“Hope. Good name,” Zac praised. He carefully stowed the leaf in a jade box. Its recording didn’t necessarily represent the direction Zac wanted to advance his Earthly Dao, but the performance would help him recall his current state. From there, he could search for a direction uniquely suited to him and his Dao of Life.
“How long has it been?”
“It’s been just over four days,” Mei’Er said, laughing at Zac’s surprised expression. “Lord Atwood’s companions were worried, so Mei’Er took the liberty of informing them of your state.”
“Thank you,” Zac said, confirming there were missed messages in his Communication Crystal and inside [Purity of the Void] from his other half.
Zac sent a brief message that everything was okay and that he’d be out soon. He first wanted to discuss the meaning behind Mei’Er’s Dao. It wasn’t every day you met a cultivator of roughly equal insights into the Dao of Life. He was also curious about the way she applied Dao to her music since it was neither Intent nor Technique.
Before he could ask, Zac shot to his feet. His gaze followed one of the fading shackles leading into the forest depth. It had gained a sickly hue like it was rotting from within, and Zac’s mind throbbed from a hidden threat. The feeling only lasted a moment before it disappeared, along with the suspicious shackle.
“Is something wrong?“
“I’m sorry, I thought I sensed hostility,” Zac slowly said.
“Hostility?” Mei’Er said, her eyes turning solemn as she looked around.
Zac immediately agreed, and the two rushed into the bamboo forest. Unfortunately, shifting positions didn’t expose the murky thread again. In addition, his vision was quickly returning to normal now that his transcendent mental state had been broken.
They investigated the general area for fifteen without turning up any tangible evidence. It looked like the suspect had decisively backed down the moment they were exposed. Zac had no idea how far the Shackles of Earth had extended, making it impossible to know how large an area they needed to search.
Zac knew this was a good opportunity to extract information about the Nine Gardens, but their shared experience left him unwilling to exploit Mei’Er’s worries. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out another way to expose the threat. Zac eventually shook his head in defeat.
Mei’Er didn’t seem to mind. Just as she extended an invitation to return to her pavilion, Mei’Er’s Communication Jade trembled. She gasped in shock, her face turning pale as a sheet.
“What’s wrong?”
Mei’Er forcibly gathered her wits and bowed to Zac. “Mei’Er has certain matters to attend. I apologize. Can Lord Atwood return on his own?”
“Of course,” Zac slowly said.
“This leaf will lead the way. This talisman will allow Lord Atwood to safely pass through the forest while unaccompanied,” Mei’Er quickly made the arrangements before disappearing in a puff, leaving only her fragrance behind.
Zac didn’t need to hear Mei’Er’s message to know what it said. Pushing down his disappointment over their meeting being cut short, he infused some Divine Energy into the floating leaf. It drifted away, leading the way through the large formation. A drastically different atmosphere greeted Zac when he emerged from the bamboo forest. The joy was gone, replaced by tension and suspicion.
“What’s going on?” Zac asked as he stepped into a small pergola overlooking the sect’s public area.
Ogras and Ventus were already there waiting with sober expressions. The demon didn’t make any jokes about Zac spending days with a beautiful courtesan, underlining the seriousness of the situation.
“I just received word from my employer,” Ogras said. “There’s a fourth body. She hasn’t been dead for an hour.”
“Fourth?”
“A third victim was found shortly after you left—another Inner Disciple. Actually, you know her,” Ogras said with an odd look. “The Mistress Alteya, who previously invited you, was found dead in her bedroom.”
“Someone from the Pavilion of Joyful Union?” Zac frowned. “That breaks the original pattern.”
“The fourth one is no better. It was an Inner Disciple from the Manor of Sound,” Ogras said, which gave Zac a start. No wonder Mei’Er had looked so shaken before leaving in a hurry.
“That’s not the worst part,” Ventus added. “The Joyful Gardens announced that they’re closing their gates, letting no one in or out. The guests who’ve been present for all four murders are being asked to report for questioning.”
“We’re trapped?” Zac asked with a sinking feeling.
“We were catching up with Patroso when we got your message. He had some inside information. The barrier is no laughing matter. Their Sect-protecting array is almost as strong as the one back home. At least Peak C-grade, and it’s actively managed by sect elders,” the Elf sighed.
Zac grimaced. The barriers of Early Monarchs were already putting up some resistance to his Void-based phasing. A sect-protecting array was far stronger than any barrier erected by an individual, and this one was at least three stages higher. It wasn’t very likely he’d be able to move through it at his current level. Adding strain by bringing his companions was out of the question.
Luckily, the situation was different from when he snatched the [Fuxi Mountain Gate]. The Joyful Gardens weren’t looking for them. They were no different than the other guests, swept up in a mess outside their control. However, there were some problems with their identities that could cause trouble in case of a deeper investigation. For instance, they hadn’t passed through any of the Garden Gates to reach the Joyful Garden’s hidden location.
“Our goal hasn’t changed. The containment will be lifted after we capture the murderer. Have you discovered anything?” Zac asked.
