Defiance of the Fall

Zac knew Tavza wasn't lying when saying that today's assistance hadn't come without a price. Zac still wasn't sure if Eoz really had reached through the river of time to impart his knowledge, similar to the Technocrat Codex. But Zac had felt the fury of the Heavens in the vision and how the universe itself was trying to resist Eoz's actions.

The two Supremacies of the Draugr race must have sensed Eoz's actions and realized the connection would have difficulty reaching Zac on its own. Maybe it was because moving something through time was difficult enough. Maybe it was because the lake had been moved, and Zac was located at the frontier. Either case, the Abyss was a place not even Progenitors like Eoz could walk unhindered.

Zac wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. Two generations of Draugr Supremacies had assisted him, and the benefits he'd reaped were simply obscene. Bloodline, Dao, and possibly Skill. There was also the mysterious seed in his Soul Aperture which might bring even more benefits down the road.

Sure, the assistance from the current generation of Abyssal Princes might have been provided with certain considerations. They knew he'd never felt any real belonging to his kin and might have used this opportunity to pull him closer. Of course, there was no proof beyond the fact that Supremacies rarely made a move unless absolutely necessary.

It wasn't laziness but that their very existence was a constant struggle against the Heavens. The higher you climbed, the greater the suppression you'd face. It wasn't just a matter of Tribulations. Monarchs had to absorb vast amounts of energy just to maintain their inner world. On the frontier, that translated into a constant need for treasures.

Meanwhile, Autarchs wouldn't willingly stay in these god-forsaken regions, as the sparse Energy and Dao were directly harmful. Zac had heard that the Autarchs of smaller factions, like the Radiant Temple, generally stayed in special dimensions or Ancient Realms to lessen the burden on themselves and their factions.

Zac could only imagine the cost of a Supremacy going all out. The current-day Abyssal Lords clearly had great hopes for him, to the point Zac suspected it wasn't as simple as just restoring a lost branch. Perhaps the three ancestors had left behind certain treasures or techniques that required all three upper bloodlines to work.

In contrast, Zac felt true sincerity from Eoz. The Draugr Progenitor had even indicated he didn't want Zac to carry the burden of his ancestry, that Zac didn't owe anything to his Bloodline. Eoz also seemed to have a different attitude to Abyssal Lake than the Draugr of the current era. He'd left its embrace to search for something more, only to find his descendants were born incomplete without returning to the origin.

So what should he do?

Zac's body might have become immune to Karmic Entanglement after breaking through, but he wasn't an ingrate. Just turning his back on Eoz would leave a blemish on his Dao Heart, even if the impartment was freely given. He'd been given so much by now that Zac didn't know if he wanted to extricate himself from the debt even if he could.

It wouldn't hurt to treat the Abyssal Shores with greater sincerity, and help out if he could.

"I'm aware the gift I've received today is significant," Zac said. "I'll try to reciprocate, but I'm ultimately just a D-grade cultivator. We both know that people like us are just pawns at best, and I refuse to become a cog in someone else's struggle."

"If you know that much, you should understand that it's rarely up to us whether we participate," Tavza countered. "The actions today have surely been noticed, and it won't be long before my ancestor's sacrifice is connected to you. I suggest you return to your home world sooner rather than later. The stakes have increased, leaving everything in flux."

"Will you even let me?"

"We might be able to contain the rumors for a few days, but no longer. Tassar Kavriel should be loyal to the shores, but some of the younger might have their own ideas. With fate gathering here in Zecia, they might see this as an opportunity to rise."

So that was why Tavza wanted the young to stay and practice by the Abyssal Pond. It was essentially a way for her to enforce an information lockdown. The lush environment of Kavista suddenly felt oppressive, with dangers hiding in every corner. He'd thought he'd managed to navigate a solution with the Undead Empire, but it was clear the events had broader implications than he'd realized.

"I've applied for your return already, but I alone cannot give the go-ahead. Hopefully, Kator won't have any objections," Tavza continued as she took out a Spatial Ring. "The promised method and some cultivation resources. However, you won't be able to make much headway on your Bloodline with these things.

"I can tell you've entered the Shallows, and it's almost impossible to progress outside the lake at that stage. Using our Bloodline Methods simply isn't time effective outside the lake itself."

Zac nodded as he accepted the ring. Such was the Law of Balance. Pure-blooded Draugr living in the Abyssal Shores were guaranteed at least one bloodline awakening through access to the lake, and real talents managed to awaken multiple times. However, without that resource, it was incredibly difficult to progress.

Death-attuned materials could barely help, and even treasures from the Abyss like the [Darkwater Gemstones] weren't a replacement for the real thing. That was why [Essence of the Abyss] was such a valuable treasure. Few other things could mimic direct contact with the Abyssal Lake.

