Zac was just as surprised at Kruta . Valsa obviously knew they were alive from the lack of Kill Energy , but she actually dared to follow them into the castle? That was almost as surprising as her being able to do it . He’d seen that battlefield himself . Unless something had drastically changed , there was no way to pass through that chaos unscathed .
Then again , did the why and how matter? She wasn’t the only one unwilling to let bygones be bygones , and Zac refused to believe she’d recovered to a perfect state after that battle . Plans were already brewing in Zac’s mind as he got to his feet , and Kruta blanched when their eyes met .
You’re not . . . -
Of course I am . Let’s get ready to welcome her . -
56
DISAPPEARING ACT
Valsa ground her teeth as she slowly inched backward . Another attempt foiled by the shift in the battlefield . Two Blue Cloaks struck at her , but she deftly blocked them while infusing a command into the Master Medallion . Ten Hero Souls rushed over , heedlessly attacking the surrounding puppets to give Valsa a chance to disentangle herself .
It wouldn’t have been hard to destroy those two pieces of junk , and she was more than willing to after the previous encounter . But she couldn’t . If she made any big moves , her plan would fail . She didn’t dare activate any skills or even rotate her energy , what with the dozen Golden Champions hovering above .
The surroundings soon stabilized , and the usually mindless Hero Souls formed a small island halfway through the battlefield . Unfortunately , there weren’t enough nearby captains to call over , so she could only wait . These miscreations were just too stupid . They would long since have routed the puppets had they retained some of their brains after their deaths .
The protective circle wasn’t absolute . One errant attack after another crashed into her armor , eliciting another wave of fury as she was forced to mutely take it . She’d known someone picked by Ultom would be a tough opponent , but she still couldn’t believe things had gone so awry . They’d planned and surveyed for over a year , yet it all collapsed within minutes .
And that barbarian . She wouldn’t have been in this mess if he hadn’t meddled in her business and brought that golden puppet . She prayed she’d retain enough memories to track him and his faction down . She intoned the names and backgrounds of the two responsible parties every time a mark was left on her armor . Perhaps the royal uncles could fish the words out of her consciousness upon her return .
Anything to strike at those bastards .
Valsa grimaced as the dense waves of energy coursed through her body—leakage from the damaged Core Nucleus . The Planur Core] by her spine picked it up and converted it to enough raw power to destroy mountains , but she could only release it while stuck in the middle of the battlefield . The boost eclipsed even that of her War Array , but at what cost? Years of preparations were being undone in front of her eyes .
The Golden Champion must have intentionally chosen to target her that way . A strike meant to cripple , to create desperation and struggle . To set a deadline before your cultivation collapsed . Only then would the most Impetus be extracted to fuel the undertaking . Valsa only had six hours before the nucleus would break altogether . Her remedies hadn’t been enough to deal with such damage .
Saeward , ruthless indeed .
Furthermore , four of her Natal Fategems were sacrificed for some short-term gains . It would take a Fourth-Step Autarch to remold them and relink them to her cosmic pulse . Who among her ancestral uncles and aunts would bother if she returned in her current state? Defeated , humiliated , and crippled , shaming the First Heaven and their name . Valsa felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her feet .
Thank the Gods that bastard was still alive .
Valsa stroked the Spatial Ring on her finger , where the Transplanted Fate Array] waited . It solidly entered the unorthodox , but so what? Her ancestral father had already shielded the Heavens ; it would block out the backlash . And it wasn’t like her family hadn’t done the same before .
Initially , the thought of stealing someone’s foundations to power her path felt disgusting—it would sully her pristine heritage . But she was left with no choice . The Core Nucleus would already have collapsed by the time she reached the exit of this experiment realm . It would take at least three years to regain her current accumulations , considering she’d used up most of her contribution for this plan .
By then , it would be too late . The struggle for the Left Imperial Palace would be over , and she would have lost the window of opportunity to catch up . Even if the First Heaven somehow managed to get a foot through the door , it wouldn’t be her who’d lead the way . She’d be sent off to become a cauldron for another family’s heir or even gifted to an ally . All while her old competitors laughed at her fate .
But now , she felt empowered , and she could see the silver lining to her failure . That man’s bloodline was simply too overbearing , forcing the stars of Planur into submission . It had completely upended her plan , but it was only a delay of the inevitable . She’d seen his state , and knew what it meant to enter the River of Steel . The bloodline might have allowed him to enter Saeward’s altar somehow , but he should be at death’s door . Exhausted , wounded , and still sealed by the stars .
If she succeeded , she’d accomplish all her goals in one fell swoop . Use his foundations to repair and elevate her Core Nucleus . Seize his Fate and gain a ticket to the Left Imperial Palace . And if she managed to transplant that man’s Bloodline Talent into her own? Between being a Flamebearer and that , she was sure to become the Holy Daughter of the First Heaven .
The battlefield shifted again , and Valsa’s eyes lit up . She ordered a charge , and a riding captain came to their aid . Another fifty meters progressed while her private army had grown even greater . Not much longer now .
Knowing Valsa was making her way over left both Zac and Kruta restless . Neither were in any mood to continue recovering .
Can you tell when she’ll get here? -
It’s not that precise , - Kruta said with a shake of his head . - I didn’t dare leave any obvious mark . I can only sense she’s entered my range . I’m not exactly sure where we are in the castle , but that should mean she’s entered the large-scale battlefield . I should sense it better if she gets within a few hundred meters . -
Zac nodded as he surveyed the garden . The dust wasn’t perfect , but it was much better than no warning .
What do you think? That one? - Zac said , pointing to a smaller door that seemed to be leading toward the innards of the castle .
Looks like a servant’s passage , - Kruta said . - That big gate feels like trouble . -
Agreed , - Zac said and the two set out , working hard to harmonize with the surroundings .
Zac only stopped when they reached a flowerbed filled with D-grade flowers infused with Pure Conflict . They were quite good specimens . . .
Don’t even think about it , - Kruta growled from behind , clearly understanding what Zac was thinking .
Maybe on the way back , - Zac sheepishly smiled .
The barbarian was right . The arrays under the flowerbeds looked benign , and Zac couldn’t tell if the plants were monitored . Their best guess since finding themselves in the garden was that a particularly powerful Hero Soul maintained this place . Perhaps Saeward himself or his right-hand man . Such a powerful memory fragment might contain enough memories and personality to maintain their hobbies .
It would be a disaster if they accidentally called them over because of some decent Natural Treasures .
Creeping over to the side entrance , it thankfully opened without blaring any alarms or triggering traps . As expected , they found themselves in a servant’s passage . Investigating the nearby rooms didn’t attract any Hero Souls . The castle felt very incongruent that way . It was flooded with so much Dao and Energy that even Zac had some trouble coping , yet no Hero Soul formed within the walls .