Chapter 1,396 – River Crossing

Zac drew from his reservoir of untapped enlightenment. It wasn’t enough to turn his theory into a proper method, but the truth of Ultom strongly suggested that his idea had merit. Invigorated by potential gains and armed with the means of destruction, Zac met little resistance as he began forging a trail of destruction following the ancient dagger’s lead.

Each kill was a double blessing. It allowed a few streaks of ancient Killing Intent to be integrated with his spiritual body while nurturing the nascent Warbringer Idol. A triple blessing if you counted the extreme battlefield clarity that came with absorbing the refined intent, though slaughtering Early Hegemons who neither used Daos nor Skills provided limited insights.

The joy of finding a blessed hunting ground was short-lived. Zac was only allowed a few dozen kills before his actions came back to haunt him. The presence from the other side had seeped into the hidden battlefield, and it grew stronger with each fallen soldier. Zac quickly stopped his slaughter, but it wasn’t enough to make it go away.

“Persistent bastard!” Esmeralda cursed as runes appeared on her body.

The spatial field surrounding them grew stronger. It didn’t stop the spectral warriors from attacking, but it made it harder for their perception to lock onto their position. The realm itself was helping as well by resisting the presence. It wasn’t enough. Zac’s actions had created enough of a stir that the Imperial War Machine had been disrupted, giving the frenzied beasts the opportunity to mount a reversal.

Each death provided the entity with more access, causing Zac’s looming sense of danger to grow louder. It was only a matter of time before it grew strong enough to overcome the interference. The sleeping Idiche didn’t provide any solutions this time. Her cloak kept her safe from attacks, and she was content to allow herself to be dragged along for the ride.

Zac kept a frantic pace, careful not to release his aura out of fear it would expose his location. Escaping the shifting battlefield proved easier said than done. Like in a nightmare, Zac felt as though he was stuck running in place. They only confirmed they were making headway after five minutes.

“I feel it!” Esmeralda exclaimed, at which point Idiche woke up with a start.

With drowsy eyes, the Vice Guild Leader released a wisp that rushed ahead, taking a circuitous route among thronging soldiers and bloodthirsty beasts. The toad took the lead, dragging Zac and Idiche along roughly the same path. The wisp expanded just as Zac sensed an anomaly just ahead, and Esmeralda dove into it without hesitation.

An azure glow filled Zac’s vision before they found themselves back in reality. He stood on the other shore of the shallow river, his legs wet up to the knees. The entity’s perception failed to follow them through the passage, but Zac had a sinking feeling that it would be waiting for him in the next river. But for now, they were safe—as safe as one could be in a desert teeming with corruption.

Zac exhaled as his body stilled like an engine coming to a gradual halt. The ancient intent did the same, and the clarity brought from its distilled experience faded. Zac sighed with regret. He’d ended up taking out close to a hundred soldiers during the dash despite keeping the count to a minimum. That was enough to refine two percent of the remaining intent, but it only represented a fraction of the battlefield’s true value.

Ultom’s enlightenment had already provided the answer to how illusions of Early Hegemons could bring greater benefits than slaying Peak Beast Kings and bathing in their blood. The soldiers he fought were real otherworlders. Their enemies had used the magic circles to send slivers of their souls across the timelines, and each soul carried the touch of that entity.

Zac wasn’t sure if the mark was necessary to survive the passage or if it was necessary to achieve their goals. In either case, the impartation gave the soul slivers the necessary strength to take shape inside the illusory realm. They were clones marked by a great existence, and it was the shadow of the entity’s power that triggered the ancient intent.

The streaks of spirituality entering his body should be a contingency to expose any enemies that tried to get in their way. It looked increasingly likely they would have to deal with the invaders themselves unless Astora Theomore had made it to the island in time. He couldn’t imagine any random disciple making it across the eight rivers without triggering the hidden trap.