"Thank you," Zac said. "You've been a huge help during my stay."

"Please remember that the next time you're about to wreak havoc," Tavza said, showcasing a rare smile. "I wouldn't mind a heads-up."

The Azol successor left the next moment, leaving Zac alone with his thoughts. He glanced at the ring and found it contained one hundred [Darkwater Gemstones] and a few plants from the Abyssal Lake. There was also a set of Information Crystals, but Zac only briefly scanned the methods before putting the matter aside.

Something was brewing in his body that couldn't be put off any longer. The Skill Fractals had already started to twist and untangle under the influence of the foreign energies. The good news was that it didn't seem to be a bad thing. The skills were actually evolving on their own, following the concepts they were being showered in.

However, he couldn't just sit by when his skills were being reforged, even if the result would be good. He needed to provide input, aligning them with his path and ensuring they would mesh well with his combat style.

Zac retreated into his cultivation chamber, where a new type of incense was already burning. Zac could feel it had a similar effect as the drops he got from Iz, though not nearly at the same level. Zac let the medicinal smoke nourish his body while focusing on the mutating skills. And the longer Zac observed, the more he realized things weren't quite as they seemed.

The mysterious bands wrapped around his Skill Fractals looked like they had been formed by Mez and Azol, but Zac realized there was a shadow of Eoz within. It was transforming their truths somehow, harmonizing them with his body and Daos. It was almost like Eoz had sensed the two present-day Supremacies and repurposed some of their energy. There was a lesson in there.

Zac soon understood what he needed to do, and his Inexorable Dao Mold emerged from within the Soul Spiral. It had long reached a soft limit based on his Daos and soul strength and had barely progressed over the past year. Being showered in Abyssal Energy seemed to have strengthened it even further. Zac infused Mental Energy and Dao into the mold, ensuring his newly upgraded Branch of the Pale Seal didn't overwhelm his Branch of the War Axe.

Thankfully, Zac had ample experience with one of his Daos being stronger than the others, though it was usually his Dao of Conflict that evolved first.

A complex braid of truth soon emerged from the mold. Zac didn't directly send it toward the Skill Fractals but channeled his Dao through his Pathways. The braid subtly changed under the influence of his Class Pathways before passing through each band of foreign energy. Each circuit swallowed a good chunk of his Mental Energy, but Zac readily provided more from his mold.

It didn't take long before he saw results. Until now, the mutation of his skills had been passive due to the incredibly high-tier truths surrounding them. But the formations hummed to life now that they were powered with his Dao, and the process drastically sped up.

The two skills were being reborn with speed and precision far eclipsing what Zac could accomplish on his own, even when using the assisting arrays. It was a joint effort. Zac set the course, Azol and Mez provided the unique energies of their branches, while Eoz became a bridge that made outside influences part of Zac's path. In fact, Zac found both Ur'Mez's and An'Azol's comprehension complementary to his own as marks of their branches appeared on the fractals.

Mez's talents were related to divination and fate, just like how his Inexorable Path held his desire to control his destiny. This aspect was being added to [Gorehew], and Zac couldn't wait to see the result. Similarly, the unfathomable depths of the Abyss were infused into [Abyssal Phase], moving it toward something that could be mistaken for a bloodline talent. His movement skill's name and flavor text had almost felt like a mockery since learning of the true Abyss, but it would soon live up to the real thing.

The process was extremely smooth. It was as though the arrays were sentient, understanding his will perfectly. It only took six hours for his skills to be reformed and another 30 minutes to redraw the connection between pathways and Skill Fractals. For better or worse, the foreign energies were completely gone when Zac was finished, leaving only the dormant seed behind. The new Skill Fractals were pitch-black, almost resembling scars on his pathways.

However, he could feel their complex patterns and exquisite balance, knowing his two bought skills had gone from something he'd picked up in a Frontier Repository to proper Peak-quality D-grade skills. Zac eagerly opened his Skill Screen to check out the result.

[D] Fatehew - Proficiency: Early. The butcher's blade of the inky depths, sealing providence and reaping lives. Upgradeable.

[D] Abyssal Drive - Proficiency: Early. Become the Abyss. Bring them into your embrace. Upgradeable.

So [Gorehew] had become [Fatehew]. Zac didn't recognize half the patterns on the skill fractal, but the flavor text and the parts he did understand indicated it would have roughly the same role as before. Interestingly, the flavor text of [Abyssal Phase] hadn't changed when upgraded, even if more than 60% of its fractals had been replaced.

Looking at the two skills filled him with far greater confidence for the upcoming battles. He'd already upgraded his mental defenses and [Deathmark]. By adding a movement skill and a general offensive skill, he had a basic kit of everything he needed. The only thing he wouldn't mind adding to his repertoire was a powerful finisher, but his stacks of talismans could temporarily take on that role.

