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“Damnit! Where’s the exit?” Zac swore while frantically dodging countless projectiles coming at him from every direction.
“Just a little longer. I’ve almost untangled the web,” Esmeralda said, her eyes filled with Spatial Power as she derived the mysteries of their surroundings.
Esmeralda’s voice was nearly drowned out by the persistent, agitated calls of countless monkeys, the weakest of which were Elite Middle Beast Kings. Their...
2025-05-21 18:00:11 +0000 UTC
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“Why are you doing this? What harm have we done you?!” the struggling warrior roared, barely maintaining the barrier against the incoming cascade of pitch-black, crystalline flowers.
The chill of death that had claimed the whole valley crept closer, freezing the very foundations of the small village. The glacial seal severed the settlement’s connection to the Nexus Vein, exacerbating the formation’s evident deficiency. The cold eventually bre...
2025-05-19 20:03:23 +0000 UTC
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Zac could absolutely see the merit in the Sangha targeting the Gardens and Hells, and it likely wasn’t without reason that the Lower Planes were already part of Buddhist tradition back on Earth. It was even a bit surprising that the Sangha hadn’t struck already, considering the Realmlords appeared to be weakened from the war following the System’s birth.
If Zac had to guess, the Limitless Empire served as a powerful deterrent to this day. The f...
2025-05-16 18:00:35 +0000 UTC
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Blinding agony tore at Zac as he was attacked by the full weight of the teardrop’s power. [Void Zone] could only slightly dull the edge of the torrential amounts of Primal Life surrounding him. The attack was all-encompassing. Muscles bulged and organs twisted, all standing right at the threshold of awakening a will of their own. Even his Cosmic Core and Soul Aperture showed signs of distress.
Zac was springing leaks all over from ...
2025-05-14 19:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Void and Dao coursed through Zac’s body as he approached the distant sphere and the Natal Treasure waiting within. Simply rotating his energies was fast becoming insufficient for enduring Poised Meadow’s whispers. The pure Primal Life at the realm’s center was different from the rest of the Divine Energy.
It didn’t act through a forceful infiltration that awakened life; it felt more like it had the power to elicit an innate desire to live in ...
2025-05-12 18:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Zac’s mind went back to his memory of the Tower of Eternity. At that time, his climb had called forth a mysterious stele engraved with archaic patterns of war. This teardrop appeared to be a similar item. It was most likely a Natal Treasure of the Cosmos, marked by the Dao of Life in its most primal state when the Heavens reformed.
The teardrop’s grade wasn’t anywhere near the level of the stele or [Second Singularity], though....
2025-05-09 18:55:51 +0000 UTC
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“What are you thinking about?”
Zac looked up and saw that Ogras had returned. Zac and Tavza had been waiting by the gates while the demon made a quick sweep of the outpost in search of hidden information and other opportunities. Tavza busied herself with studying the compasses and the seeds of the [Ketumati Lotus], while Zac was lost in thought.
“I was thinking about the Templar’s parting words,” Zac said after the de...
2025-05-08 18:19:32 +0000 UTC
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I'm afraid I have to take a sickday. My goal is to still release tomorrow and friday.
2025-05-07 14:50:01 +0000 UTC
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Astora strained her senses to observe Everit Draom through the earth’s minute vibrations. Mother Nature provided no new answers as the man slowly returned to his courtyard. His true identity remained perfectly hidden by a mysterious haze. Most frustrating was that Astora could sense her own family’s hand in the disguise—yet another secret kept by her elders.
“Whatever he is, he’s not trained for infiltration. And he’s young—young enough...
2025-05-05 18:22:12 +0000 UTC
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A/N: New month, new chappies! Thank you for re-upping, and welcome new patrons!
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The guards led Zac around the manor to a sheltered garden in the back. The house had its own unique design, but it was a normal Outer Court Disciple residence. Astora Theomore didn’t receive any special treatment during her stay, or perhaps she’d rejected it. The princess, draped in the common Outer Court robes, wa...
2025-05-02 19:26:52 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Sorry for the lateish release. I was informed today that I am being audited, so that fun little side quest has taken up much of today's time.