“Not much. I was allowed to visit the crime scenes, including the third while it was still fresh,” Ogras said. “It just looked like she’d dropped dead. No signs of struggle or anything, very creepy. The Elf and the fool think they’ve found something, though.”
“I don’t think, I know,” a haughty declaration came from Ogras’s sleeve, explaining who the ‘fool’ was.
“I traced the memory domain’s trajectories to peer into the past. I found traces of an unusual energy fluctuation,” Ventus said.
“Fluctuations very similar to an old experiment of ours,” K’Rav piped in. “The [Gluttonous God] project.”
“The what?” Zac exhaled, knowing he was about to hear an exceptionally bad idea.
“A failed project from when we still thought ourselves in control of the Qriz’Ul,” the Ra’Lashar Goblin explained. “Summoning more powerful specimen from the Lost Plane was extremely dangerous. It was safer bringing out weak ones that couldn’t resist being enslaved. The problem was that the Qriz’Ul barely advanced on their own after being enthralled.”
”So you started looking for ways to induce growth,” Zac deduced. “Gluttonous God… Let me guess, you forced them to devour each other?”
“Like raising vicious bugs,” K’Rav said with a hint of excitement. “We modified a handful of energy patterns within their bodies to weaken their structural integrity. Then, we put a batch of those bastards inside a specialized array and flooded it with energy.
“It looked promising at the beginning. Some trials managed to advance a Qriz’Ul by half a grade in less than a week. One advanced two grades before… an accident occurred. As you might expect, the process left the survivors unstable. We never figured out a good solution, so we focused on improving our summoning techniques instead.”
“And you’re saying you felt something similar at the crime scene,” Zac said. “That’d mean the spirits aren’t just being killed. They’re being devoured. I guess the Garden Disciples were just in the way.”
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“We might be dealing with another warlock who’s turned the Joyful Gardens into a feeding ground,” Ogras said.
“If so, why target contracted spirits? Wouldn’t hunting in the forest be safer and more effective than infiltrating the manors of Inner Disciples? There should be a bunch of spirits wandering around alone.”
“Their approach is different from the [Gluttonous God] project. They’re only consuming a few spirits at a time with rest between, likely to safely digest their prey. When limiting their consumption, it’s probably more effective to target spirits who have been nurtured by a contractor.”
“The bond could be necessary for their hunting method,” Ogras suggested. “If you ask me, we’re dealing with an insider. Either a Garden Disciple or Nameless Blade.”
Upon seeing Zac’s look, Ogras transmitted a telepathic message. ‘I saw no way around explaining that part when they came to drag me away to the crime scene. I didn’t mention the connection to the Hollow Courts, though.’
Zac nodded. “Why can’t it be a guest?”
“They are too slippery, moving unfettered inside a sect full of restrictions. They also know which disciples to target and when they’re alone,” Ogras reasoned. “Most of all, the timing is suspect. I heard a few whispers, and Ventus’s calculations confirmed their accuracy. The Grand Matron is out on important business. This should only have been known by a handful when the murders began. Officially, she’s still in seclusion.”
“The culprit could be fearing the Grand Matron’s contracted spirit more than the matron herself. There are still more than a dozen Monarchs in the sect. I don’t see how another would make a huge difference,” Ventus said after making a few calculations to confirm they weren’t being eavesdropped on.
“Is there something unusual about it?” Zac asked.
“We’ve heard it’s immensely powerful, like a ruler of the spirits brought to this plane. It should have an ability that would expose an impostor or traitor. I’ve calculated that the contracted Garden Spirits are all bonded to something beyond their companions,” the Numerologist explained.
“It has actual strength?” Zac asked with surprise. “The ones I’ve seen have looked mostly harmless.”
“It’s not her original spirit. It’s a guardian spirit that comes with the job. It should have been around since the sect’s founding, passing from matron to matron,” Ogras said. “I don’t think it matters. The matron and her spirit clearly didn’t make it back in time in the original timeline. We’re on our own, and we still only have conjectures to go on.”
“Not exactly. I might have found something,” Zac said, explaining the brief flash of danger he felt by Mei’Er’s side and the different feeling he got from its Dao of Life.
“Something like that happened? Speaking of, the one who just died wasn’t far from your location. Your sharp senses might have saved your companion’s life,” Ogras said.
“You’re also the only one who’s noticed the culprit,” Ventus added. “The Joyful Gardens will certainly follow up on this lead.”
The Elf was proven right only moments after finishing his sentence. Multiple powerful perceptions locked onto their position before Mei’Er appeared accompanied by what looked like a Daoist couple. The man’s soft features eclipsed the annoyingly handsome Ventus, even giving Yrial a run for his money. His companion was a blue-robed beauty who could have been Mei’Er’s aunt.
The two were Monarchs and undoubtedly elders of the Joyful Gardens. If Zac had to guess, the man was a member of the pavilion, while his companion was a Musical Cultivator like Mei’Er.
“Lord Atwood, let me introduce you to my master and her Dao Companion, Elder Liu’An and Elder Sasoi,” Mei’Er said.