Better yet, the reformation of [Gorehew] and [Abyssal Phase] had given him something beyond the skills themselves. Just as he'd expected, a lesson was hidden within the opportunity. Zac had already touched on the matter when upgrading his Dao Branch, but seeing the upgraded Skill Fractals drove home the point.

His view on cultivation had become too narrow.

He'd spent decades building his path, shoring up his theoretical foundations, understanding of the Dao, and inventing a suitable blueprint. The hard work had been rewarded with two matching Arcane Classes and foundations as stable as bedrock. But he had narrowed his scope too much, afraid to paint even an inch outside his self-imposed lines.

This hyper-focused approach had made him forget an important aspect. The Dao wasn't static packages of truth that had to be categorized one way or another. You needed to be the conductor, not a vessel for the Dao. If he just walked straight ahead in the direction his Daos were currently pointing, ignoring everything around him, was it even cultivation?

Take the Seals and the Thrones, for example. The Peaks was whatever they said it was, and massive wars had been waged over the direction of Dao.

Zac was obviously not there yet, but there was no reason for him to completely shield himself from any outside influence. The key was making the influence your own, something subordinate to your path. For example, his understanding of fate was nothing when faced with the Ur'Mez Clan, but he had benefitted greatly from incorporating some of their heritage into [Fatehew].

The same was true for how his Dao had incorporated some aspects of his Bloodline. It didn't mean the scope of his Branch of the Pale Seal had grown more scattered. It had meant he'd made the truths of the Abyss a supportive aspect of the Pale Seal. Theoretically, he could push this theory to the very limits, where all Daos under the Heavens became an aspect of Death. Zac even suspected that was how the Abyss operated.

Of course, Zac's revelation didn't mean his previous method was a mistake. He wouldn't have managed to enter Hegemony if he hadn't taken full control over his path and its interlocking parts. You could even say his shift in perspective was part of the natural cycle. A cultivator would undergo periods of integration where they accepted new concepts and impressions. Then, they would condense these things into something uniquely suited to them while discarding what was useless.

An endless cycle of expansion and reduction, each moving your path closer to perfection.

Focusing on his skills had been a welcome distraction, but now that it was dealt with, there was not much else to do but wait. He hadn't heard back from Tavza during the whole skill reformation process, and Zac started to worry after another hour had passed. What if they really didn't let him go because of what happened in the Abyssal Pond?

Zac felt it unlikely, but it was impossible to tell what conflicting interests clashed in the shadows with a faction like the Undead Empire. Then, he finally felt a presence in his lobby, and he quickly walked outside.

"We feared something had gone wrong upon hearing you left the pond after a day. I guess I was worried for nothing."

"I have too much on my plate to swim around for days on end," Zac said with a smile upon seeing who had arrived.

"You know, it's not easy to get to see you," Pavina said with a shake of her head. "Still the same, so consumed with cultivation. Don't forget to slow down now and then."

"I wouldn't mind a vacation, but who will tell the System?" Zac grunted. "What brings you—"

Zac didn't get any further before he was filled with a sense of deadly crisis. His body moved on instinct, [Death's Duality] already swinging toward Pavina before he'd digested what was happening. The silver edge rebuffed a small sword, but it was already moving toward his throat with redoubled speed.

The overbearing pressure brought Zac back to the duels in the Orom World, and he could feel Pavina's attacks were influenced by far deeper truths this time. It was as though every strike of hers was imbued with Death incarnate, and anything they targeted was doomed to be consumed. It was completely different from the surface technique she used years ago.

Zac hadn't fought in his Draugr form for months, but his Inexorable Stance came as naturally as breathing. Not only that, but his awakened Bloodline had turned him into a perfect vessel for his path, where Death and even Conflict felt like the natural state of his body.

The lobby echoed with the clattering of chains as they formed a web of mayhem. They moved with far greater speed and agility than before, to the point Zac couldn't control them at their max pace without losing control. Soon, Pavina was surrounded by chains while Zac fought to lock her down from the front.

The contained battlefield hadn't become a hindrance to Zac's technique. On the contrary, the ceilings and walls let the chains change their trajectory faster and in unpredictable ways while restricting Pavina's options. However, the Monarch was like a fickle wind, impossible to contain.

She avoided his attempts at containment with ease, seemingly everywhere in the room at once. Her blade went for his eyes one moment, only to be striking at his spine the next. There was real lethal intent between every strike, and the pressure only mounted as the seconds passed. Zac didn't mind—he even welcomed the challenge. It was only possible to find your limits when fighting powerful opponents.

And there was so much power waiting to be unearthed.