The accumulated stress and inspiration filled Zac with an overflowing momentum that urged him to rush out and start wailing on the poor beasts in the area. It almost felt like when the Splinter of Oblivion had messed with his mind, though Zac kept himself in check a bit longer as he tried to get used to the changes in his body. His attributes had already been adjusted, and he now had over 1,900 Strength.
He felt more in tune with himself even if his attributes had become skewed again, a...
2021-12-14 20:09:36 +0000 UTC
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The Abyss was his home and his sanctuary, a womb where time and space held no meaning. He didn't know where he ended and the Abyss began, but he knew that he was safe. There were no sensations, no suffering. He was one with the universe, and it was one with him.
But one day, there was a ripple in the darkness, change in the stillness. It called for him.
He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know why, but he moved toward the beckoning call, his very core burning with urgency. He ha...
2021-12-13 18:24:02 +0000 UTC
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“Is it really here?” Galau muttered as he kept watch for those sinister insects that seemed to lord over this planet.
“That’s what the captain said,” Bubbur grunted, though he was clearly as confused as Galau was.
“What would the invaders want with an uninhabited place like this?” Galau frowned as he looked around. “The planet seems old enough, which means this area has to be pretty stable. But there are multiple nearby gates. It would be impossible to hold it for ...
2021-12-10 20:20:18 +0000 UTC
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The air screamed and the red dust swirled as the halberd pierced toward her. Her mind was still a mess, but the endless drills she had endured guided her movements. A brutal scream emerged from the depths of her soul as she swung her axe in an overhead arc to slam it out of the way.
At the same time, a burst of the sun's fury ripped straight past her from the totem behind her back, finishing off the orc who had lost his right arm already. Another wail meant [Apostle of Autumn] <...
2021-12-09 17:44:56 +0000 UTC
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Zac grimaced when he heard the Revenant's description of the spatial seal that prevented them from leaving the Orom World. He wasn't exactly certain what 'Dao manifested into law' meant, but he guessed it was like a Dao Field but innumerable times more powerful. From what he had gathered, Dao Intent was the next step after a Dao Field, and Dao Law might be multiple levels above that.
Dao Intent was a testament to the degree you controlled your Dao. It wasn't dependant on the strength of...
2021-12-08 18:13:55 +0000 UTC
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The System was often a bit annoying, but it had to be said that it was quite considerate when creating balanced classes. Just like his human side lacked a top-tier skill for survival, his undead side lacked a good finisher that frontloaded damage. [Pillar of Desolation] was a terrifyingly powerful skill, but not only did it cost more than half of his Miasma, but it even required some Oblivion Energy to activate.
Meanwhile, [Blighted Cut] was technically...
2021-12-07 17:33:23 +0000 UTC
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Zac gazed at the eight shimmering orbs floating in his mind, urgently trying to figure out a solution for the final missing core. Soon, his attention turned to the clouds containing vast amounts of life- and death-attuned energies. At first, he had simply assumed that the nebulae were left-over energies from the process. After all, his soul oceans had contained far more energy than necessary, so it made sense that there would be some remaining.
But what if that wasn't the case? Zac imme...
2021-12-06 18:06:13 +0000 UTC
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A ripple passed through Zac's Duplicity Core, and a few seconds later another wave of death spread through his body, almost fusing with the impossible volumes of unadulterated death accumulated by the [Nine Reincarnations Manual]. The chill of death was still there, as was the raging storm in his mind. However, it no longer threatened to consume his sense of self, to convert him into an unthinking Revenant.
Being Draugr was to be one with the Abyss, and the pitch-black ...
2021-12-03 17:12:38 +0000 UTC
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Unsurprisingly, most of the 50 cultivators who were called first were high-grade attendants, with the majority sporting insignias wrought from white jade. Jade was the stage between Gold and Emerald, with silver being the lowest tier.
Except for citizens such as himself, of course.
Zac knew that most of these cultivators were Monarchs, and he imprinted every single face to memory, making sure he wouldn’t accidentally annoy one of these people in the future. However, as he memori...
2021-12-02 17:16:37 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Thank you for re-upping, and welcome new patrons!
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Zac shook his head with some helplessness as he pushed his makeshift raft across the lake. He had been so full of purpose as he sealed himself on his little island a month ago, yet he found himself leaving without having accomplished what he set out to do. But who could have expected it would take over a month to fully digest those two Soul Treasures that Aia left behind?
