Chapter 1,410 – Emergent Pool

“You really jinxed us with your doomsday theories,” Ogras muttered as they spied on the feeding frenzy taking place in the distance.

To avoid getting dragged in, Ogras and Tavza had joined hands to ensconce themselves in Abyssal shadows. Zac couldn’t help but wonder if it was only fit to serve as a temporary measure. The denizens of Emergent Pool appeared crazed enough to target anything emitting so much as a whiff of energy the moment they ran out of proper enemies to tear apart.

After three days of descending plateaus and investigating gravesites, they’d found the next realmgate without issue. As Ogras said, some contained funerary items or relics, but their state was usually worse than the few trinkets he brought back from his outing. Most had lost all their spirituality despite the nourishing effect of the fertile soil.

Only the strongest treasures retained some use, but their strength had degraded to the point of being worthless to Hegemons. They decided to leave them behind. Professional Restoration Artisans could possibly bring the items closer to their original glory, but the cost and time investment would surpass crafting a new Spirit Tool.

On a more positive note, they’d made some useful discoveries when it came to the graveyards. For one, the graves were just like the boulders they found in Crushing Hell. The tombstones were part of massive formations that blurred the line between manmade arrays and Natural Formations. The formations were long since defunct, but someone like Tavza was able to glean all kinds of clues by tracing the patterns.

The graves that represented major array flags didn’t look any different from their neighbors, and eons of erosion had blurred any other clues. Still, only the most powerful martyrs could be buried at those spots to sustain the formation. And it was usually in those spots they found treasures that still retained a semblance of utility.

Knowing where a bunch of rusty scraps were buried would prove more valuable as they progressed. The plateaus of the Hollow Chasm formed a cycle where newly erected graves that still emitted Killing Intent were slowly reclaimed by nature. Fallen soldiers became nourishment for the Fertile Earth, returning their strength to the Empire instead of the Cosmos.

The graves they’d encountered so far were all in the later stages of this transformation, so it was no surprise that the items they’d found were useless. They had better chances of finding Natural Treasures on such plateaus, though the soil itself seemed reluctant to part with its blessings. Things would change as they went to the lower levels, where some graves looked like they’d just been set in the ground. There would be a real chance of finding something valuable there.

The next realmgate brought them to one of the Nine Gardens, whose appearance made Zac think of the twilight ocean. The realm was submerged in liquified energy, except it was made from Pure Life instead of Twilight Energy. There was no surface in this realm as far as Zac could tell, though he hadn’t gotten the opportunity to investigate. Tavza had identified it as the Ninth Garden, Emergent Pool.

They’d been greeted by the familiar fluctuations of large-scale slaughter the moment they entered. After inching their way toward the source of the commotion, they found two enormous schools of fish duking it out. The area was turning into a golden syrup from the vast amounts of blood released into the waters.

On one side was a school of brown, bulky fish that emitted the fleshy pressure associated with body tempering. Their scales were thick and sturdy, making them look like floating pinecones. Still, they weren’t a breed that focused on defense. The species sported nasty horns that could release piercing energy beams, and some of the leaders wielded actual intent. They also possessed explosive speed, allowing them to directly impale their foes.

On the other side was a smaller school of sleek silver fish. Amazingly, they were able to detach special scales on their backs and use them like one would a sword formation. The leaders were controlling thousands of razor-sharp scales, and they could even join forces to unleash devastating combination attacks.

The battle was already chaotic enough when thousands of E- and D-grade beasts were involved, but the schools appeared to have lost their minds. While they mainly targeted the opposing side, there was plenty of infighting any time a fish was slaughtered. The fish acted like starving ghosts ready to slaughter their parents to secure food. The way things were going, Zac wouldn’t be surprised if only a single fish remained at the end.

“No, this should be how the Emergent Pool works,” Tavza said.

“Should?” Ogras asked.

“I didn’t expect to visit the Lower Planes during this trial, and the Nine Gardens were never a topic of my studies. What little I know about the lower seven is through hearsay or snippets I’ve encountered incidentally while translating old records,” Tavza said. “As for the two major gardens? I know as little as you.”

“Anything you can tell us helps,” Zac said.

“This plane acts as an enormous Insect Rearing Furnace. Ascension by devouring one’s enemies. You can already observe the changes.”

“They’re getting bigger,” Ogras whistled. “Wait, did that boss hornfish just detach its horn? It’s using it like a flying sword!”

“Devouring enough of another race will allow the victor to incorporate their enemy’s bloodline abilities. Most likely, the leaders of these schools intentionally raised descendants because only large-scale conflicts can provide them with enough biological material,” Tavza said.

“Feeding their descendants to the enemy, then feasting on the enemy?” Ogras snickered. “Ruthless enough.”

“It’s not just new abilities they’re gaining. Some of the weaker survivors have already advanced two minor stages. There are even a few who have directly become Beast Kings mid-battle,” Zac muttered. “How is that possible?”

“The Dao of Life in the Emergent Pool has unshackled all evolutionary restrictions. Furthermore, you are not looking at conventional beasts. They are spirits who follow different rules than true living creatures. They will keep advancing so long as there is enough biological material.”

“Such cheats,” Ogras muttered.

“There’s a price for it,” Zac said as he observed the energy flows within the bloodthirsty creatures. “It’s like their lifeforce is set ablaze, and eating adds new kindling to the fire. They won’t last long when they’ve run out of food.”

“The Emergent Pool is no cultivation haven. It’s the embodiment of hunger and desperation,” Tavza calmly said.

“What’s the limit? Will they become Supremacies if they keep eating?” Zac asked.

“Unlikely. Incorporating heterogeneous traits at a frantic pace will eventually lead to collapse. Should they survive, will the Realmlord accept the rise of a contender? Furthermore, the energy in this isolated section can’t support anything beyond Early C-grade. It’s curious, the ambient energy is noticeably lower than the previous realms,” Tavza muttered, briefly glancing at Zac. “STOP!”

Zac froze just when he was about to bite into a piece of jerky. “What? Their hunger was starting to rub off on me.”

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“Resist the urge. We may not be spirits, but we’re still under the Laws of the Ninth Garden.”

“We are?” Zac asked and quickly turned his sight inward.

Like Tavza and Ogras, he’d prevented any ambient energy from seeping into his body since entering the realm. He hadn’t forgotten how his organs had nearly gained sapience when crossing Poised Meadows. So far, everything looked good. Neither [Purity of the Void], [Void Heart], nor [Immutability of Eoz] found any foreign energies or influences to target.

At the same time, Zac could feel the pangs of hunger growing more intense, confirming something was wrong with him. Activating [Void Mountain] accomplished nothing. The Laws that governed the Ninth Garden were beyond his constitution’s ability to counteract, which meant that [Void Zone] would have a limited effect at best.

“If you devour the meat of a beast or even a plant, you’ll take on some of its traits,” Tavza reiterated.

Deciding to play it safe, Zac stowed away the food. “Then what should we do? We’ve been here a few minutes, and I’m already starting to feel hungry.”

“Suppressing our strength and avoiding conflict should mitigate the effect. When we can’t hold it any longer, we’ll have to consume pills in a protected environment. It’s still not safe, but the purification step of pill refinement should lead to fewer mutations. We can deal with the effects after leaving,” Tavza said after some thought.