Anyhow, this is it for April, I hope you've enjoyed. The set-up took a bit longer than I intended, which is an issue I've been grappling with for years. One day, I'll conquer that beast, too. For now, things are set, and we'll be in the meat of it over the next couple of months.
2025-04-30 19:16:41 +0000 UTC
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Zac was careful not to disturb the floating scripture. Its origins were clearly extraordinary, which made the situation seem strange. The chamber was too small and dingy to house a top-tier manual. The scripture was even stowed away in the chamber’s corner like an afterthought. However, there were no indications of something even better having been kept in the chamber’s center.
“Why would they seal the manual like this? Does it have special pro...
2025-04-28 18:00:14 +0000 UTC
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Esmeralda looked about ready to blow her top over having her appearance appropriated and profaned. Zac was more worried about reinforcements since the remnants of the Scripture Tower were situated right against a corrupted zone. If the environment could birth one Peak D-grade Qriz’Ul, then it could birth more. Considering their location, there might even be C-grade Qriz’Ul lurking about.
There was also the question of the doppelganger’s intent....
2025-04-26 18:00:20 +0000 UTC
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I've been working on book 15 for most of this week, and it unfortunately spilled over on my writing. I had to finish the edits today to get the ball rolling on the audio recording, meaning today's chapter had to be moved until tomorrow. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
2025-04-25 15:42:13 +0000 UTC
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Zac walked to the side and draped himself in his new Outer Court Disciple garb. Its design veered toward the wide robes of Imperial Scholars, and its automatic fitting couldn’t resolve the fundamental mismatch with his brutish frame. Already used to such things, Zac took out the booklet and Outer Disciple token to figure out the details that Old Sixth glossed over.
By dripping his blood, Zac established ownership, and a series of flutters appeared ...
2025-04-23 18:00:31 +0000 UTC
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Zac was surprised that old man personally lead him toward the central building at a leisurely pace. The elder’s weak presence and simple blue robes couldn’t hide the fact that his status was extraordinary. The fact that the Mercurial Court’s disciples didn’t notice his presence also hinted at great power. Whenever Esmeralda hid him in a pocket of space, Zac could still sense the spatial fluctuations. Right now, there was nothing to explain why the ...
2025-04-21 18:00:51 +0000 UTC
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Zac was eager to get going after spending close to a month buried in the ground, especially after learning one of the Nine Gardens awaited on the other side. Considering the number of layers they needed to cross before reaching the Hollow Court, he might get the chance to experience all the Gardens and Hells in a controlled environment.
The descent should also hold opportunities equivalent to the Mercurial Court’s trials and crossing the Peregrine ...
2025-04-18 18:41:03 +0000 UTC
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“One’s Cosmic Core is the seed, and the Cultivation Manual is the nourishing rain that makes it sprout into a world. The Cultivation Manual controls which materia is drawn from the Cosmic Sea. The better the manual’s quality, the faster the process will be,” Tavza said. “Neither Core nor manual can be lacking when aiming for a perfect outcome.”
Zac would be lying if he said he was unbothered, but he’d long since grown used to the proble...
2025-04-16 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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All things considered, Zac’s body was in a better state than one would expect. His failed Bloodline breakthrough hadn’t left any obvious damage, and the weeks spent in the ground were more than enough time to recover from his battle with Naruk and from stealing a sliver of power from the Gates of Transformation.
Zac could only find two lingering issues. The first was his five sets of remnants, which were nearly completely drained. Zac remembered ...
2025-04-14 18:00:29 +0000 UTC
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A/N: As mentioned in the end of month-post, this is the last chapter of this week. Next chapter on monday.
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Zac knew he’d just made a massive leap forward, but he couldn’t shake a pang of regret. He’d been too busy dealing with the hostile Daos and refining his heart to make a concerted push to improve his bloodline. He never overcame the barrier, and his bloodline either ran out of patience or fuel for its asce...
2025-04-09 18:00:07 +0000 UTC
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A ripple coursed through Zac as he passed the Gates of Transformation, and the mysterious world behind him vanished in a flash of silver. The last thing he saw was a thousand rivers being drawn from hidden folds of reality and fused into the river he had traversed. One trajectory had been set, invalidating countless others.
