Chapter 1,386 – Excellent Luck

Zac savored the stillness. Like an engine coming to a gradual halt, the turbulent energies within him calmed down. Not even half a percent of the ancient Killing Intent had been purified and incorporated, and the rest showed no indication of leaving. It had settled in, acting like a koi lazily swimming about in its pond. It was more than welcome to stay now that it didn’t trigger an overwhelming fight-or-flight response.

It was very possible it would start acting up again in the future. Zac wasn’t too bothered. He was long since accustomed to being the home of dangerous energies. Compared to the unstable Remnants, the stream of Killing Intent was not nearly as troublesome, and the benefits it brought were evident.

Having the intent harmonizing with his technique had filled him with insights that improved his decision-making. The feeling was somewhat close to the hubris brought by certain berserking methods, except the clarity of thought was real. It was a subtle enhancement compared to the destructive attacks enabled by the remnants. They were also exactly what Zac wanted.

Knowledge was permanent and his own, while the Remnants still represented reliance on external methods. To point, the insights he’d gleaned remained, silently fusing with his own wealth of experience. It was like he’d fought two battles instead of one, and the improved internalization of experience meant faster progress with both his Dao of War and techniques. And that was just the cherry on top of the real benefit.

It would take time to figure out how the attunement of his spirit worked and how to continue the process after he’d run out of foreign Killing Intent. Thankfully, it would likely be years before he ran out, provided the Killing Intent didn’t dissipate on its own before that. Zac somehow doubted it would, seeing as it had stubbornly held on since before the Dark Ages.

Zac could already envision a path forward. Instead of using methods like Kator’s Intent Arrays, he’d point his Killing Intent inward and use it to temper his spirit. The straightforward approach seemed better suited to him than drawing complex arrays or fusing it with skills.

It didn’t matter if changing his intent to become an internal force prevented him from fully unleashing it. The suppressive force from releasing his intent was becoming negligible anyhow. His current opponents were Early Monarchs or Heaven’s Chosen approaching the limits of Hegemony. Who in this group wouldn’t have a steady enough heart to shrug off a blast of Killing Intent?

“What a lunatic!”

Zac opened his eyes, finding Idiche looking at him with a disgusted expression. His current appearance undeniably warranted the look. The rain had only managed to leave streaks in the layers of grime covering his body. What remained was caked on so heavily it could only be seen as intentional. Zac had never looked like this, even when spending days fighting on the frontlines.

“What kind of lawkeeper has such a sinister aura? What kind of lawkeeper bathes in blood with a deranged smile on his face? Admit it, you’re a criminal who killed their pursuers and stole their credentials,” Idiche said, looking at the sky with indignation. “That’s just my luck, teaming up with such an unreliable partner.”

“I’m unreliable?” Zac sputtered as he got to his feet.

Doing so, he released bursts of miasma that rejected the filth covering him. With a shake, the last of the blood was thrown off. His new set of clothes was even easier to fix. With a thought, the illusory garments returned to their original state. His burns and cuts hadn’t healed, and there was still a palpable, bloody aura surrounding him, but at least he didn’t look like a deranged caveman any longer.

Looking refreshed, Zac pointed at his companion. “You were the one who fell asleep at the wheel and sailed us right into the island before we were ready. You were the one who robbed the egg and triggered the blood feud that I had to sort out.”

“That wasn’t me, silly. I can’t be held accountable for what my body does when I’m asleep,” Idiche said with a grin. “And even if I threw the egg, I’m sure it was for a good reason. Maybe it was to expose your true nature to my waking self.”

Zac exhaled, dropping the matter. “I guess it was for the best. I lost control over some imparted Killing Intent, and the battle helped me regain control.”

“Imparted Killing Intent? Did a cabal of criminals put a hex on you?” Idiche asked curiously. “I can see why. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. You outsiders aren’t messing around.”

“Not criminals, and it’s not a curse. It was a gift from the Empire’s martyrs,” Zac said, giving Idiche a pointed look. “The kind of people who got their hands dirty so that others can live in peace.”

Idiche’s eyes widened, and she actually bowed to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine,” Zac said with a wave of his hand. It was at that point a shocked exclamation came from the Shrine of Kanba.

‘Ah! What in the Nine Heavens is this stuffy energy?’

‘Oh, you’re awake?’ Zac asked while Esmeralda looked around from the shrine’s mud pool with wide eyes.

‘How am I supposed to keep sleeping with all the ruckus outside?’ Esmeralda complained. ‘What did I miss?’

Zac quickly caught her up to speed while leaving Idiche to stew in the uncomfortable silence.

‘Hmm… Just be careful. Refining the cultivation of others borders on the unorthodox,’ Esmeralda cautioned. ‘Make sure you’re not being stuffed like a pig.’

‘I’ll keep an eye out,’ Zac agreed.

He’d been considering the same thing as the furor died down. The amount of perfected Killing Intent lodged in his body should be enough to realign the spiritual bodies of both his Draugr and Human sides. From there, it’d be much easier to patch together a method that could temper and refine a finished product. The process itself was even providing him with insights into his Dao of Defiant War.

Such generous gifts rarely came without strings attached. He was still waiting on a proper update from the Crushing Hell, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling of being manipulated. The Limitless Empire was even scarier than the Buddhist Sangha in many ways, and Zac had experienced the Sangha’s nefarious methods firsthand. If he wasn’t careful, he might accidentally refine himself into another Eternal Avenger.

Then again, the situation was nothing new. He was becoming an expert at extracting benefits from those at the top without signing away his future.

‘And don’t let the intent enter my shrine. It’s bad enough staying next door,’ Esmeralda added before emerging to take her seat atop Zac’s head.

“Anyway, we’re here now, and I think we’ve all realized something odd is going on,” Zac said. “Did the two of you see the vision of Sevona’s death?”

“I did,” Idiche said with a solemn expression while Esmeralda nodded in confirmation. “This hunt is clearly different from the others. None of the hunts have covered such an ominous scenario. There’s always been a festive atmosphere where the elites of the kingdom gathered. Then, depending on the personality of the current generation’s Sevona, the beasts and their prizes would veer in a certain direction.”

Esmeralda peered at the ground with a frown, archaic runes glimmering in her eyes. “The rain is slowly losing ground. There might be an outbreak before the hunt ends, depending on how things look in the island center. And that’s not including meddling.”

Love what you’re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“Do you think Sevona lived in the same place as the invaders? Could the invaders actually be former members of Sevona’s kingdom?” Idiche asked.

“It might be connected, it might not… That corruption has touched many realms,” Zac said. “However, the infiltrators are definitely planning on using the taint somehow.”

“Quick, go loot the beasts before we set out. The rewards might provide clues,” Idiche urged. “This hunt is full of problems, and we shouldn’t stay exposed like this. The other explorers should have awoken by now.”

A smile returned to Zac’s face as he turned to the waiting carcasses, the troubles with the trial temporarily put aside. With everything going on, he’d forgotten the original purpose of the hunt. Zac also realized why their bodies were in better states than they should be. The trio of Peak Beast Kings didn’t emit nearly as much corruption as they did by the end, and the subordinates were no longer burnt, withered, or torn apart. They had been restored to facilitate looting the illusory rewards.

Zac walked over with anticipation. Unless the strength of the beasts had skyrocketed for the hunt, the pack of Unvai Drakes would be close to the top of the island’s food chain. Together, they could nearly compete with a Beast Emperor. If you included their Ancestral Sacrifice, they could directly face one.