Defiance of the Fall

Maybe it’s me who’s going mad , - Ogras muttered , but he still followed Zac as he sped away .

Zac didn’t run toward the lake that was the source of all the rivers—it wasn’t the true core . He finally realized what was going on . The rivers didn’t look like a pattern at first glance , but that was because it wasn’t the whole picture . The riverbeds were the Dao , and the Void of Dao hid beneath , like two sides of a coin .

Superimpose the environment with the right constellation , and they formed a whole . The theory was shockingly similar to the blueprint with his Cosmic Core , to the point Zac was almost a bit annoyed . Would he have saved himself all that effort in secluded cultivation if he’d come here a few years earlier?

No , it wasn’t as simple as that . Seeing something and understanding something was different . If he just came here and stumbled upon these arrays , he’d just be copying someone else’s homework . His method had cost him a few years , but he far-better understood his path as a result . Besides , there were no guarantees he’d ever realize what was going on if not for his research .

Zac had no idea what the enormous pattern meant , but he could tell where the center lay . The lake was one of two main eyes . The second eye hid on the other side of the riverbeds . Right between the two was the widest river , and Zac knew the answer was there .

It only took two hours to reach their destination since they’d ceased searching for answers or kernels . They encountered two groups of cultivators on their way , including the cultivator searching with earthquakes . They only exchanged some information before moving on , continuing until they reached their destination .

Zac walked around , trying to feel something , anything , from the river . Ogras closed his eyes and kept them that way for over a minute until he opened them again .

Nothing underground , even a hundred meters down , - the demon said . - Almost pure bedrock . You sure this is the place? -

Zac barely heard him over the white noise filling his mind , but he nodded affirmatively . - This is it . It’s the heart of one of the revolutions . I can feel it . -

Whatever you say , - Ogras said , though Zac noted the demon’s skepticism and concern even in his muddled state .

Zac didn’t bother . The best way to prove he wasn’t going mad and getting the demon back on board was to find the inheritance .

There , - Zac said and turned to an empty spot that hid a natural formation .

It was the same as the others , yet it wasn’t . It was the opposite . The Fate Kernels were Dao hidden by Void . This isolated spot was rather Void hidden by Dao . It didn’t sound like a big deal , but Zac knew it was . This was Void brought to the Main Dimension , kept stable in defiance of the Heavens . It should have been consumed and nullified by the ambient Dao and Cosmic Energy , yet it somehow formed a perfect camouflage .

Perfect against anyone not attuned to the Void .

He stretched out his hand , but it passed right through . Zac frowned for a second before releasing some Void Energy around his hand and trying again . This time it worked , and space rippled similarly to when he picked Fate Kernels .

What is it? A clue? A pathway? - Ogras eagerly asked . - Is it—wait , is that what I think it is? -

Zac had already found what he was looking for and pulled out his hand . It was a small glowing orb resembling stardust . It emitted a weak fluctuation of the Dao of Stars . And nothing else .

A Low-quality kernel? - Ogras said , his eyes slowly turning to Zac . - Dao of Stars? That’s it? -

Zac didn’t immediately answer . His eyes were glued to the Fate Kernel , or rather what masqueraded as one . It emitted the same energy as a normal kernel , but it was just an outer layer hiding the truth . Its core was made up of Aether—Void Energy . An ancient seed full of possibility .

But it was too small and too weak . It wasn’t enough to carry the weight of that constellation or the gift of the First People . There had to be more . Zac muttered to himself for a minute , ignoring Ogras’ stare as he tried to understand what he needed to do .

Only after a while did he realize that the pressure in his head was gone , and he could hear himself think . With his faculties finally returned to him , Zac realized something . Why the Dao of Stars? Why this specific hotspot? If there was a Void Kernel here , why not in the others?

Those dry veins , how many are there? - Zac asked .

Ah? The dry veins? - Ogras said , his brows furrowing . - There’s seven marked on the map I bought , but there may be more . Why? -

Thrones and seals , balance and counterbalance , - Zac whispered .

Buddy , you need to calm down and get some perspective . Your eyes have been looking a bit like the fifth elder back home . He had a deviation and suddenly became obsessed with a mountain on our planet , a mountain on a competing clan’s lands . He believed his Dao hid inside . One day , he snuck out and murdered a whole village on the mountain slopes , convinced they hid the key to his breakthrough .

Of course , there was no key , and his antics created a huge incident until he was eventually executed . -

I’m fine . The disturbances stopped the moment I extracted this thing , - Zac said , his eyes not leaving the Void Kernel . - I now know what keeps these things hidden and why I can sense them . I also know this one is different , masquerading as something it’s not . It’s a key , a part of the puzzle . -

Time was running out . The outer layer of Dao wouldn’t be able to protect the inner layer for much longer . It would crack , and the Void would be washed away by the Dao in the environment . At the same time , it was just one of many . There had to be more nuclei waiting for him in the other hotspots and dried veins . It was the only thing that made sense .

There was only one thing he could do .

Just wait! - Ogras urged as Zac moved the shimmering ball toward his chest , looking at the kernel like it was poison . - Think this through! -

I have , - Zac said . - This is it . This is the solution . -

If the answer is to imbue that shitty kernel , then the question is wrong! - Ogras shouted . - That thing will absolutely obstruct your Core Formation . -

You might be right , but it’s the only way , - Zac said as he pushed the orb into his body , where it would find sanctuary .

The Dao of Stars melted away when it entered his body , leaving a small illusory rune . It flickered precariously , then stabilized when Zac extracted some Void Energy from his cells . The rune immediately became a glutton , forcibly extracting over 10% of Zac’s Void Energy stores . And as it consumed , so did it grow . It unfurled like a flower , displaying thousands of unfamiliar patterns that together formed a complex seal no larger than a button .

Zac expectantly looked on , waiting for some sort of impartment to take place . A burst of information , new visions , or perhaps even the appearance of a teleportation device . But his excited smile turned crooked as the rune made a quick circuit through his pathways before settling in his left leg . It shuddered , and Zac found his soul suppressed and his Cosmic Energy sluggish . Altogether , his strength had been restrained by almost 10% .

Uh . . . -

Ai , - Ogras said , clearly sensing the changes to Zac’s aura . - You’re in it now . -

Zac waited for the rune to settle , trying to understand its meaning . But it was like an eldritch onion , layers and layers of incomprehensible patterns . His Primal Polyglot] was utterly incapable of making heads or tails of the unfamiliar scripts or the proto-fractals that made up its inner workings . His work on his blueprint didn’t help him any , either . The script only sparked a vague recollection connecting it with the vision , but that was it .

Let’s continue , - Zac said .