He wanted to find something to grab onto , but Vivi’s vines were all destroyed long before they found solid ground .
The situation was bad , and the energy only kept rising , breaking apart and reforming in a deadly cycle that would instantly rip any F-grade cultivators to shreds . Even Zac’s Life-attuned Constitution only provided a limited reprieve from the chaos . Worse , it felt like the storm was building toward something . Something terrifying .
Zac suddenly felt a pang of danger , but he had no chance to react before a small swirl ripped a chunk of his leg . Golden blood and flesh were dragged into the haze , but Zac’s eyes gleamed with interest as he stuffed a couple of Healing Pills into his mouth . In contrast to Void Zone] or his Dao Fields , his blood was having a cooling effect on the storm .
Thanks to the calming effect of the bloody mist , Zac could see farther than a few arm lengths . The franticness died down in the area closest to him , and the haze cleared .
Zac almost wished it hadn’t . The Dao itself wasn’t the only danger in these parts .
An undulating shriek pierced the storm’s roar as a twenty-meter-long creature flew toward him . It looked a lot like a golden manta , its body covered in what looked like naturally formed runes . Its body was not only able to withstand the storm but even harness its force to some extent .
A Divine Stormglider .
If not for the chaotic situation , Zac would have been happy . The hides of Stormgliders were quite valuable because they made great armor . An undead cultivator incorporating those hides into their regalia would drastically improve their defenses , particularly against Life . Zac already learned the Undead Coalition had a standing order on those things .
It was one of the native creatures of the Calamity , having found an amazing cultivation environment where most only saw danger .
The Stormglider seemed attracted by his Life-attuned blood , its shrieks incredibly excited as it pulled a drop into its mouth . Zac wasn’t surprised at the reaction . Thanks to his Dao and pure constitution , his body had become something like a Natural Treasure to beasts . He was more worried about the fact Stormgliders seldom traveled alone .
A storm of fractal leaves shot forth , aiming to kill the Stormglider in two before it could call the rest of its squadron . But the runes on the Early Beast King lit up , and Zac swore with surprise when the storm increased in ferocity . A gust pushed through the temporarily calm surroundings and ripped apart the blades while creating a curtain between Zac and the beast .
The division didn’t last long . A beam of pure light pierced through , aimed straight at Zac . Around it , streamers containing the condensed essence of the chaotic environment tagged along , creating a deadly combination attack . Though Zac hadn’t just been sitting around since his opening salvo . Two shrouds pushed forward , forming an invisible divide .
The divinity beam was utterly incapable of contending against Rapturous Divide] and was swiftly cut apart . The Stormglider had the home-field advantage , but Zac had the advantage in absolute strength .
The boundary between Life and Death was under attack by the environment , but its intangible blade still cut everything for over two hundred meters before the skill collapsed . It contained a huge amount of Cosmic Energy and force , and in its wake , allowed a temporary corridor of absolute calm to form .
Zac activated Earthstrider] to appear right next to the bisected Beast King , and he stowed away the huge corpse before flashing away . It had only been for a fraction of a second , but Rapturous Divide] had not only helped Zac kill his target , it gave him a glimpse of land not that far away .
He needed to act quickly . First and foremost , the small Beast King he’d killed was probably just one of the outer scouts of its squadron . He could already hear dozens of piercing shrieks through the storm , probably answering their fallen companion’s earlier call . Dealing with one or two was easy , but Zac didn’t want to tangle with the whole pack .
There was no lack of Middle-stage Beast Kings in most Red Zones , and reports mentioned there could even be Late-stage Beast Kings lurking in the shadows . Zac wasn’t even confident in dealing with the former . The Beast Kings you encountered in the Perennial Vastness had far purer bloodlines than the ones on the frontier , and creatures that could thrive in the Calamity were doubly fearsome .
And against Late-stage Beast Kings? His only chance at survival was to escape and hope the beasts didn’t notice him . It was possible the stronger coalitions in Perennial Vastness could hunt Late-stage Beast Kings , provided they gathered enough people and made thorough preparations .
Furthermore , Zac didn’t have much time . Even if the storm had momentarily calmed , it was only in a relative sense . The Dao was weakened thanks to his blood , but the wind was still very much there . He’d soon be swept away if he didn’t reach land . Zac could also sense a growing sense of unease .
Something was happening in the heart of the storm , not too far-off in the distance . He couldn’t see anything because of the golden haze , but just sensing it was enough to make his hair stand on end . It seemed like the mother of all explosions was gathering momentum , and Zac wanted to take cover before it erupted .
Vivi could not reach the distant patch of land without being ripped apart , but Zac had an idea . He let the vines pass by the still-bleeding wound in his leg as he activated Earthstrider] again . His surroundings shifted and he was instantly disoriented , but five vines shot out in different directions , each glinting with a hint of gold .
The storm weakened all around him , and Zac once more spotted land , this time much closer . Another jump and Zac found himself just fifty meters away . It was enough . Vivi was prepared , and two of her vines managed to latch onto a few rocks on the ground before the wind dragged Zac away . The storm raged harder on the surface , but Zac staunchly withstood it as he pulled himself down .
Just as Zac thought himself safe , he felt a pang of danger as an incredible tremor rippled through the ground . If not for Vivi , he’d have been launched into the air again , but he still got some scrapes and bruises from slamming into the sharp ground . Zac was about to crawl up , but he realized his point of gravity was rapidly being shifted . The patch of land had started shifting , and Zac found himself hanging onto the ground rather than lying on it .
Zac was about to stand up to get his bearings , but a scream of danger made him throw himself on the ground as quickly as he humanly could . A stone shard as large as a head whizzed past just above , effortlessly breaking through the shields of two defensive treasures before ripping a wound across Zac’s back . It would have punched a hole right through his body if he hadn’t pushed back down fast enough .
A moment later , the stone was gone , flying with almost impossible speed . Hundreds of similar stones followed in its wake , though most were dozens of meters in the air . The fact the floating island was suddenly spinning saved his bacon , as it spun away from the trajectory of the meteor shower that hurtled by .
Just as Zac thought he was safe , the sound reached him . The explosion was so loud Zac was knocked out for a moment , and his vision swam even after waking up . Zac was scared , bleeding , and disoriented , but he couldn’t stop now . He needed to get out of the wind .
Zac channeled the Kill Energy from the Stormglider into Surging Vitality] while Verun’s Bite] reappeared in his hand . His blood did sort of act like a shield against the environment , but he didn’t want to attract any more Stormgliders while looking for shelter . The gleaming edge of Verun crashed into the ground , but a painful rebound in his wrist was the only result .