ll find out the next time you use the Yphelion,” Ogras said. “Come to think of it, it can’t be a coincidence the Ruthless Heavens installed such engines on your vessel.”

Zac felt helpless. “The System keeps its workers busy, doesn’t it?”

Like Ogras said, the timing was suspicious. The System upgraded the Yphelion right on the back of surviving the Atavism. Doing so, Zac managed to strike back at the Heart of Oblivion and Spark of Creation, forcing the two onto a collision course. Some of the Authority the ancient entities had hoarded was released, paving the way for repairing the Peak of Chaos.

Zac was certain that was the System’s goal with having the Remnants cross his path. Except, the Peak of Chaos needed more work than that. The moment one task was finished, the System steered him toward the Eight Hells. And like the Remnants, Zac wasn’t sure if he could resist the temptation. What better places to advance his Daos and constitutions than these Lower Planes? The System adhered to balance, matching risk and reward. That was why its schemes always worked. Even if Zac failed to achieve its goal, it probably had millions of parallel plans.

Exploring the Lower Planes would have to wait, and not just because of his packed schedule. Zac had no plans to jump without taking proper precautions. Twice now, the Realmlord had noticed the moment Zac entered the domain. Providing timely assistance wasn’t nearly enough for Zac to subject himself to a Supremacy’s whims. If he was going to explore the Hells and Gardens, he needed a lot more information.

First of all, why did the Realmlord say his fate was entwined with the Eighteen since long ago? Zac originally thought the entombed entity recognized his bloodline rather than himself, mistaking him for Karz or one of his descendants. That didn’t seem to be the case. Neither had they time traveled or broken causality, which left only one option.

The escape inside the Imperial Graveyard wasn’t the first time Zac visited the Eight Hells. The mystery made Zac recall something Leandra said during one of their long-distance talks.

‘You were dead. I don't know how you survived that day. How you returned.’

Leandra had exhibited a rare emotion at that time: fear. What had happened at that time went beyond her understanding. Zac might actually have died when the System rushed into the Eternal Storm to thwart the Kayar-Elu’s undertaking. He was sent to the Eight Hells before being spat back out—most likely as part of someone’s design.

There was one slightly less unbelievable theory. There was a gap of around 6,000 years between his birth and Leandra's appearance on Earth, time Zac would have spent in stasis. She’d been grievously wounded after bringing him away, and she might have escaped to the Lower Planes to hide. The Gardens, if they were indeed paradises made from Pure Life, would be the perfect spot to recover.

Whatever the truth, his mission to the Hollow Court had gained new meaning. It was bound to hold a tremendous repository on the Lower Planes. Whether it was to explore the Hells and Gardens or investigate his origins, the Hollow Court was the starting point. It was impossible to say when he’d gain access to that level of information next time.

“What about the elf?” Ogras suddenly asked, dragging Zac out of his thoughts. “You think he got caught up in the mess?”

Zac looked around, still not seeing any sign of Ventus. “The excavation took us more than a day. I doubt he was dumb enough to stay that long.”

“He’ll probably track us down in a day or two,” Ogras agreed. “I assume he doesn’t need to know what went down?”

“He doesn’t. In fact, you should try to seal those memories away, too. Maybe even erase them if you can do so without damaging your soul,” Zac said, adding upon seeing Ogras’ raised brow. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, and my connection to the Void has already been leaked.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“My ability is connected to some messy matters that involve multiple Supremacies. I’m also pretty sure that the Sangha is looking for me because of it. Knowing too much might sow Karma and make you a target.”

“It’s related to your sister, isn’t it?” Ogras asked.

“In a way,” Zac sighed. “If I’m a failed experiment, then Kenzie’s the backup.”

“I thought my family was messed up,” Ogras shook his head. “Truthfully, I think the ship might have sailed already. Supremacies are not fools, and the trial put us in the spotlight. They can easily figure out who’s close to you, with or without following Karma. If they were willing to capture your followers to get to you, they’d just target everyone. Hell, they wouldn’t blink at imprisoning your whole population if they thought it’d help.”

“I—” Zac didn’t know what to say.

“It’s not your fault. This is just beneath the Ruthless Heavens,” Ogras shrugged. “You simply had the bad luck of coming into possession of something big before having the strength to protect it.”

Zac sighed and dropped the subject, and they reached the crater’s edge in silence. From there, they found a cave that made for a decent temporary camp. As usual, it was hidden below hundreds of meters of bedrock and only accessible through a thin crevasse. This one was even equipped with a small stream that created a peaceful ambiance.

Ogras secluded himself after installing a set of shadow wards and alarms. He was wrung dry, and having flesh made from shadows didn’t mean he was impervious to damage. The demon had been forced to sacrifice so many pieces of himself that he looked faded. Zac wasn’t feeling much better. His wounds might have been healed, but his Soul and Cosmic Core were wrung dry.

The two focused on their own matters. With Zac’s rapid recovery, a long nap was enough to alleviate alleviated the exhaustion. While it would take a few days to top up his reserves, he felt quite good. In fact, he felt better than good. Half a day later, his bloodline was still working on the [Eclipse Twin]’s leftovers.

