“I do apologize about the deception. My offer was made with sincerity; I simply couldn’t expose the whole truth before confirming we’d found the Hidden Earth Abode. Its potential value is inestimable,” Kalir explained.
“I understand, though I hope you’ll be forthright going forward. The dangers we’re facing equally exceed what I expected, both here and on the outside,” Zac said. “And I’ll want a copy of the heritage before we leave.”
“The original has to go to the Margrave, but my aunt has prepared sets of blank jade slates. They’ll be able to copy imbued insights equivalent to a Middle Void Herald. The Wendimar Clan will have full access to the originals until we hand it over.”
Zac wanted to push for ‘his clan’ to keep the original for safekeeping but now wasn’t the time or place. His strength and contribution weren’t great enough to make such a demand. He’d either have to steal them or find another angle when they got closer.
“That’s acceptable. What’s the next step?”
“We’re planning on installing shunts around the seven gates to cut off the power source.”
Ogras’s earlier remark echoed in Zac’s mind, and he looked at the twisting gate with apprehension. The Whitecrest Clan was probably correct about everything except the source of Hidden Earth’s power-up. Rather than a Lower Plane, the old cultivator had grasped a corner of the Void. Zac was certain Kalir and his formations expert didn’t understand exactly what they were dealing with.
Some of the mistakes on the [Seven Leap Array] might very well be the limitations of a wandering cultivator crafting his own arrays. Others were his attempts to accommodate the antithesis of Dao.
“As you said, there is something unusual about these arrangements. I suspect the arrays are modified to accommodate the Dao of the unknown Lower Plane,” Zac said. “Will your seal work when it relies on such foreign concepts?”
“Won’t it create a backlash?”
“We’ll only activate the shunts when all of them are installed to maintain balance and gradually lower the output to avoid a backlash,” Kalir explained. “That said, there are undeniable risks involved. The energy will have to go somewhere else then the Hidden Earth Abode will no longer siphon off most of it. The Dipper Mines are about to become extremely chaotic.”
Zac grimaced. “Outsiders will notice something is wrong. Won’t General Percival come running?”
“It’s unlikely he’ll enter the mines personally. A Celestial entering an already unstable mine will push it over the edge. It’s an unnecessary risk when he can wait for us at the only exit.”
‘This guy’s as nutty as you. Their plan is going to turn the whole mountain into a pressure cooker. No wonder there’s only a crater left,’ Ogras scoffed.
It was as though Kalir could hear Ogras’s complaint. A familiar gleam of madness appeared in his gaze. “I know what you’re thinking, but what choice do we have? Our glory is fading, and we’ll only turn our fates around by going a little crazy.”
Zac exhaled. “Isn’t that the truth? Let’s get this over with.”
A few minutes later, Zac felt the familiar surge of Void. “Be careful!”
Vitrus stopped his work to take out a set of array disks. The gate briefly froze in place before resuming its twisting as the hills outside unaligned. Throughout, the only Void Energy entering the building was a few tendrils seeping inside from the scar. No hidden engravings like those on the cave walls had appeared inside the [Seven Leap Array]. Zac relaxed, feeling more confident about Kalir’s plan—at least this aspect of it.
“There are no anomalies in the readings,” Vitrus confirmed.
“Thirteen minutes per revolution. Just how is the manor absorbing the energy without any sign? It’s like it vanishes,” Kalir hummed.
“We’ll find the answer among Hidden Earth’s recordings,” Zac shrugged.
“You’re right. Let’s keep going,” Kalir agreed.
It took Vitrus half an hour to install his tuning fork, and they stayed for two more revolutions to confirm the Hidden Earth Abode’s cycle didn’t disturb anything. They left it inert and returned to the group waiting outside.
“To the next one,” Kalir said, pointing to a building jutting out of the wall a mile away.