...
2021-12-01 16:58:49 +0000 UTC
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Apart from the compendium on arrays and souls in Aia Ouro’s Spatial Gem, there was also a good treasure compendium, along with descriptions of popular cultivation resources the Eidolon used. The special treasures that the ghost had saved were listed as well, giving Zac a proper understanding of what he was dealing with. Unfortunately, the glass pane was related to crafting Illusion-based items, and thus useless for him.
However, both of the others were Natural Treasures with great eff...
2021-11-30 17:50:30 +0000 UTC
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Book 3 of Defiance of the Fall is finally out on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and as an Audiobook over at Audible. So if you're in the mood for a re-read/listen, be sure to check it out! To celebrate the release, Book 1 and Book 2 are also on sale until Friday (3/12), with each book slashed down to $0.99!
Book 3 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Defiance-...
2021-11-30 15:27:30 +0000 UTC
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It wasn't just a kneejerk reaction to stay inside the Orom for longer than Zac had initially planned. From what he had gathered, the Orom would keep dragging poor souls to be filtered for over a week.
Even if Zac managed to escape right now, he would probably be dragged right back in. However, according to what he'd heard, the Orom moved with a shocking speed most of the time, swimming through various dimensions just like its smaller brethren. It would be far better to escape while the ...
2021-11-29 17:03:30 +0000 UTC
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The insides of the Contribution Store were quite large, with a fifty-meter wide disk where just as many clerks stood in attendance. Zac noted that they all wore the same white robes, with a similar insignia as the one Murbot wore. However, Zac sensed that these people weren’t someone standing above him in the Orom’s hierarchy, but rather below.
These people emitted extremely faint auras, and Zac guessed their attributes were locked at something like 2-300 at best. Most likely, they ...
2021-11-26 17:22:44 +0000 UTC
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The world they had been trapped in was aptly called the Orom World, and they were currently in a town that was somewhat morbidly called Freedom’s End. There were 17 more towns in total, though you were allowed to set up a cultivation cave almost wherever you wanted. Traveling this world from end to end would take about five months even with their current attributes, proof of just how massive this place was even if it was just the innards of a Leviathan.
There had to be some high-grade...
2021-11-25 17:07:16 +0000 UTC
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“Settling down is fine for some, but my Dao is confirmed through slaughter,” a scarred human said with a frown. “Settling down would destroy my path.”
“Don’t worry. There are designated zones for that as well,” the metallic man with a lazy wave as he started walking, and a shimmer across the glade indicated that the barrier had been deactivated. “Come, it’ll all be clear enough soon. Of course, you’re free to go wherever you want. I won’t stop you.”
The hun...
2021-11-24 16:58:36 +0000 UTC
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The group of bubbles that had avoided the fate of becoming a part of the Leviathan's feast was soon divided even further, where ninety percent moved together toward the tails. Next was roughly six or seven percent that shot away together, moving toward a large ridge on the beast’s back. Zac was in the third group, the second smallest one with just over a hundred of the ‘earmarked’ cultivators.
The final group was just one solitary sphere, covered in layers and layers of engravings...
2021-11-23 16:12:42 +0000 UTC
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The final Twilight Ascent had been far more dangerous than the previous ones, especially considering the fallout. Unfortunately, that hadn't been enough for the System to deem it necessary to award Zac another limited title slot or title permanence. But it had at least adjusted the reward.
Zac had seen historical examples of status screens in his missives, and the first position in the E-grade Twilight Ascent would generally provide between 6% and 10% attributes, along with a maximum of...
2021-11-22 16:58:23 +0000 UTC
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A/N: 2/2. Next chapter on Monday.
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The fact that one of the two A-grade leaders of the Draugr race might have taken an interest in something like an E-grade cultivator was almost incomprehensible. People at their level didn't even care whether Monarchs lived or died, and generations of E-grade cultivators would live and die in a single cultivation session of theirs.
At the same time, Catheya knew what she could and couldn't ask about, so she instead foc...
2021-11-16 20:07:34 +0000 UTC
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The darkness might only have lasted for an instant, or it might have gone on for a year, but a glimmer of light finally broke the gloom as Catheya woke up to the sound of shattering ice. All around her a sealed dome of ice broke apart as shimmering runes dissipated, exposing her and her two followers to the familiar surroundings of her master's Cosmic Vessel.
“Good morning,” a familiar voice said, and Catheya felt her heart once more freeze over as she turned her eyes toward the sou...
