And since each side was provided an equal amount of energy , the two armies were locked in an even struggle . Even his Dao Avatar of Branch of the War Axe joined in on the fun . It started flitting about through his aperture , sometimes swinging a black axe according to the Inexorable Stance . Other times it floated on a golden core , his axe teeming with Life and boundless possibility .
It was Zac’s way of ensuring the two sides were kept equal while simultaneously steering the process toward his intended cores . If one side got the advantage and rocked the fragile balance in his Soul Aperture , then Conflict would help push them back down .
One circuit after another was completed this way , each boosted by his Middle-stage Dao Branches . By the fifth revolution , Zac started to feel the strain . Even with Soul and Moss Crystals helping out , he faced an uphill battle . He needed bigger guns . An iridescent pearl appeared on his hand , and Zac’s mouth shot forward to gobble it up .
It was a Natural Treasure , normally meant to hold as you cultivated the soul . Today , it became fodder as Zac staunchly crushed the pearl into dust then swallowed . It had been a gift from the Undead Empire , a rare item from some hidden realm of the Eidolon . Getting one’s hands on such an item wasn’t even possible on the frontier , yet this cultivation treasure was reduced to fodder for his breakthrough .
Zac’s body grew agitated , and it started to absorb the Mental Energy from the surroundings and the Moss Crystal much faster . A refreshing wave entered his central core , allowing him to keep going .
The outer spheres in his Soul Aperture soon turned into small suns , mirroring those floating about in the Calamity . The previous sensation that he’d become one with the mountain returned far stronger , and Zac could tell it wasn’t just an illusion . Had the mountain formed a spirit that resonated with his breakthrough? Zac had no idea whether that was good or bad , but he couldn’t do much about it .
He had already jumped onto the tiger’s back and needed to ride this storm to the end .
Another cycle was completed with the aid of the pearl and dozens of Soul Crystals . Zac was buried to his knees in Soul Crystal shards , but he didn’t care . They still released some lingering Mental Energy , and Zac took any help he could get .
The Outer Cores started vibrating ominously after the energy of the sixth cycle returned . They moved far faster than normal , waging an invisible war by following their heavenly trajectories . The patterns released an invisible pressure , making his whole Soul Aperture groan . Six revolutions were usually the point Zac where stopped channeling his Dao when practicing the Nine Reincarnations Manual] . But not today .
Zac initiated the seventh cycle , at which point the array disks broke free from his grasp and started rotating around his torso . Their movements mirrored the Outer Cores in his mind , following the heavenly trajectories of Life and Death . They generated a mysterious resonance in the cave that took control over the ambient Dao .
The previously wild energies in the cave were attracted , and Zac was happy to see some of the attuned clouds enter the hovering disks . Unfortunately , it wasn’t enough . Zac could tell he wouldn’t be able to finish the hour-long circuit without further assistance . The Kalpataru tree in his aperture had started withering . Similarly , the oppressive aura of the Pale Seal was weakening , the whole thing fading into a turbid grey .
His soul was drained beyond what it could sustain , and the truths of his path were drying up . All the while , the Outer Cores grew increasingly difficult to control . Zac’s body was in perfect condition , yet he felt like a dried out corpse . Despite that , Zac felt incredibly alive . There was a sense of victory and accomplishment from simply walking down a path you created of your own volition .
He was no longer dancing to the tune of others . He was creating a new future with his own hands . Of course , that feeling of freedom did little to help with his lacking resources . Around the halfway mark of the seventh cycle , Zac reached his limit . He’d hoped to finish the whole circuit before reaching this point , but simultaneously using both arrays had been a monumental drain .
At least his performance was up to par with his previous breakthroughs , even when the difficulty was more than twice as great . Besides , the pearl wasn’t the only thing he’d prepared . A torrent of pure , unblemished Dao poured out from the central core as the floodgates of Spiritual Void] opened wide . The currents passed by the waning Dao Avatars , nourishing their source before entering the Array Disk .
Zac had already confirmed that his Void Self of the heart had allowed him to control the Hidden Nodes in his body freely . Finally . He could turn them on and off at will , preventing them from competing for resources . There were few situations where he didn’t want his three Void Nodes to passively keep running , but his elevated state also helped with his control .
For example , he could tell the Void Heart] which energies to eat and which to leave behind , including energies that weren’t even harmful to him . Similarly , he could tell Purity of the Void] what to focus its purification on , another ability that would have saved him a lot of headaches over the past years .
And he could sense how much Dao the perpetually hungry node in his mind could hold . It was no longer a voracious enigma but three separate containers—one for each of his Daos . There wasn’t more than 10% of his total stores for each of his Daos , but it was incredibly dense and pure . Ultimately , the true use of Spiritual Void] was to temporarily bolster his Daos by almost a full stage rather than acting as a Dao Battery .
The Hidden Node gave Zac a much-needed break to recover some of what he’d lost . When the refined energy returned half an hour later , he could better guide them into the rampaging Outer Cores .
The whole aperture was shuddering by this point , but Zac just started the next cycle .
Halfway through the eighth , the stores of Spiritual Void] started to run out , and Zac had no choice but to continue onto treasures . One item after another was either placed against his forehead or chewed and swallowed , each something that would create waves in the Zecia Sector . Not even his body could properly utilize all the amazing items when wasted this way , but he didn’t have much of an option . He needed a lot of energy and fast .
The discordant pile of treasures left him with a new set of toxins just days after purifying all the filth from his body , but they allowed him to narrowly squeak by the eighth cycle . At that moment , the Outer Cores essentially broke free from his control , aggravating their struggle . His aperture was filled with almost unbelievable levels of energy , to the point even the sealed Remnants stirred .
The cave was drowning in light by the two array disks , and energy was dragged in from the tunnels above , forming radiant and nebulous clouds around him . Zac could tell the arrays were barely holding on . Still , the disks were made by one of the most talented Array Masters in Twilight Harbor , using the sturdiest materials available .
Hopefully , they’d survive the final push .
The ninth cycle was the final and the utmost , returning toward the one . It was the last opportunity to infuse the much-needed extra boost to make the impossible possible , and Zac began rousing the two slumbering energies within his body .
Zac had made sure to retain ample reserves of Creation Energy in his body and Oblivion Energy in his soul upon entering the Perennial Vastness . You never knew when you needed an ace , whether it was to protect your life or break through . Luckily , nothing too dangerous had happened since arriving , which allowed him to use the energy for their intended purpose .
Meanwhile , Zac took out a small vial , the very one he’d gotten from Iz , containing the Wreathstar Nectar] . Five drops remained after breaking through the Void Varja Sublimation] . This time , Zac swallowed the drop before the real hurdle had even arrived .