Installing the next shunt was bound to be more dangerous than the first. Without a breach to create a safe path, they had to cross hidden traps like the one that claimed the first miner’s life. It was like the mountain was alive, and there was no telling exactly what would set it off. Spots could be safe one moment and deadly the next.
Directly flying over wasn’t an option. Flying or rotating too much energy drew attention from the four floating arrays, which Vitrus called a [Cardinal Stoneseed Array]. The attention was much like the looming threat Zac felt when approaching the Centurion Lighthouse in the air. Anyone who insisted on an open approach would find themselves in their crosshairs.
Coming up with countermeasures claimed another five lives. Vitrus managed to figure out a rough pattern while his brother pressured the ground with his Inner World to slow emerging spikes. It was enough for some miners to jump out of the way and for Zac to save a few more. Just as the rotating mountains were about to align, Kalir called for the group to stop.
This time, Zac didn’t hold back. When the Void Energy was pulled toward the central manor, he claimed some for himself. He immediately made a surprising discovery. The energy was actually an unstable mix of roughly two parts Void Energy and one part Cosmic Energy attuned by the Inverse Peak. Opposite to his [Fuxi Mountain Gate], which was kept safe by a film of Faith Energy, Dao was hidden by the Void.
The Hidden Earth Energy was like a radioactive material with a short half-life. Even the unique environment of Zac’s body failed to keep the mix stable, and he wasn’t convinced it was the result of a failed fusion. Void and Inverse Dao were intricately woven together, and its decay was orderly like a controlled demolition. It was a tailormade energy that shouldn’t exist in nature, similar to the Technocrat plasma that powered their machines.
A hesitant shudder brought Zac out of his musings. [Purity of the Void] stirred, sending out a cleansing pulse through his body. It swept over the Hidden Earth Energy, and parts of the complex tangle were torn apart. The destabilization saved some parts of the Void Energy while hastening the decay of the rest.
Letting the energy decay on its own to get Void Energy was too wasteful, and the purifying pulses were too slow. Zac pushed what remained into [Purity of the Void] to speed up the process. Dense clouds of Inverse Dao were dragged out of the mix, leaving pure Void Energy behind.
The Void Emperor bloodline directly staked its claim on the pure product. Zac couldn’t completely suppress the instinct, so he quickly moved what remained into the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] sitting in his purification space. Not being able to control the external Void Energy didn’t matter. It was directly sucked into the drained platform.
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Elated by the result, Zac only had one test left to perform. Waiting until the next surge, he pulled completely unrefined energy directly into the gate. The Hidden Earth Energy withered under the scorching heat of Imperial Faith. The foreign Dao was purged while the Void Energy was left alone.
The process was less efficient than relying on his bloodline, leaving only a third of the original Void Energy intact. It didn’t stop Zac from feeling a flush of triumph. He’d seen how the sea of imperial flames was whittling down the hostile Dao embedded in the gate’s many scars and hoped the Hidden Earth Energy would get the same treatment.
Personally refining some spill-off was fine, but there was simply no way Zac could rely on his Bloodline Talent to deal with the Void Treasure waiting in the central manor. It was at least a Late C-grade Treasure, holding more than enough juice to blow up Zac countless times over. Even a third of such a horrifying stockpile was more than Zac could supply over a decade of diligent infusions. It could even be enough to top off the platform in one go.
As for damaging the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] by throwing the unstable Void Treasure inside, Zac wasn’t the least worried. The gate had withstood the attacks of Supremacies. Even at its weakest, it should be more than capable of enduring a C-grade explosion—especially since it was designed with Void Energy in mind.
Zac calmed down and refocused as they drew closer to the second array manor. Confirming the unusual Void Energy of the Hidden Earth Abode worked was great news, but there were still many checkboxes to cover. There was the issue of actually moving the Void Treasure into the [Fuxi Mountain Gate], not to mention getting his hands on it.
