Boulders that should have smashed into him were nudged away , landing on the ground around him . Even the awakening storm avoided him , allowing him to gradually get used to his newfound power .
A pang of incredible danger pierced through the roar of the mountain . It interrupted his rebirth in the eye of the storm , like a discordant note in a beautiful orchestra . Zac still remained rooted in place , eyes closed , sensing a cultivator effortlessly pierce through the storm on his way to Zac’s exposed cave . The barriers had long since shattered , and the enemy was already upon him .
Zac only felt tranquility as he opened his eyes .
A pulse of pent-up pressure from his Soul Aperture was released through Zac’s gaze , and the hooded cultivator who’d targeted him lost all control over his body as an earring and a brand on his forehead snapped . His eyes glazed over like his soul had just left him . In a way , it had . It had been pushed out of place by the tremendous force Zac’s breakthrough generated .
Bad luck , - Zac muttered as Verun’s Bite] flashed , cutting off the reptilian’s head in one swift motion .
A surge of Kill Energy entered his body , confirming it wasn’t a puppet or something else that had been destroyed . Zac shook his head as he swiftly looted rings and everything else of interest on the man’s body before he stowed it away in his Corpse Sack . A second piece of high-potential material had delivered itself—doubly so since the assassin seemed to cultivate a Dao of Death without being undead . He would most likely make an amazing Revenant .
Zac had sensed this cultivator targeting him a while ago . Fate had been gathering toward him since he broke open the walls to release the floodgates . And when his soul spread through the area , he’d spotted the reptilian . Zac expected it to be a powerful Beast King , though , rather than another guest .
What he hadn’t anticipated was how powerful the accidental pulse he released was . He’d planned on stopping the man in place with mental pressure , seizing the momentum . But his soul had fractured , much like when Zac met the original owner of Vilari’s body . It was a shame such a powerful bust was a one-off thing and not something he could charge up .
But it gave him the idea to look for Mentalist skills , something for infighters in the vein of True Strike] he’d owned for a while . It was a bit of a shame to cultivate such a powerful soul and not properly leverage it in battle . He even had two empty slots for skill fractals in his head , a result of both his sides being such one-track martial classes .
A huge rock tumbling down forced Zac to put planning aside . The stone itself wasn’t a big problem , even if it was too heavy for his newfound telekinesis . Rather , it felt like a harbinger of what was to come . Zac could tell the shakes were not just the result of new pathways being carved through the mountain .
The mountain was dying . Had he accidentally killed it? He’d infused quite a bit of Creation and Oblivion , but he didn’t believe that was enough to take out the spirit that had communicated with him . Especially considering how much it had desired those energies .
Then again , it was hard to argue with facts as Zac could sense the mountain was no longer climbing in altitude while the cracks in the storm chamber grew more serious . But suddenly , a weak message appeared in Zac’s mind before his connection to the mountain was thoroughly cut . A thank you and a goodbye .
Zac didn’t know exactly what was happening , but his eyes gleamed with greed as they turned to the top of the storm chamber . A moment later , a spiraled crystal reminiscent of the twinned World Core fell through the ceiling . It didn’t fall with the rest of the rubble but rather floated , showering the whole chamber in powerful truths of Life and Death .
This was a Supreme treasure , nurtured for eons in the heart of the mountain . A gift from the spirit as it was reborn .
Its emergence was like the lifeline of the mountain being cut , and Zac felt the spirituality of the mountain rapidly drain . Zac couldn’t be sure , but he doubted the mountain would still be flying in a week or two .
An unbelievably enraged roar rocked the mountain before a powerful presence swept the area . The mountain’s owner had woken up , and it wasn’t happy . Worse , it was clearly a Late-stage Beast King , only one level beneath the terrifying snake he’d met in the Twilight Chasm . It wasn’t something he could contend with .
Zac’s hair stood on end upon feeling the aura of the powerful Beast King , but he ignored the warning bells going off in his mind as he started climbing toward the treasure . He’d already been discovered , so he may as well get the prize before running for his life .
A croaking snicker echoed through the storm as the two looked down at the drifting mountain .
Poor child , - Lova laughed . - Targeting a peer with such powerful Fate is bound to result in a cosmic hiccup if your own providence isn’t up to snuff . -
It was as though their gaze could pierce straight through the mountain , observing the young man within . His aura was unsteady after his brutish breakthrough , yet his eyes had unyielding determination as he braved the storms of energy , climbing toward the Mountain Heart floating above .
What do you think , Esmeralda? - Lova smiled as she looked down at the small toad in her hand . - He’s an interesting one . No wonder Engo has been muttering to himself for over a month . -
The toad formed a few signs , its tongue flicking about .
He’s a good person because his Dao tasted nice? - Lova laughed . - Well , his unique flavor did help your 403rd reincarnation save a bit of time from reaching maturity . -
Another enraged roar echoed through the area . The Dreambeast atop the mountain had awoken from its self-inflicted nightmare , and it was beyond infuriated to find the source of its dreams withered . It had already sent its tendrils through the mountain , and it was about to teleport to the heart .
Esmeralda grunted unhappily , and a wave of ancient aura shot toward the mountain peak . The Dreambeast froze in place , shuddering at the sudden presence that filled its domain . A moment later , it turned into a river of vibrant dreams , fleeing toward the upper layers of the Calamity . It even left the wilting Soulhaze Lily] in its cave , afraid that bringing it away would anger this terrifying intruder .
This one is fine , but no more , - Lova said . - Master does not like us meddling with the children’s fate . -
Esmeralda rolled her eyes , making a few signs while pointing toward the sky .
You’d seal master if he’d get in the way? - Lova said with a helpless shake of her head . - Maybe if you were in your original form . But even then , you’d only manage to keep him contained for a few millennia . And what do a few years matter to someone like master? -
The toad snorted , pointedly looking away .
Don’t be like that , - Lova said . - Who told you to go and eat that scary thing from the Time Nexus? Don’t forget , it’s only thanks to master and his old friend that you and your reincarnations haven’t been washed away by the Obverse River . -
The toad responded with a blithering stare before turning her gaze back to the mountain below . Cracks had spread across its whole surface , and huge chunks were breaking off , falling into the Void . A day at most .
Well , it’s true that your unique situation has been helpful for our undertaking . Either case , some things can’t be avoided . - Lova smiled as she glanced at a screen that had appeared in front of her . - A global event . You can consider this an opportunity for your little friend to temper himself . I am curious to see how this will play out . There are an unusual number of decent seedlings in this batch . I guess we have the ascending pillar to thank for that . -