Unfortunately for the otherworlders, Zac’s body was a hungry vortex few energies could endure. If the ancient Killing Intent hadn’t seized it first, [Void Heart] would have gobbled it up. Instead of danger, it became the vehicle for his advancement, though using it that way brought unwanted attention.

That was only the first gain of the crossing. Zac glanced at the illusory seed still floating before him. A slight crack had appeared on its pitch-black surface, and Zac could feel youthful life waiting to sprout. The nascent Idol actually represented both Life and Death. It differed from his original idea of having one idol per Dao, but it did align with the cyclic and mutually dependent nature of Life and Death that he’d experienced as a mortal on the Peregrine Ocean.

The budding idol felt much more false now that they were back in reality. Even so, Zac could tell he was building toward something true. And should he fail to form it while crossing the other rivers, he’d recapture the feeling sooner or later. The only reason he’d fail was if he decided to forcibly change its nature, like splitting Life and Death or changing it into a Chaos Idol.

But why would he? [Warbringer Dharma] was only an auxiliary method meant to improve the synergy of [Void Emperor Apotheosis]. He wasn’t a Heart Cultivator, and he neither could nor wanted to put too much time into nurturing his heart. His experience on the Peregrine Ocean had already shored up his shortcoming, and getting a second Warbringer Idol would suffice to cover his needs for a long, long time.

After making sure the illusion seed wouldn’t slip through his fingers, Zac turned to his companions. “Are you two okay?”

“I’ve seen better days,” Esmeralda grunted as the last streaks of corruption left her body. “At least the next crossings won’t be as bad. You could even say the realm helped us deal with a hidden danger. But why couldn’t it be more gentle about it?”

Idiche didn’t respond to the question, but her steady aura was answer enough. She was not only fine, she seemed to have gained as much as Zac from the crossing. While the hidden realm forcibly extracted more corruption from her than from the others, it had also imparted plenty of illusory energy. Her aura had grown more exquisite, and it held a stronger hint of mystery and antiquity than before.

‘I knew it. That ancient soul within her is stirring,’ Esmeralda said in a solemn tone through a telepathic message.

Zac didn’t let his worries show, even if he’d noticed the same thing. Idiche’s transformation had begun when stepping onto the island, perhaps even sooner. They’d gradually extracted information about her sleepwalking abilities under the guise of dealing with their common enemy, and it was clear that her sleeping persona was increasing its authority over her body.

According to Idiche, her ability had only been in the form of sporadic prophetic dreams in the beginning. When she seized Esmeralda, it was the first time Idiche’s other persona had forcibly taken control. Since then, she’d repeatedly fallen asleep unprompted to push their group down a certain path. Her changes had drastically accelerated after Idiche absorbed Marai’s treasure.

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Zac wasn’t sure who he was dealing with by now. He felt as though he was standing next to an inscrutable senior as Idiche gazed at the glowing moon with a distant expression. The other persona was leaking through even in her awakened state. How long would it be before the original Idiche was fully replaced by this unknown variable?

The hidden persona was obviously much stronger than the original Idiche, but her goals and allegiances were unknown. She’d helped out thus far, but that could be because she needed help to access the lodge. Bringing her inside might do more harm than good. Zac briefly considered incapacitating her then and there before giving up on the idea. He still didn’t feel confident in pulling off the heist without her help.

“We should continue. Every second we delay will only make it worse,” Zac muttered.

Both Esmeralda and Idiche had expelled most of their corruption during the crossing, but the taint beyond the first river was noticeably denser than outside. Even Zac could feel the profane energy of the Lost Plane trying to burrow into his body from below. Worse, there was something wrong with the moon. Its radiance had grown stronger, and just being exposed to its azure glow was agitating his mind. It was some form of unseen mental corruption.

Idiche slowly turned away from the moon as her expression became more normal. “I fell asleep again?”

“You woke up before we emerged, I think,” Zac said, adding after a brief pause, “Did you see something new?”