Now that things had settled, Zac confirmed his experiences inside the Hidden Earth Abode had proven beneficial. There was some lingering pain from overindulging on Void Energy, but there were no signs of the weakness he’d felt after his fight with Kator. On the contrary, his bloodline had not only recovered but advanced. The space inside [Purity of the Void] had returned to its original size, and it was still expanding. Curious to see if there were any other changes, Zac opened his Status Screen.

Name                    Zachary Atwood

Level                      205

Class                      [D-Arcane] Evolutionary Precursor

Race                       [D] Human - Void Emperor (Corrupted)

Alignment            [Zecia] Atwood Empire – Viscount of Conquest

Titles                     [...] Peakmender, Exalted Destiny, Atavistic Defier, Valiant Viscount, Cosmic Introduction

Limited Titles       Tower of Eternity Sector All-Star - 14th, Equanimity, The Final Twilight - 1st, Gates of Rebirth, Void Road, Chosen of the Empyrean Chalice

Dao                        Earthly Dao of Defiant War - Early, Earthly Dao of Reborn Life - Early, Earthly Dao of Sealed Death - Early

Core                       [D] Evolutionary Core

Strength               332187 [Increase: 256%. Efficiency: 567%]

Dexterity              156933 [Increase: 196%. Efficiency: 363%]

Endurance            189311 [Increase: 226%. Efficiency: 594%]

Vitality                  194575 [Increase: 235%. Efficiency: 592%]

Intelligence          34817 [Increase: 176%. Efficiency: 363%]

Wisdom                83371 [Increase: 179%. Efficiency: 381%]

Luck                       2153 [Increase: 219%. Efficiency: 488%]

Free Points           800

Nexus Coins         [D] 87 831 997

The slight increase in power Zac experienced could be traced to having gained four levels in one go. Zac couldn’t be sure whether it was thanks to the bag full of Void Treasures or the [Eclipse Twin]. He’d been too occupied staying alive to keep track of which Natural Treasures doubled as Core-nourishing Pills.

Gaining a few levels didn’t do much for his attribute pool, but it was a welcome shortcut to the next threshold. Every level required tons of energy now that he’d reached Late D-grade, and farming experience was getting tougher. Where was he supposed to find countless Peak Hegemons? The trial didn’t provide Kill Energy, and the war was probably winding down on the outside.

Unsurprisingly, the dangerously rushed consumption had caused some damage to his core, thankfully not to the point it would create lasting problems. He would be fine so long as he didn’t stress the core for the next week or so. Continuing his investigation, Zac found one more change among his screens. [Force of the Void] had advanced all the way to 44%. The leftover Void Energy might advance his Bloodline Talent another point or two before running out.

In other good news, his throwaway Cosmos Sack had narrowly survived the madness, though he moved the Void Treasures to another Spatial Treasure to be safe. They might be spoiling like meat, but they would last a week or two in storage. That was more than enough time to let his body recover enough for another round of digestion.

Zac closed his screen and began absorbing energy from crystals. He stayed that way for the whole day, occupying himself by reviewing his experiences and adjusting his plans. A vibration from his Spatial Ring broke the tranquility.

“I received word from Ventus,” Zac said after listening to the message. “He should be here in an hour or so.”

“Good,” Ogras said and closed his eyes again. Unlike Zac, he needed more time to put himself back together.

There were a few things Zac wanted to try before the Numerologist rejoined their team. Zac took out the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] from his purification space and carefully sent a thread of his consciousness inside. The storm inside had subsided. The gate stood tall as before, and only a few lingering wisps of the flower’s terrifying energies remained.

Small embers of Imperial Faith had left the burning sea to hunt down the last slivers of Inverse Dao. The damaged platform built by the First People had grown by a third, and some of its cracks had mended. It was a stark contrast to Zac’s weeks of effort. Infusing his own Void Energy hadn’t been enough to bring about any physical transformations.

It wasn’t only the platform that had changed. Zac peered into the vast darkness on the other side of the gate, seeing that new pieces of rubble had appeared. The addition couldn’t be explained by pieces drifting into view naturally. It didn’t help Zac now, but it would make his reconstruction efforts easier.

Even so, the unexpected changes made Zac nervous. He pictured Kalir escaping the mines and being intercepted by Pervata Wendimar, recovering the lost heritage of Hidden Earth. The empire would have used the knowledge to improve the [Fuxi Mountain Gate]’s design. Accordingly, it would be left in a better state after the pillar’s activation—like what he was seeing now.

Wild theories would linger like a bad smell unless they were disproven. Zac carefully examined every nook and cranny of the gate itself and compared what he saw to his memories. The gate looked the same, from sculptures to Dao-imbued scars. There were no alterations to its design. Zac shook his head, knowing he was getting himself worked up over nothing.