There were no signs of the Peregrine Ocean’s argent waters on the other side of the gates. Sprawling ruins spread out before h...
2025-04-07 18:00:08 +0000 UTC
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The impenetrable fog parted, giving way to familiar colors and shapes. Helisent blinked a few times as she oriented herself. She was lying in her bed, as she had for the past few years. Her favorite flowers were placed in a vase on her nightstand. On the other end stood a small statuette. It was the first carving her uncle had given her, a version of the graceful goddess dancing among the heavens. It looked worn after eight decades on display, but it was s...
2025-04-04 18:34:05 +0000 UTC
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A/N: And we're back! Thank you for re-upping, and welcome new patrons!
------------------
The declaration was akin to Heavenly Law, holding a conviction that refused to be denied. The voice came from a patch of dust that Zac had all but forgotten. It was made from the shattered remains of Roan’s Fertile Earth Token. Once robbed of its spirituality, the dust had no choice but to comply with the unquestionable ...
2025-04-02 18:00:17 +0000 UTC
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A/N: And this is it for March. I hope you've enjoyed the latest chunk of DotF. This time there are two small end-of-month announcements. First off, there's no chapter on April 11 (Friday next week). Regular schedule otherwise.
Secondly. As some of you may have noticed, the chapters have arrived at the same time over the past two weeks (excepting today because of DST and me forgetting write this note). My goal is to keep ...
2025-03-31 18:12:42 +0000 UTC
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Zac’s intuition and Tavza’s understanding of ancient arrays led them straight toward the inner sanctum. With the jammer deactivated, the changes to history had finally grown significant enough that Zac could sense a drain on the memory domain’s Faith Energy. However, the loss was insignificant, hinting at immense reserves to accommodate higher-grade existences.
The hidden underground complex was reinforced with high-grade materials, but they co...
2025-03-28 19:00:15 +0000 UTC
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The winding pathway had led the elite strike squad within five miles of the Pathfinders’ star-shaped fortress. Once a research facility, the building had become the faction’s headquarters following the opening of the realmgate and had been reinforced accordingly. Here, the Rosemore Sect’s rule-based suppression was at its weakest, and the area was flooded with the oily Hope Energy. It not only suppressed Zac and his temporary allies but also fueled t...
2025-03-26 19:00:15 +0000 UTC
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“Who’s the chipper guy?” Zac asked in a low voice after they had put some distance between themselves and the hidden door.
“Halvar’s the Hidden Blade who got us out of trouble when we first arrived. Or former Hidden Blade, I suppose. Outside titles don’t count for much in the mousetrap. Now they’re just enforcers of the Rosemore Sect. The others at the table are descendants of his old teammates,” Ventus explained.
“The Rosemor...
2025-03-24 19:00:11 +0000 UTC
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The complex magic circle shrank from the size of a washbasin until it fused with Zac’s forehead as a pitch-black stylized urna. An immense flood of Abyssal Death surged through his body as the region’s glaring Stellar Dao almost faded to nothingness. The surge was temporary, though Zac could vaguely sense a hidden tapestry covering his pathways, Soul Aperture, and Duplicity Core.
“It’s curious how your human half retains such an affinity for ...
2025-03-21 19:00:21 +0000 UTC
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Zac inspected Tavza while ushering her to his temporary residence. The sun was extremely glaring in this region, and even he suffered from prolonged exposure. An undead would have it even worse, yet Tavza showed no sign of discomfort.
Undead generally combated hostile Dao through their equipment. Low-grade cultivators fought under Unholy Beacons while Higher-grade would have similar features installed in their gear. Those who grasped innate methods t...
2025-03-19 19:00:11 +0000 UTC
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The activity on Greenworth Trade Street acted as white noise while Zac worked on the figurine in his hands. He was sitting in the shade by his store’s entrance, which had become a common occurrence. Anytime Zac wasn’t working on a commission or private project, he liked having the city noise wash over him. Sometimes, he’d take his carving kit to another part of Whitfall. The store didn’t need watching ever since he changed opening hours to appointm...
2025-03-17 19:00:09 +0000 UTC
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