Stability? - Valsa repeated with a raised brow .
As though I was looking at a calm lake , - Scar said before bowing . - I beg your forgiveness . It is just foolish ramblings of this servant . -
No , you have the Planar Pulse] . Thanks to your bloodline , your instincts should rarely be wrong , - Valsa waved . - There are various things that can give you such an impression . The fact that he can block out your senses and Hidden Nodes is a clue . All the more reason to be careful on how we handle this . -
Scar nodded , inwardly hesitant whether he should be giving suggestions at this point as the appointed Royal Advisor or wait for orders as he was trained to do . Was he failing the princess? Thankfully , he didn’t have to wait for long .
Over the next three months , thoroughly investigate the target . But don’t forget about the others . I don’t think it’s a coincidence at least five sealbearers have appeared over the past year . We might have an advantage with our history and connection to the pillars , but others also have the means to expose these people . -
Princess wishes to change her target from the one who appeared two months ago? - Scar asked .
Of course! - Valsa grinned . - I can’t believe a Flamebearer showed up! So what if the Emperors picked my cousin? So what if he carries more fate with the Fifth Pillar? Fate can be seized . If the Heavens want to keep me away , I’ll just break down the gates and force myself inside . -
Of course , - Scar nodded , hesitating a bit .
What? - Valsa frowned . - Spit it out . Remember , you’re an advisor now . Advise . -
It’s just . . . - Scar hesitated . - 35 brought an update from Imperial Prince Yzum Tobrial upon his arrival . Prince Yselio of Seventh Heaven has already succeeded in becoming a Flamebearer . Taking a seal is Princess’s right , but becoming a Flamebearer may create problems for the First Emperor and tension with the Seventh Heaven . -
Oh , that , - Valsa laughed . - Well , don’t worry about my Royal Father . Who do you think gave me all these tokens and told me to go seize Fate? -
Forgive my foolishness , - Scar quickly bowed while inwardly crying .
He had just heard something he absolutely wasn’t supposed to . If it was one thing that could drag you and your whole bloodline into an early grave , it was knowing the secrets of a Supremacy . Especially when the Supremacy was the reigning emperor of the First Imperial Heaven .
21
THE CALAMITY
The Calamity was the same place where Zac had an opportunity to build his manor . But the storm he’d seen the first time was a special zone at the outer edges of the ancient chaotic anomaly , and it cost 50 Mana a day to keep your manor there .
Meanwhile , the Calamity was a Red Zone , where the teleporter took you farther inside . It cost a whopping 250 Mana a day to visit , making it one of the most expensive regular zones in the whole Perennial Vastness , even when including those restricted by echelon . Despite that , it was still at the very utmost perimeter of the storm , which was almost unfathomably big . Some estimates even put it at a size comparable to a smaller C-grade continent .
The inner regions weren’t available to the guests of the Perennial Vastness . That place could threaten even Monarchs , and it was sealed off by the Perennial Vastness . Perhaps it was running high-tiered experiments there , or it could even be a cultivation zone for one of the Realm Spirit’s disciples like Lord Engo . With such a huge realm , there could be whole civilizations living inside the Perennial Vastness without the guests knowing .
Zac wasn’t going to the Calamity to sightsee but to continue his cultivation . Having gained a surprising breakthrough in his heart , providing him access to his manor , Zac was faced with a choice . Breaking through his soul was no longer as critical as before . He could spend the next few days touring the trial zones to get better acquainted with them , such as visiting the Quarry as Lord Engo suggested .
However , Zac ultimately chose to continue with his pre-arranged plan . Three weeks in Sinner’s Lament had proven just how dangerous the Perennial Vastness could be . This was no place to save breakthroughs for later . Better to be safe than sorry . And that was what led him to the Calamity .
There were more zones like the Keys of Ascension in the Perennial Vastness , but none perfectly suited his unusual requirements of needing Pure Life and Death . As he’d realized during his years of bitter cultivation , it was a paradoxical path that was a dead end for anyone with actual affinities .
Keys of Ascension and a few similar places would do the trick , but it would cost most of his Mana . He had already made almost 10 , 000 in one month , but he knew the lion’s share of that windfall came from a situation he couldn’t easily replicate . Seeing how hard he’d been forced to work for a profit of one thousand from hunting Sinner Mounds , Zac had to be careful with his spending .
Most of the remaining options were zones like Mount Illumination . Life and Death might be present , but it was in a different state than what he needed . Using a mixed-meaning region didn’t seem like an optimal idea . His breakthroughs always drew huge amounts of energy from his surroundings , and he didn’t want foreign Daos messing anything up .
The easiest solution was waiting until he had enough Mana that his manor’s environment mirrored his path . But since that could take over a year , he was left with the Calamity , which had exactly the environment he required and more than enough energy .
Unfortunately , Zac didn’t even get the chance to get his bearings upon stepping through . A pang of danger was all the warning he got before he was whisked away , dragging him far from the teleportation pillar . A deafening roar sounding like millions of firecrackers filled his head , and his surroundings became a confusing blur .
Incredible amounts of Life-attuned energies raged around him , almost reaching the central circle of the temple where he broke through just hours ago . However , this place was no cultivation haven . It was a warzone , where the energies were incredibly agitated , partly because Zac could actually sense a hint of Creation in its depths .
Similarly , some Death was thrown into the mix , which was probably the cause of the agitation . Furthermore , the interaction between Life and Death was far more visceral than Zac was used to . It almost felt like the Dao had gone insane . For some reason , the vastly more abundant Divine Energy was willing to destroy itself to ensure it annihilated those snippets of Death in its midst .
Conflagrations of Life erupted in every direction , swirling whirls of madness creating small hurricanes in their wake . And Zac was caught and helplessly flying around in the middle of it all , utterly incapable of getting control over his body .
If nothing changed , who knew where he’d end up?
Cursing his bad luck , Zac couldn’t hold back , and he activated Void Zone] to quell the hurricane of Life-attuned energies that had kidnapped him . Except the moment he did , it was like he’d become enemy number one to the storm . Instead of targeting the snippets of Death , the abundant Divine Energy stormed into his nullification Zone , overwhelming its defenses .
Dozens of muted explosions erupted , and Zac’s Void Energy was expended at an alarming rate . The Bloodline Talent had clearly made things worse rather than better , and Zac urgently canceled the domain . With Void Zone gone , he had to endure the crazed energies with his body . But the Dao stopped targeting him , at least .
Until he tried using his Dao Fields .
The environment in the Calamity was dead-set on creating trouble . His Branch of the Kalpataru acted as fuel for the eruptions , while Pale Seal made him an even more obvious target than Void Zone] . And unsurprisingly , his Branch of the War Axe stirred the flames of Conflict , worsening his situation .
Zac was completely lost . The low gravity of the Calamity prevented him from falling back to the ground . And activating Earthstrider] only created more trouble . The chaotic energies were messing with the skill , and he sensed he hadn’t moved in the direction he intended . With his movement skill on the fritz , Zac could only move to another backup plan , having Vivi’s sturdy vines shot out in every direction like feelers .