Another miner had to die to get inside. While willing to help, Zac couldn’t begin to comprehend the concepts behind the hidden arrays. They were too esoteric, subverting something like the Dao of Bedrock with the Inverse Peak before twisting them on their head with the infusion of Void. Conferring with Esmeralda didn’t help.
While born in a Lower Plane, Esmeralda didn’t cultivate any Daos from the Inverse Peak. Neither had she heard of anything matching Zac’s description. Countless planes were hiding beneath the prime dimensions, and a huge number remained unexplored to this day. Some realms existed in such incomprehensible states that contact was deemed impossible.
Zac could only keep pulling miners to safety whenever he felt the Void stirring. Despite repeated failures, the Serpico Guild looked at Zac like a guardian angel by the time they’d modified the final [Seven Leap Array]. Almost a day had passed since entering the Hidden Earth Abode, and the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] felt much sturdier after having feasted on nearly one hundred Void surges.
Only Ivar and twelve of his strongest miners were left alive. Kalir must have run out of captives in the original timeline, forcing the trio to use themselves to test dangers. A trickle of sweat ran down Zac’s back as he oversaw Vitrus making final adjustments. They’d activate the tuning forks after the next surge. The original timeline should have progressed roughly the same, excepting the greater death toll. Whatever went wrong could very well have happened in the next step.
Kalir was equally worried as he stared at the [Cardinal Stoneseed Array]. “If you notice something—”
“I’ll shout,” Zac assured.
‘Shout? Just run.’ Ogras urged from the shadows.
The surge came and went, and Vitrus activated the array. No dangerous fluctuations or backlashes arrived, and the guardian satellites remained silent. Zac held his breath until confirming ambient energy wasn’t recovering slower than before. By the time the next surge arrived, the energy hadn’t fully replenished.
No one dared to move over the next hour as the ambient energy thinned. Every so often, the floating mountains would creak, and the [Cardinal Stoneseed Array] hummed precariously like they looked for an unseen threat. Zac’s real worry was the Void Treasure. Zac could feel its aura become strained. The Hidden Earth Abode had kept it stable through punctual infusions of Void Energy, and the [Seven Leaps Array] powered the hidden Void Gathering Arrays.
The treasure was increasingly forced to fend for itself against the hostile surroundings. Thankfully, it didn’t exhibit the unstable fluctuations of a treasure about to go supernova—for now. Zac would have to act when it did, Whitecrest and Law-imbued defensive array be damned.
“Halfway through and no signs of abnormalities,” Vitrus said when two hours had passed, a prideful smile appearing on his face. The ambient energy was already lower than the rest of the Dipper Mines. “The [Cardinal Stoneseed Array] cannot maintain its functions at this level. They’ve already dropped one stage and will keep growing weaker as their internal storage is exhausted. It’s a success.”
Zac glared at the Array Master while Ogras sputtered with anger from the shadows. How had that fool survived long enough to become a Monarch while throwing out death flags like that? As expected, it only took minutes before Kalir took out an embossed mirror with a frown. Seeing Zac’s look, he sighed.
“My informants have noticed movement in Central Command. The surge reached the Dipper Mountains twenty minutes ago, and they seem to already have figured out its source. Major Endrar—a late Void Herald—is on his way to Dipper Seven. He’s one of General Percival’s henchmen.”
The General not coming in person made no difference. The Dipper Mountains were only so large, and an Autarch like General Percival could reach any corner within a minute or two. Zac didn’t care since they’d expected as much, and he didn’t expect to be around for the aftermath. He’d only start to worry if they actually entered the mine.
However, Kalir’s next sentence threw Zac for a loop. “I’ve also received word that Young Master’s elders are closing in, including Pervata Wendimar,” the Whitecrest scion said, his expressionless face speaking volumes.
‘What the hell?’ Ogras blurted. ‘Didn’t that unreliable fool of an elf say the Wendimars were busy tearing down the wilderness? How did your ‘ancestor’ find out and get here so quickly?’
