Zac leaned back into the plush armchair, looking at the ornate figurine a few more moments before putting it away. The city was silent save the rain patter against his suite’s windows, leaving him alone to his thoughts. His other half had emerged from the Dipper Mountains close to three weeks ago, and he’d finally gone through the last of the engraved figurines brought out by Ogras.
As expected, Daoist Hidden Earth advancing multiple stages and becoming a Void Cultivator wasn’t related to his clan or a bout of inspiration. After surviving the calamity that eradicated his Clan, Hidden Earth became a wandering cultivator. A Middle Monarch was strong enough to get a decent position almost anywhere, even in the Limitless Empire.
Hidden Earth rejected the easy path. The thought of revenge consumed him, and becoming an external elder of some faction would restrict his freedom. Only a stroke of fortune could make his dream come true. He trekked into the vast stretches of unclaimed wilderness in search of rare treasures or ancient ruins—anything that could reforge his fate.
His opportunity came in the form of an abandoned ruin not unlike the Hidden Earth Abode—the home of Gelzryraynth, the original Void Cultivator behind the [Inverse Vestige Scripture]. Despite being from an ancient race long gone before the Limitless Empire appeared, Gelzryraynth had also borrowed from his predecessors. He’d stumbled onto one of the First People’s inheritances. Hidden Earth’s contribution was limited to adjusting the scripture to suit humans and incorporating his Dao of Stone.
The original [Inverse Vestige Scripture] was long gone. The figurines only held Hidden Earth’s reworked method and transcripts lacking the original depth. The manual created by Gelzryraynth was recorded on tablets holding a modicum of Void, and they’d all been damaged beyond salvation because of Hidden Earth’s inexperience.
Hidden Earth never managed to bring out the final chapters, which to no small degree contributed to his early demise. As for the First People’s inheritance, it disappeared with Gelzryraynth. Even so, Hidden Earth actually kept a copy of the Book of the First People in his repository, and it was identical to the one Zac got when receiving Dasorm’s inheritance.
What little Zac had managed to gather from the watered-down notes made Zac’s insides twist with regret. The original method also had vestige in its name, but it had little to do with the Lowest Plane or Gelzryraynth’s scripture. It was called [Nine Outer Vestiges] and was a supplemental technique very similar to certain Specialty Cores or his Dao Molds.
The creator had erected nine ‘vestiges’ surrounding his cultivation. Passing his energy through them would compress and amplify. Sending a normal skill through all nine vestiges would drain the user to the point they’d die without a shadow of a doubt, but the power they’d bring out was earth-shattering. Zac suspected he could have killed Ivar Serpico with one swing of [Evolutionary Edge] if he had practiced the method to perfection.
Gelzryraynth had spent hundreds of thousands of years trying to replicate the effect. It failed spectacularly, and the failure became the root of the [Inverse Vestige Scripture]. The heritage was based on the idea of the Void being an untamable force that played by its own rules. One couldn’t directly borrow its power, but it could be manipulated to do one’s bidding.
An Inner World was flawed until defending one’s Dao, and each flaw was a crack that leaked the Monarch’s cultivation. Most C-grade cultivators spent more time replacing the lost spirituality than advancing toward the next stage. Monarchs on the frontier were the best example of this. Because of the inferior environment and their flawed paths, they had to consume tremendous amounts of D-grade resources to even maintain their grades.
Gelzryraynth focused on why spirituality leaked and likened it to the vacuum of outer space. An Inner World was connected with the Cosmos, and even the worst Monarch would have a drastically higher energy density than the Cosmos at large. With the pressure being so much lower outside, energy would naturally seep out.
Installing a wall made from pure Void Energy greatly weakened the connection between Inner World and Cosmos, consequently reducing the drainage. Technically, you didn’t even need to use the bastardized amplifiers of the [Nine Outer Vestiges] toachieve this goal. The complex vestiges were simply used because following their blueprint was the only stable Void structure Gelzryraynth managed to construct.