The platform recovering after absorbing energy wasn’t anything special—his Spirit Tools could do the same. As for the debris, it should be as energy-starved as the rest of the gate. The pieces were probably attracted by the massive infusion of Void Energy.

The comfort of certainty only lasted seconds. Not leaving anything to chance, Zac also took out the Wendimar Token. Its Imperial Fate had almost doubled from before. It wasn’t enough to indicate a turnaround of Clan Wendimar’s fate, but it wasn’t as wretched as before. Delving deeper, Zac even realized the incomplete seal on his hand had seen a slight improvement.

“What’s wrong?” Ogras had realized Zac was fretting over something. Zac recounted his discoveries, and the demon looked at his own hand. “You’re right. My seal seems slightly stronger than before. But isn’t that fine? We already knew the memories could generate Imperial Fate, and that’s still the only thing that’s confirmed to have changed.

“Say you changed the Wendimar Clan’s future. Wouldn’t Terea Wendimar’s situation have improved? But you didn’t find any new items of hers appearing in your Spatial Ring or the token, did you? If anything, this lends greater weight to your theory. We fixed the empire’s mistakes, and our fate with the trial improved.”

“I guess you’re right,” Zac nodded, his gaze returning to the [Fuxi Mountain Gate]. “Could you keep watch? There’s one more thing I want to try.”

Ogras slowly nodded, looking ready to run for his life.

“It should be fine,” Zac laughed as he infused his will.

The surroundings blurred, and Zac found himself floating above the platform. Seeing the majestic sight in person was a completely different experience. Ancient, overwhelming auras assaulted his senses from every direction, making Zac feel as small and insignificant as an ant. The visit only lasted a moment before he was back in the cave and not of his own volition. He’d felt the world growing hollow, similar to the memory domains, before he was ejected.

“What did you see?” Zac asked after confirming the relic was fine beyond a slight sense of weakness. The energy it had absorbed was all still there.

“You disappeared for around two seconds. I couldn’t feel any fluctuations,” Ogras said.

“What about the stone?”

“It fell to the ground like a normal object. Then it jumped back into your hand somehow.”

Two seconds wasn’t nearly enough to search for the First People’s inheritance, let alone take on tribulations like he’d planned. Zac was still extremely satisfied. Not long ago, the relic was so weak it could collapse from a gust of wind. Now, it was fully stabilized and strong enough to allow physical transfer. To confirm, Zac took out a Void Treasure and effortlessly fed it through the entrance.

“Bet you wish you had that ability before,” Ogras grinned.

“I won’t have to use such a stupid method next time I run into a C-grade Void Treasure,” Zac smiled.

Trying the same with normal treasures didn’t work at all, at least not for now. Zac suddenly stopped his experiments, realizing he was only sitting on half the prayer mat he’d laid out. “Wait, I’ve moved? Let me try entering again.”

This time, he managed to stay inside for less than a second. That was more than enough time for the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] to be thrown across the cave.

“Congratulations, you’ve invented the dumbest teleporter I’ve ever seen,” the demon laughed when Zac appeared next to him.

“Don’t say that,” Zac smiled, tapping the relic with his knuckle. “This thing is almost indestructible. Say I need to cross a section filled with deadly energies. I can just throw it and put myself inside.”

“It might be indestructible, but a zone that deadly will overpower the force of your throw. You’ll end up stuck right in the middle,” Ogras commented, not looking very impressed.

“It’s better having the option than not,” Zac said and stowed the treasure.

There were a few more things he wanted to try. The idea Zac was most interested in—sending one of his bodies to the other’s side through [Purity of the Void]—couldn’t be tested, seeing as he had no way of going back if it worked. Besides, Ventus was right around the corner, and Zac didn’t want there to be any traces of Void Energy when he arrived.

An hour later, on the dot, a stream of starlight poured into the cave. Ogras looked up, his face scrunching with annoyance. “Don’t you look nice and clean?”

“It’s the upside of lacking fate,” Ventus quipped as he sat down. “Then again, Lord Atwood also looks quite dapper. Perhaps it’s just you who’s marked for disaster?”

“If I am, I’ll make sure to bring you along for company,” the demon sneered.

Ventus’s smile only grew wider as he caressed his abacus. “You say that, yet my future looks brighter by the day. By the looks of things, your expedition turned out well?”

“Apart from some unexpected twists. Overall, no complaints,” Zac said. “What about you?”

“Nothing too exciting. I used my status to “borrow” samples of interesting materials. I wanted to stay inside in case of an opportunity, but a sudden shift in the memory’s destiny made me change my mind. I can’t believe someone more powerful than our Temple Master would descend on a small mining town.”

“That would be the Wendimar General you assured us was far away clearing the wilderness,” Ogras said.

“Huh?” Ventus looked at Zac for clarification.

“As I said, there were some twists,” Zac shrugged. “I’ll have to be careful taking out the token in the future.”

“Interesting. These memories are more dynamic than I expected,” the Numerologist hummed. “So, what’s next?”

“We’ll rest a day or two before resuming our journey,” Zac said. “We’ll follow these threads of Fate to their end.”