2021-11-16 17:28:02 +0000 UTC
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An obscuring shroud from a Haze Talisman spread around Zac as he hurriedly took out [Verun's Bite], immediately conjuring a fractal leaf. He knew himself well enough to know that he didn't have the strength to force open a spatial tear himself, at least not one large and stable enough for him to escape through. But hopefully, the dimensional wall around him would still be weakened enough for him to reopen a pathway.
At the same time, he didn't dare to immediately cut op...
2021-11-15 18:18:06 +0000 UTC
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Zac could barely believe his eyes when he saw the small egg sail past him, barely visible among the endless pieces of rubble. But he was certain. He couldn’t sense his Mark of Creation at all, but that was definitely the egg he had dropped off at the valley, or at least a copy of it.
A shudder by his chest from [Love's Bond] confirmed it. No matter whether it was the one he had transported to the heart of the Twilight Ocean or if it was another one, it was definitely ...
2021-11-12 18:55:10 +0000 UTC
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Zac was startled awake by pained cries and rampant energies that rocked the area. It looked like the transfer out of the Twilight Ocean had knocked him unconscious, which wasn’t surprising considering the wretched state his body and soul were in. Thankfully he had covered himself in defensive talismans just in case, and they had activated just like they were supposed to.
Not that it was completely necessary. Zac looked around with his bleary eyes, and he saw how people kept appearing ...
2021-11-11 18:18:05 +0000 UTC
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Rhodium burned with anxiety as he saw Artolo fall, unable to withstand even the opening salvo of the Eveningtide Asura. Ovo was still standing, but the Godslayer Spike the Rox’At Elemental controlled had been damaged to the point it might as well be considered an ornament by this point. It was already leaking its energies, forming a zone of destruction stretching a dozen kilometers in each direction.
Things had gone out of control too quickly. They had all been in meditation to reach ...
2021-11-10 18:54:46 +0000 UTC
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Alvod snorted as he sensed the world-ending ferocity of the incoming Godslayer Spikes. The council’s plans were truly sinister. They were trying to collapse the realm right at this critical moment, trying to force a singularity with the Realm Core as a medium for rebirth. Even if the worldly reincarnation failed, it would at least be a vicious strike at him.
It was with mixed emotions he looked out across the Twilight Harbor. Even if it was out of necessity, this little corner of the ...
2021-11-09 17:47:47 +0000 UTC
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Alvod looked at the array of items in front of him as he sat in the center of the Ascension Array, his heart beating with a mix of trepidation and anticipation. Four hundred thousand years of preparation, all for this moment. He would either defend his Dao and begin the next step of his journey, or he would turn to dust, as so many had before him.
His gaze turned to the chaotic scars that covered the tapestry, and he shook his head with a wry smile. Things had turned out alright, but th...
2021-11-08 18:04:47 +0000 UTC
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The treasury wasn’t too big, but what it lacked in quantity, it made up in quality. Zac had been worried that it would be just an empty room, considering how most people simply carried their most valuable possessions in their Spatial Tools. But as he looked around, there were over twenty items that emitted the powerful fluctuations of D-grade items, not including the piles of Cosmic Crystals.
It was far from his most exaggerated hopes, where boundless C- and even B-grade treasures wer...
2021-11-06 16:33:30 +0000 UTC
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Pain far beyond what he had endured during the fight spread through every part of Zac’s body. He feared that the Duplicity Core had somehow been damaged during the battle without him noticing, resulting in a flawed transformation process. Thankfully, Zac quickly realized that wasn’t what was happening.
The issue seemed to be coming from his recently completed [Quantum Gate]. He didn’t know exactly what it was doing, but he figured that it shouldn't be harmful. How...
2021-11-05 17:46:53 +0000 UTC
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Zac’s body was on the verge of shutting down, but he still couldn’t stop himself from accepting such a lucrative task. How could he possibly say no to a treasure that a former Autarch called ‘marvelous beyond compare’? It was even to the point he might form a Heart Demon if he turned away now, forever wondering how things would have panned out if he hadn’t backed down at this moment.
"I knew I could count on you, young man," the Realm Spirit smiled. "By the way, you can call m...
2021-11-04 16:59:14 +0000 UTC
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Unfortunately no chapter today. Extra chapter on Saturday instead. Sorry for the inconvenience. This include all tiers and RR.
2021-11-03 18:00:12 +0000 UTC
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