The more Vestiges you managed to install, the greater the effect. The less energy you lost, the more time you could spend on actual cultivation. Hidden Earth had lowered his time needed on maintenance from 95% to 80%, effectively quadrupling his cultivation speed. By seizing greater Daos and advancing to higher stages, the loss would be further reduced. In other words, the [Inverse Vestige Scripture] helped break the status quo that kept most Monarchs trapped in their stage.
Zac had seen a glimpse of the Void Vestiges inside Ivar’s Inner World as it collapsed, but he was still more familiar with the outer part of the scripture. Outer manipulation was the source of the “Hidden Earth Energy” that briefly mixed Inverse Dao and Void Energy. Its nature mostly matched the insights Zac gained inside the Hidden Earth Abode.
The method extracted Void Energy from the Void Vestiges to create an unstable river of pure Void. Dao was used to dig trenches, giving the river direction and shape. The canal wasn’t designed to last, only to reroute the water where it needed to go before collapsing on its own. It left no traces, and Zac knew first-hand the Void’s power and element of surprise.
Naturally, such immense borrowed power came with hefty drawbacks. The method was incredibly inefficient from an energy perspective. You’d have to spend at least ten parts Cosmic Energy and an equal amount of Void Energy to unleash an attack holding one part Void. In addition, it wounded the user since they didn’t truly cultivate the Void—the cracks Zac had seen on Ivar’s arms.
The damage wasn’t just external. Having a large structure of Void Energy inside your inner world was about as safe as using a bomb for a pillow. The vestiges were always unstable from their perpetual war with their surroundings, and extracting energy risked excessive leakage. This very thing happened to Hidden Earth while taking revenge, according to his biography.
He’d drawn too much Void Energy, causing one of his four vestiges to collapse. The explosion had torn open a massive scar in his Inner World, creating leakage far worse than the imperfection the vestige was meant to block. It had permanently weakened his foundations, making his Dao Confirmation more difficult.
Speaking of breakthroughs, the Void Vestiges created a huge problem during tribulations. They didn’t seem to draw as much hatred as Zac’s bloodline, but they definitely kicked the challenge up a notch. The solution was part of the missing upper layers—sacrifice the nine vestiges to consume the Heavenly Lightning and emerge from the tribulation unscathed. Hidden Earth never reached that level of control or number of vestiges. Each additional vestige was harder to build than the previous, and the first one was already a dance with death.
The biggest headache was sourcing Void Energy. Different from Zac’s natural recovery, the Hidden Earth inheritance was fully reliant on the Lowest Plane to feed the vestiges. Ivar Serpico was no different than the [Eclipse Twin], dependent on realmgates to survive. He probably couldn’t go more than a few days without refueling his vestiges, or they’d destabilize and blow up his Inner World. Hidden Earth and his predecessor had regained some autonomy by installing Void Gathering Arrays inside their Inner Worlds, though there were caveats to even that statement.
The Lowest Plane was one of the realms farthest from the prime dimensions. The energy demands from maintaining a connection were exorbitant, enough to be a huge burden for a Peak Monarch. Long-term, Hidden Earth needed to rely on his abode to resupply. Connecting with the Lower Planes also had all kinds of restrictions. Some required complicated rituals to bypass the realm’s natural barrier. Others could only be reached at a specific time and place.
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The Lowest Plane needed specific positions and ambient energy. Hidden Earth had only managed to find two such spots after years of searching. The first was the remote region where he found the inheritance, which had lost most of its spirituality already. The second was the Dipper Mountains.
With its many drawbacks and restrictions, the [Inverse Vestige Scripture] didn’t seem too impressive to Zac. Part of that verdict was the result of his unusually high vantage. Zac might just be a frontier Hegemon, but even Heartland cultivators would be shocked at the number of peak heritages in his possession.
