It actually worked . Zac remembered the first time he envisioned what he’d just pulled off , way back when he was still experimenting with the - brown flashes . ’ To channel the taboo powers of the Remnants into his skills , turning them into delivery systems of that ancient madness and destruction .
His Origin Mark] and Annihilation Sphere] were ultimately the crudest form of energy control . They were just raw blobs of unstable energy that he had to push into his enemy at melee range . They took time to charge , and it was getting harder and harder to land a blow . The Dao Mold had proven to be the key .
Instead of channeling his Dao and the Oblivion Energy into his shoulders , he’d crammed it into his Inexorable Mold . Through its complex pathways , Oblivion and Conflict fused into something that had been just stable enough to briefly infuse into Nature’s Edge] . The result was shocking , far beyond the level of what an E-grade cultivator should be able to wield .
The blade of Annihilation had destroyed all the defenses the princess put up . Her Supreme-quality sword was cut apart , barriers broke the moment they touched . Her , admittedly damaged , War Regalia proved utterly incapable of stopping the descent . Zac had even seen the blank look in her eyes , confirming the skill had managed to erase her thoughts mid-fight .
That alone was a terrifying ability that could turn the tides of almost any battle . You couldn’t afford any distractions when you walked the tightrope of a life-and-death battle . She’d managed to rally and crack a fifth jewel on her crown , but her response had been delayed . The gemstone had transformed her into a streak of light to drag her away , but the edge of Annihilation had carved a hole of nothingness right through her .
It’d been enough to finish the fight—the enormous surge of Kill Energy and influx of Mana proof of that . She should be truly dead unless the Supremacies of the Planur Dynasty chose to drag her soul back from the cycle of reincarnation . If that were even possible , considering where she died .
Zac had long since learned of the possibility of reverting time and dragging cultivators back from beyond the grave . It was a common reason for cultivators to push toward the peak . However , it went against the natural order , and even Supremacies would have to pay the price . Furthermore , there were many limitations . Where and how the cultivator died played an important role . Using Oblivion to kill Valsa would probably make it harder . That it happened deep inside the Perennial Vastness was likely to complicate things further .
The battle lasted less than a second , but it came at an even steeper cost than their previous fight . The effects of the Rageroot Oak Seed] had been mostly erased by channeling Oblivion , but that wasn’t the real problem . Zac sighed as he looked at the cracks that covered his Dao Mold . It would likely take over a year to repair the damage . It simply wasn’t sturdy enough to withstand Oblivion Energy .
He never intended to channel Oblivion through his two Dao Molds . At least not until a theoretical future where he’d naturally evolved his Daos from Pure Life and Death to Creation and Oblivion . He considered manually adding new Mental Energy pathways to the two energy highways formed from the remnants of Cyclic Strike] , using the Dao Molds as inspiration . Installing something like that would hopefully allow him to fully control at least the refined Creation and Oblivion Energy .
That was a project he hadn’t even begun , though . And this preliminary test indicated that pathways created with his Mental Energy still weren’t sturdy enough to channel the Remnants without damage .
The good news was that the Dao Mold hadn’t completely crumbled . It was even possible to implement something that could withstand the Remnants sooner rather than later . Perhaps he could find some treasures or tools that reinforced the molds , allowing them to hold on a few seconds longer . And even if not , he at least had a new ace in case his life was on the line . Damaging his molds was far preferable to being cut down .
Zac’s heart thumped at the possibilities laid out from the experiment , but he forced himself to focus . His new set of wounds weren’t a big deal , but Kruta still hadn’t woken up and was still bleeding all over . They were also still in the middle of a Red Zone , and Zac had no idea what would happen now that Saeward’s ascension had failed . He wouldn’t be surprised if there were dozens of people rushing toward their location now that the puppets and Hero Souls were gone .
Those considerations were suddenly drowned out by a startling realization—the looming sense of danger still hadn’t disappeared . If anything , the feeling rapidly worsened , as though Damocles’ Sword was finally descending . A rumble in the sky made Zac’s heart drop , and Valsa’s treasures flew into his hands as he rushed toward Kruta .
Zac glanced at the sky and couldn’t help but swear . The stars were moving again , but it didn’t take a genius to know that wasn’t a good thing . They were no longer spelling out the Edict of Candor . Instead , the stars had formed an enormous face . It stared down at the Stand of Saeward . Neither Zac nor the realm could withstand the attention .
The situation was rapidly going out of control—Zac felt like the laws of the universe were unraveling . The world shook , and Zac’s mind blanked out from his danger sense overloading his mental faculties . It wasn’t telling him to run or hide . It essentially told him it was over and tried to desensitize his frayed mind from his impending doom .
The pressure mounted , and Zac could not so much as blink as the castle disintegrated . Then the ground beneath his feet . Zac trembled as a whole world winked out of existence . This wasn’t Annihilation or Oblivion . It felt like a rejection . The face in the sky didn’t condone the world , so the world simply wouldn’t be .
He and Kruta were only alive because of a translucent barrier that sprung up around them . Soon , there was just nothingness . It couldn’t even be considered the Void , more like Zac had been pushed out of the bounds of reality . His mind had ground to a crawl , unable to conjure any escape paths . He just blankly observed the end of his path as the translucent barrier started to fray .
Was this how Valsa felt as she gazed upon the falling edge of Annihilation?
A sigh rippled through the boundless nothingness , and time moved in reverse . The disintegrated lands reformed , and the castle rose to enclose him . Even Saeward’s puppet and array were restored to a pristine state , as though he’d never endured the Heavenly Tribulation just moments ago .
The only proof the events of the past minutes were real was that he still held onto Valsa’s broken crown and Spatial Rings . The Kill Energy also remained in his body , though it was suppressed just as he was . There was also the enormous face in the sky , whose brows had scrunched together in a frown .
A world-ending force blotted out the Heavens , and Zac felt nothing . In fact , the pressure on him had completely disappeared , thanks to the shield enclosing him growing much sturdier . Zac had an inkling of what was going on , and it was soon confirmed as a powerful voice cut through the rumbling sky .
I looked the other way when you sanctioned a mark to be summoned inside my domain . But this cannot stand . -
The voice was calm , like the mounting pressure , and its aura of rejection couldn’t even be considered a minor inconvenience . More surprisingly , it came from just next to him . Zac looked over and found a man standing just a few meters away . There had been no hint of his appearance . He just was .
The man didn’t look much older than Zac , but there was a palpable sense of antiquity to him—one that even surpassed the feeling of his bloodline . There was an unmatched transcendence to his bearing and aura , as though he’d fully severed any connection to the emotions and desires of mortals . He was beyond the vicissitudes of time , radiating unquenchable stability . Of all the people Zac had ever encountered , none so perfectly encapsulated the air of an immortal cultivator .