Chapter 1,395 – Rivers and Moons

The shifting cave grew quiet as the trio resumed their recovery. This time, the silence stretched for hours, barring a few disruptions when it looked like the spatial pocket would collapse. Zac did everything he could to get back to fighting condition, even encasing himself in Miasma Crystals during a short nap to boost his natural recovery.

Determination, deep pockets, and wanton disregard for pill toxins yielded results. Within ten hours, the aftermath of overdosing on corruption was mostly resolved, and a large swirl of purified enlightenment was ready for use inside [Purity of the Void]. He’d recovered 80% of his energy reserves, with his Vigor and Void Vigor only lagging slightly behind.

Such a speedy recovery was unheard of among powerful Hegemons, who sometimes needed years to recuperate after a desperate battle. It was a testament to the stacking effect of his Sindris heritage and two constitutions geared toward resilience and recovery. Still, this miracle was a one-time gambit that couldn’t be repeated during the hunt.

Zac glanced at his arm, feeling the slight throbbing from his exhausted pathways. It was nothing compared to the dull ache coming from his core, and the energy flowing within lacked its usual vibrancy. Nothing could replace true rest, and his body would be too drained to properly absorb even the gentlest of tinctures for the next week or two.

At least his efforts thus far weren’t for nothing. Zac infused a sliver of energy into his Mercurial Court Disciple token, prompting two numbers to appear.

[Potentiality: 8,137]

[Imperial Merit: 71,877]

He’d kept a close watch on his accumulation since stepping onto Sevona’s island, including a quick look after dealing with the Hastor Society. His progress was astounding. He’d started with just over 600 Potentiality, and weeks of hard work—both in the ruins of the present and in the past’s memories—had barely brought that number to 1,800 before the hunt began.

That meant he’d almost gained over 6,000 Potentiality in less than a day. Every corrupted beast had awarded a few points each, though the largest chunks naturally came from interrupting the ritual and slaying its controller. While the exact allocation was impossible to say, Zac sensed the largest reward actually came from killing Zorm—roughly half of the total.

Zac had hoped interrupting the ritual would provide a massive payout, but he could also see why it didn’t. Disrupting one magic circle hadn’t stopped the desertification of the inner region; it was only enough to slow down the process. To get the real reward, he’d have to properly thwart the scheme of the invaders.

Nevertheless, Astora Theomore’s claim had absolutely proven accurate. Hunting infiltrators was by far the most efficient method of accruing Potentiality. In addition, he suspected doing so was bolstering his fate with the Mercurial Court, which would reduce the cost of upgrading his status to Inner Disciple.

Their encounter with Marai hadn’t provided an additional infusion. Both tallies were identical to after his battle with Zorm. Although his Imperial Merit staying the same was no surprise; his actions in the Mercurial Court hadn’t awarded him a single point. His contributions were exclusively transformed into Potentiality. The gains he’d seen were squarely courtesy of his other half causing havoc on Hollow Court’s doorstep.

“Well, what do you think?” Esmeralda said, dragging Zac out of his thoughts.

“You’re right. We have no choice,” Zac said, prompting Esmeralda’s face to split into a wide grin.

Zac’s initial plan for Sevona’s hunt was to take down the infiltrators one by one, foiling their plans while racking up Potentiality. However, the forces they’d smuggled onto the island greatly surpassed his expectations, and there was the looming threat of the magic circles. He simply couldn’t deal with more than one or two more Monarchs, and that was only if the conditions were right.

Esmeralda had suggested another route. They’d utilize their small number and unique advantages to sneak into the hunting lodge unseen, avoiding combat unless necessary as they snatched Sevona’s divine core, or whatever was powering the lodge. It was a cliché for a thief to suggest a theft, but she made good points. They had the dagger to open a secret path, Esmeralda’s expertise, and his Void abilities that could overcome various restrictions.

There was also Idiche, whose aura had grown closer to that of the island’s with every passing hour. It was like she was transforming into a native citizen of Sevona’s divine kingdom, which could prove to be a critical advantage inside the lodge.

Esmeralda had repeatedly argued that it was often much easier to overcome security restrictions by gaining authorization than by directly cracking the arrays. It was for that exact reason Zac was working so hard to become an Inner Disciple. That was the easiest way to gain access to the treasure Esmeralda needed.

Marai’s parting words and ultimate end had given Zac a vague idea of what the invaders were up to, which also tied into the otherwise inexplicable absence of the sect’s seniors. He hoped that seizing the lodge core would thwart their plot. As a bonus, he suspected it would create the necessary justification for the Disciplinary Hall to descend on the island without causing any backlash from fate.

The trio continued their preparations for another hour, at which point the shifting walls almost shrank to the point where they were squeezed to go.

“We have to go,” Esmeralda confirmed.

Zac nodded and walked to her side, axe in one hand and the ancient dagger in the other. Idiche joined them, already donning her top-tier cloak. Esmeralda grabbed their shoulders while releasing a weak spatial fluctuation. Their surroundings blurred, and they were once more back in the open.

“You were right. It really changed,” Zac said, taking in the new vista before him.

The most obvious change was that the rainclouds were gone, and the night sky above wasn’t that of the Peregrine Archipelago. Only a few stars appeared on the deep purple curtain. There were perhaps hidden stars whose radiance was overpowered by the glowing azure moon hanging overhead. It was placed squarely above the island’s center, which was a blur eluding Zac’s sight. Even at this distance, Zac could tell that the moon was exerting pressure on the hidden lodge below.

The war between sand and rain was over, but that didn’t mean there was nothing blocking their path. The core region had turned into a shallow desert with eight concentric rivers acting as moats. They were made from Sevona’s illusory water, each one was thicker than the last. They held enough energy to resist being directly absorbed by the parched sand, though it was a losing battle. While slow, Zac saw how they were being gradually eroded.

The mountains behind them no longer gave Zac a sense of danger, and the ambient illusory energy had decreased by a noticeable margin. The hunting lodge had mustered all the island’s accumulated forces to erect a final layer of defense. The three magic circles glowing in the sky weren’t pouring out more sand, but Zac could feel a slight vibration coming from them. It was as though they were releasing a note outside his range of hearing.

“It’s changing,” Idiche confirmed. “They’re trying to shift the island’s very essence. Maybe to match the other side? Harmonizing the two islands could help them overlap.”

“This whole desert is an enormous array mimicking nature. Each grain of sand holds spirituality and is part of the pattern,” Esmeralda said with a troubled expression.

“Good thing two of the circles were destroyed. It bought us the time we needed,” Zac nodded as they approached the first river under the cover of Esmeralda’s abilities. “At least I hope it did. I can’t see any of the invaders.”

“What we see is not necessarily what’s real,” Idiche cautioned.

“This river is not simple,” Esmeralda muttered shortly after reaching the shore. “It’s only ten meters across, but it holds truths approaching Continuum. The chasm is absolute. You’d need an Autarch who can remodel the local laws to cross without being dragged inside.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Zac took out a piece of ore and flung it with enough force to fly a couple of miles. It disappeared the moment it was above the rippling water and never appeared on the other side. The experiment confirmed that doing the same with [Fuxi Mountain Gate] wouldn’t work. Extending [Void Zone] gave a similar response. His D-grade Bloodline Talent couldn’t even extend an inch across the water.

Sacrificing some blood to the dagger proved there was at least one valid option.