Zac’s mind was a mess. Pervata Wendimar was a presumed Late-stage Autarch, much stronger than General Percival. He was also of the clan’s direct line and Zac’s so-called uncle. That was not a family reunion he’d like to see. Not to mention, could the memory domain even withstand the sudden descent of an unplanned Autarch?
‘I took out the Clan Leader token to intimidate Kalir. Could they actually have sensed it?’ Zac said.
‘Well, that’d explain it.’
“I felt the situation was thorny, so I sent out a call for aid before we entered the mines,” Zac explained to Kalir.
“If that’s all, why did they order Dipper Seven to be sealed?” Kalir said with a barbed smile. “General Percival is an upstart, but he’s also part of the military faction. I hope you’re not—”
‘Well, that’s not good,’ the demon groaned. ‘Say you ran away!’
“Would uncle have acted so overbearingly if that were our plan? They could have stayed hidden until we emerged,” Zac sighed. “I fear he’s here to bring me back. I may have left my post without proper authorization.”
“You deserted?” Kalir said with shock and suspicion.
“Of course not. I took an early leave to find my Dao and a new path for my clan,” Zac said. “As you said, stubbornly holding onto old ideals won’t change anything. We need to go a little crazy to overturn our fates.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“Wh—” Zac barely had time to activate [Empyrean Aegis] to shield him, Ogras, and Kalir before a tremendous blast of energy threw them away like ragdolls.
The defensive skill narrowly managed to withstand an attack imbued with the weight of an inner world. Zac was extremely happy he’d upgraded the skill to Late D-grade in preparation for the mission, though he wasn’t sure if it would matter. It had only survived because they weren’t the target.
Zac grabbed a shellshocked Kalir by the neck as he sped toward the exit. A desolate wail accompanied a spatially charged eruption that left countless cracks across [Empyrean Aegis]’s wooden wheel. Vatra, an Early Monarch excelling at defense, slumped to his knees with a huge hole in his chest. Ivar Serpico stood behind him, radiating an erratic aura wavering between Early and Middle Monarchy while his right arm was covered in cracks.
The sudden outburst had awakened the Hidden Earth Abode’s true defenses. The weakened [Cardinal Stoneseed Array] lashed out like starving beasts seeing their final opportunity to secure a meal. A terrifying sandstorm holding destructive powers resembling the Four Desolates rushed toward the Guild Master.
Ivar roared with laughter, surrounded by a spatial storm. He made a grasping motion, and Zac’s eyes bulged as the fallen Monarch’s crumbling Inner World was pulled into the small cave. The Guild Master threw it toward the incoming attack. The force was almost at the level of a Monarch’s self-detonation.
Zac had absolutely no plan to observe the fallout. Whoever won, they’d die. The cave was less than ten miles across, not nearly large enough to find a safe spot. He was too slow. The walls writhed and rearranged themselves, sealing the only exit. [Void Mountain]’s phasing ability was useless against a physical barrier, and a desperate swing only left a shallow scar on the surface.
‘How is this possible? How could he hide his presence so perfectly?’ Ogras said with shock.
There was no time to worry about secrets being exposed. Zac activated [Void Zone] while fleeing toward the closest intact [Seven Leap Array]. It was that or the central manor, and the latter was surrounded by the deadly curtain. Zac barely had time to step inside before a complex fortress of interlocking shields sprung up around the building.
‘Please save the Young Master.’
Zac looked at Vitrus with shock as the Formation Master’s aura rose to new heights. He stood between Zac and Ivar like a final bastion while the whole cave was filled with countless white sigils. They linked into countless complex formations that joined the fray just as the collapsing Inner World and sandstorm collided. Realizing he wasn’t Ivar’s match, Vitrus had decided to pour gasoline on the fire.
An opaque dome added a final layer of protection. It wasn’t enough to fully isolate out the earthshattering explosion outside. Zac felt like his soul had been punched and darkness took him.