Chapter 1,375 – Anima

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 flame of Imperial Faith had yet to go out, and the empire may have left terrifying weapons with the Realmlords in exchange for their assistance. Perhaps the Sangha simply didn’t want to get embroiled by the sin of the Limitless Empire. Either way, it made the monks adopt a soft approach, where the trial for the Fifth Pillar was a chance for them to weaken the Limitless Empire’s hold on the Lower Planes.

If so, Zac had inadvertently taken a side by reconnecting Poised Meadow with his actions. He’d been knocked out by the Realmlord’s scream, but not before the sea of holy flames had incinerated most of the Sangha’s Karma. Zac’s current vantage was blocked by the expanding tsunami of anointed life, but he had a strong feeling that the trial’s—and thus the Empire’s—borders had been extended further into Poised Meadow.

Zac didn’t love the idea of adding more fuel to his growing grudge with the monks, but he wouldn’t hesitate to keep going when the pay was this good. It wasn’t like the Sangha would leave him alone if he stayed his hands. They’d repeatedly targeted him, so throwing a wrench in their plans could even be seen as the cherry on top of his other gains.

He’d earned as much Imperial Merit in a few hours as when toiling for a month in the Mercurial Court’s celebratory trials. And there was still the awakened native to turn in. Imperfect awakening or not, the spirit’s potential was extremely high. It hadn’t just stolen a piece of the teardrop’s spirituality, it had seized more than enough Imperial Faith to maintain a balance between the two sides.

That wasn’t to say he’d become a supporter of the Limitless Empire. If anything, the trial had driven home what kind of madmen they were. The empire was clearly hoping to use the trial’s ritual for some form of resurgence, but the Multiverse was probably better off with them staying in the past. The storm they’d trigger would put everyone in danger, including Zac and his people. Then again, stepping out of the past was easier said than done. If nothing else, they’d have to deal with the gaggle of Supremacies waiting outside. Zac putting his thumb on the scale didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

“The situation seems like a win-win to me. We mess with the baldies and gain a boost of contribution for every pathway we blow open. We’ll make a killing if there are two dozen similar opportunities on our way,” Ogras said, echoing Zac’s thoughts.

“Not sure if I can survive two dozen of these encounters,” Zac said with a wry smile.

“We’re only a few hours away from Kabaton. I bet you’ll perk right up after a good night’s rest and Hollow Court’s generous rewards,” Ogras said, throwing Zac a disdainful look. “And don’t think I can’t see that you’ve benefited just as much as that greedy spirit of yours. You’re radiating so much life that it’s blinding.”

“Nothing special, just a small breakthrough,” Zac smiled, taking great comfort in seeing the demon’s face scrunch together with disgust.

After confirming Ogras had the situation in hand, Zac sent an update to his other body before extending his perception into the spiritual links of Verun and Haro. He was immensely relieved to find them mostly fine after a thorough scan. Their auras were unstable from the sudden influx of energy and Poised Meadow’s influence, but their situation hadn’t reached the point of causing permanent damage.

It would hopefully be a case of ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Both spirits were very young and could use some additional tempering of their mental states.

Zac noted there were some signs of battle inside Haro’s Worldring. He guessed some unlucky lifeforms had managed to take root within the vine’s sphere of influence only to be torn apart the moment they were born. Heavenrender Vines were notoriously territorial, and Zac wasn’t surprised to see his companion keep his backyard protected even during hibernation.

Next, Zac turned his attention inward. Like Ogras said, he was absolutely filled with Divine Energy, and the golden radiance of his skin was only the start. The sheen was a reflection of a fundamental transformation, where his body’s spirituality had grown much denser. Zac was approaching a point where flesh wasn’t flesh as much as a pure expression of Dao. At that point, he’d be able to instantly restore his body so long as he had the energy for it.

Thankfully, there were no traces of body parts awakening during his time unconscious. Zac knew he’d lost control at the end, but his breakthrough had overwhelmed and consumed any nascent souls appearing across his body. Zac could also feel he was mostly immune to Poised Meadow’s influence by now. It wasn’t thanks to shattering the Earthly Chain, which severed the hold of Life’s Authority on him. It was simply that the life of his body had advanced enough to gain a natural resistance.

The rapid expansion of space in his cells had stopped after reaching nearly five times their original size. The hurricanes had grown until they continued to strain against the walls, and their improvement wasn’t limited to dimension. In fact, Zac wasn’t sure if it was accurate to call them hurricanes any longer. It was as though they had gone from a gaseous to a liquid state, making them resemble maelstroms more than hurricanes.

The boost in energy density came with a drastic increase in Vigor and stockpiled Divine Energy—reserves that could be used to recover and regrow limbs without the regrettable cost of lifespan. In fact, the breakthrough seemed to have further added to his stockpile of lifeforce. It was hard to say for sure since he was so young, but Zac guessed he’d received a boost of at least 20% compared to a normal cultivator.

Zac realized that in a few short weeks, he’d mostly recovered the lifeforce he’d spent over the past decades. He’d gained almost as much from his encounter with Mox. Her tainted longevity had briefly seeped into his body while his Specialty Core protected him from the fell Karma it held. It turned the backhanded gift into a pure boon.

He’d still been lucky that the Margrave and the others came along when they did. That short brush with Mox’s sin had almost drained his Cosmic Core. Any longer, and he would have formed a Karmic Bond with Mox despite the protection of his Technocrat heritage—if he even survived the encounter.

The gateways to his personal Void at the bottom of his cells remained inaccessible without agitating his Void Emperor bloodline to its limits. Likewise, the small, immovable suns left from the Stellar Wanderer hadn’t seen any particular change from his breakthrough. Altogether, everything went as forecasted, except for the surprising difficulty of breaking the Earthly Chains.

It was an important lesson for the next stage, where Zac needed to shatter the Heavenly Chains. He still didn’t know exactly what that entailed, but he already knew picking the right location would play a critical role in whether it was success or failure. The obvious answer was hidden within [Fuxi Mountain Gate], except it lacked the necessary Divine Energy to fuel the breakthrough.

Zac shook his head and tabled the matter, continuing his inspection. His constitution wasn’t the sole beneficiary today. [Void Emperor Apotheosis] provided a synergistic effect, one that evidently skyrocketed during a breakthrough. All aspects of his cultivation had noticeably advanced, with his Soul being the biggest winner.

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The Evolutionary Core and the golden nebula surrounding his Inexorable Core had seen a significant increase in accumulated energy, where Life easily outshone Death. The imbalance didn’t worry Zac too much. He had ample experience living with one side running ahead of the other, and there would be opportunities to align his Daos soon enough.

At least Zac hoped that was the case. Most of the infused energy wasn’t properly integrated, and it would eventually dissipate if he didn’t properly fuse it with [Nine Reincarnations Manual]. Ideally, he’d stumble onto a source of Death-attuned energy suited for Soul Cultivation when passing through the Eight Hells. If his encounter in that realm was just half as rewarding as his dip in Poised Meadow, Zac figured he’d finally reach the limits of the fourth layer before arriving at the Hollow Courts.

Finally, Zac opened his Status Screen. There were no new titles or levels, only the line confirming his achievement.

[Life] Void Vajra Sublimation (Fifth Layer): Base Attributes +1,500. Vitality +15,000. Endurance +2,500. All Attributes +15%. Vitality +30%. Effect of Vitality +25%.