The [Nine Reincarnations Manual], [Boundless Vajra Sublimation], [Warbringer Dharma], and his Draugr manuals could all be practiced to the Peak of Autarchy. Even the reference materials he used were that good, from the Eidolon and Izh’Rak Reaver manuals to [Stellar Dominion] he found in the Centurion Base. Meanwhile, [Inverse Vestige Scripture] was a Peak C-grade bastardization of a Divine Monarch’s accidental invention.
The manual in its current form was only useful for a very specific subset of cultivators: Low to Peak Monarchs with limited foundations, insufficient resources to advance on their own, and significant affinity with the Inverse Peak. Then you added the huge dangers and the need to find a suitable location to build an abode. Daoist Hidden Earth took the risk because it was his only chance at getting revenge.
Of course, the method was only mediocre for the general population. For Zac, getting it was like finding water in the desert. Beyond the scripture itself, the figurines contained a large amount of information on Inner Worlds and how to form, transform, and upgrade them. All of these were things Zac lacked.
C-grade information was tightly guarded on the frontier, monopolized by the Peak Factions. The general information one could buy from Information Merchants was useless. The library in the Empyrean Chalice training base also had very little information on the subject. The trainees were expected to graduate at Late to Peak Hegemony. They would have to take the oath and continue their training elsewhere to get their hands on higher-grade information.
Better yet, the information was penned from the perspective of a normal Monarch who began dabbling in the Void. It gave Zac a lot of insight into how Void and Dao interacted in general.
Even the method of opening a portal to Lowest Plane could come in handy down the road. In some ways, Zac was more eager to explore the Lowest Plane than the Hells and Gardens. Both Zac and the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] had greatly benefitted from consuming one of its treasures.
Most of all, the Void Vestiges were extremely promising since most of their downsides shouldn’t apply to him. Even if they didn’t become a permanent part of his cultivation system, they could work as a temporary aid while he advanced through the stages of Monarchy. Energy leakage as a Mortal was one of his greatest worries, and he was already facing insane tribulations anyway.
Zac spent the next thirty minutes writing down his deductions and future directions for research. While his high Intelligence had given him a photographic memory, putting words to paper helped Zac organize his thoughts. He had terrifying amounts of knowledge crammed into his brain, and it was impossible to intuitively make certain connections unless he was in a state of epiphany.
Night had just descended on the memory domain, so he moved to the hotel room’s cultivation chamber to practice a round of [Void Emperor Apotheosis] while waiting for morning to come. The sun shone through the windows when he emerged, and the lounge was no longer empty.
“There you are!” Esmeralda said. “I was just about to drag you out.”
Zac glanced out the window as he sat down. Even now, Terren’s Loom missed the expected bustle of a late C-grade city. Seeing the empty streets felt more jarring now than in the middle of the night.
“Sorry about that. Looks like you have good news?”
After witnessing the change to his identity seal and the Wendimal Token, Esmeralda agreed they needed to put more effort into exploring memories. There was no point in reaching the Mercurial Court early if they lacked the fate necessary to achieve their goals. The desolate town was their second memory domain since changing their approach.
Terren’s Loom was situated inside a lush basin with extraordinary levels of energy. Not only that, it had two unique resources: a lake whose water greatly assisted in growing Spiritual Herbs. The other was the basin itself. It was the mouth of a dormant super-volcano. Its eruptions in ages past had left the soil incredibly fertile. The volcano’s depths were also known to produce a unique type of Spiritual Flames, some better than the one in Zac’s possession.
Spiritual Flames were incredibly rare, but special D-grade flames could be regularly harvested and brought out. When used in crafting, they could add a Soul-nurturing effect. The lucky combination had led to Terren’s Loom becoming a local haven for craftsmen. A few forges were built below ground, though the mainstay was alchemy as the flames proved more useful during pill concoction.
A council of artisanal factions like Zecia’s Zethaya Clan ruled Terren’s Loom, working together to protect their valuable land and skilled craftsmen. Zac suspected they relied on some hidden faction to stay safe. Otherwise, Zac couldn’t see such a valuable location staying in the hands of a group of Late D-grade factions. The region was flourishing, with countless merchants visiting to stock up on pills and remedies.
That was, until recent events.
“I’ve got two pieces of good news, in fact,” Esmeralda grinned as she produced a jade box. “First off, I finally know what we’re dealing with.”
Different from the hidden plot of Dipper Seven, the issue plaguing Terren’s Loom was right in the open. Close to ten thousand citizens had recently disappeared under mysterious circumstances, both locals and visitors. It took some time to notice the pattern because of the high turnover and a slow start to the troubles, but the problem became public knowledge two weeks before Zac entered the domain.
One of the Green Band Pill House’s chief researchers had disappeared. Considering the priceless knowledge he held, the Pill House suspected foul play by a competitor. They went crazy during their search, which unearthed dozens of similar cases. Days later, the cases numbered in the hundreds, including more than a dozen important personages among the ruling families.
Some still believed a rival artisanal faction was to blame and that the large number of disappearances was just a smoke screen. This theory grew weaker as the number of victims ballooned. People seemed to be targeted at random. Thousands of F-grade mortals had been taken, as had a Middle Monarch in Terminal Seclusion.
No one could recall how they disappeared, even when staying together, and the only clue left behind was a goop that dispersed in seconds. The streets weren’t empty because so many had been taken. People were afraid to leave their homes since they had no idea what would trigger a disappearance. Zac had initially worried getting a room would become a problem, but the hostess was more than happy to let him stay at a discounted price. She figured the more guests she surrounded herself with, the safer she would be.
By now, the two had stayed inside the memory for five days. Zac had spent most of that time gathering clues with Esmeralda. They hadn’t accomplished much beyond confirming the issue was related to the Dao of Space. The Mercurial Court was related to the Peak of Continuum like the Hollow Court was connected to the Inverse Peak. Consequently, the threads of missed potential leading to the court had a decent chance of having matching issues.
Neither Zac’s Luck nor Esmeralda’s insights into the Dao of Space allowed them to get to the bottom of things. Zac could almost feel an invisible barrier that kept them away, preventing the two from inserting themselves into the ancient mystery. They weren’t fated with the root cause, possibly with the Mercurial Court itself.
This wasn’t the first time they experienced this problem. Terren’s Loom was already the second memory domain they’d visited since the events in Dipper Seven. The previous one depicted a trading post suffering from nightly raids of mysterious bandits who came and left without a trace.
Investigations yielded nothing, and brute force was useless. New bandits reappeared the next day, no matter how many Zac slaughtered. They eventually left after claiming some minor rewards, and Zac was ready to do the same with Terren’s Loom. Zac had already purchased a couple of sets of Soul-Nurturing pills that were no worse than Moss Crystals.
They weren’t the highest-grade pills available, but the better ones only appeared on auctions. Because of the disappearances, the auction house had canceled all upcoming events and shuttered its doors. Esmeralda had refused to leave empty-handed twice in a row. She’d told Zac to stay put one more day before setting out, and her efforts actually yielded results.
“You managed to secure some of the residues? I thought it was impossible to store?” Zac asked after opening the container.
“How can some goop escape my clutches?” Esmeralda haughtily said. “If I want to steal something, it can only let itself get stolen.”
Zac noticed the residual Temporal Energy covering the substance and realized she’d borrowed a bit of power from her curse. As for the goop, Zac couldn’t uncover a thing from an inspection—it looked like lilac slime sprinkled with glitter. It didn’t seem to hold any energy, though that was clearly not the case. There was a slight sense of danger coming from it.
Zac turned back to Esmeralda, who clearly waited for him to say the magic words. Zac rolled his eyes and complied. “Oh, Great Esmeralda, please share your profound knowledge!”
The toad nodded in satisfaction, unbothered by the tone. She looked left and right before leaning over and whispered two words.
“Natural Curse.”