“Seniors,” Zac and his companions said with a bow.
“We apologize for disturbing your rest,” Sasoi said, turning to Zac after giving Ogras an appraising look. “You are already aware of the troubles we’ve been facing. Mei’Er told us you noticed something amiss during your visit?”
“It was only for a moment. It felt like a predator eyeing me from the shadows,” Zac said.
Zac saw no reason to hide it. It would provide the access he needed to solve the memory domain’s thread of fate. He wasn’t worried about coming into the murderer’s crosshairs, either. The culprit shouldn’t be beyond an Early Monarch, considering the strength of his targets and how carefully he acted. Zac wouldn’t go down without a fight, and the battle would attract the elders.
“Do you have any leads?” Liu’An asked with red-rimmed eyes.
“I’m afraid not,” Zac bitterly said.
“There’s nothing?” the elder pressed.
“It… felt similar to the spirits, yet hiding something sinister beneath,” Zac said. “The culprit might be masquerading as a Garden Spirit.”
“There are over fifty thousand Garden Spirits living inside the gardens, not counting the contracted companions,” Sasoi sighed.
“That’s not too many,” Ogras said. “Wouldn’t it be easy to put them in the same room and scan them one by one?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not possible. The Garden Spirits are pure existences made from Unbounded Life. Even temporary captivity will cause great harm. Thousands would die, and there’s no guarantee we’d find what we’re looking for,” Liu’An explained. “Master Atwood, will you be able to sense this… thing… if you encounter it again?”
“It escaped the moment I noticed its presence. Seeing how careful the enemy is, they’ll probably stay away from me,” Zac said, adding some hope upon seeing their disappointment. “I might have another way. Miss Mei’Er’s performance elevated my mental state, allowing me to sense its unusual Dao of Life from a distance. I might be able to do so again if I reenter that state.”
“Listening to another performance will not be enough. I can tell that your foundations are tremendously solid. Even I would struggle to induce repeated enlightenment,” Liu’An said with a troubled expression.
“I can attest to Lord Atwood’s character,” Mei’Er said. “He wouldn’t lie to take advantage of us.”
“I’ll convince the others. We’ll try your idea tomorrow after you’ve stabilized. For now, please accompany us to the latest murder,” Liu’An said, adding after a short pause. “She was my disciple.”
“Miss Mei’Er helped me a lot. I’ll do what I can to return the favor,” Zac promised.
Five days later, Zac held a performance of his own in the depths of the Forest of Unbounded Spirits. The audience was the two elders from before and hundreds of Garden Spirits. They basked in the radiance of Zac’s Life as he moved from one sutra to another, each step causing a stir in the forest’s ambient energy.
Zac’s body was a bottomless hole, and his cells happily accepted more Divine Energy than he thought possible. The overload of Life left his body in an extremely agitated state. All that excess energy had nowhere to go, causing countless microscopic tremors. The vibrations were agonizing, and they made controlling his limbs through the precise movements almost impossible.
Stopping midway was not an option. It would waste the opportunity, and seeing the difference in his cells after every session was addictive. Zac’s palms eventually met in a closing sutra, and he remained unmoving in the glade. Surrounding him were countless shackles that were clearer than yesterday. The fine golden weave faded after some time.
Zac sighed and turned to the elders, lightly shaking his head.
“Still nothing?” Sasoi lamented. “I’m afraid we’ve reached our limits.”
Zac had performed one search a day since agreeing to help the investigation, hoping to find the sinister shackle that differed from the rest. Each time, he’d inspected dozens of spots with the help of the two elders who moved him around while he practiced his Body Tempering Method.
Practicing the fifth layer of the [Void Vajra Sublimation] prolonged the time he could observe the Shackles of Earth, but only if he already was in an enlightened state. The method couldn’t draw out the shackles on its own. Worse, Zac was quickly building up a resistance to the Joyful Garden’s supportive techniques.
Reaching enlightenment so many times in a row was only possible because of the Joyful Garden’s significant investment. The personal performances were held by increasingly powerful cultivators. They’d also provided priceless Life-attuned treasures to ensure the sessions would have the intended effect, enough to directly raise an Inner Disciple to the level of a Core Disciple.
Today’s session was held by a Middle Monarch whose Dao of Music was well beyond Zac’s scope of understanding. He was a Reserve Elder of the sect, having the highest authority during the Grand Matron’s absence. Before playing his flute, he spent an hour patiently answering any question Zac had about cultivation to pave the way for another enlightenment.
The tutoring session proved incredibly valuable. Cultivating by himself left Zac unburdened by convention and the limitations of any teacher. In return, it had created some blind spots in Zac’s understanding. He’d noticed that while learning the basics of Techniques from Pavina inside the Orom World, and today’s discussion was a reminder.
Litheweave, as the elderly flutist was called, had confirmed Zac’s notion about instilling his drive and motivations into his Earthly Daos. It was a conventional approach that didn’t require the involvement of the Peak of Impetus, and a concept the Joyful Gardens heavily relied on. It was even the origin of the term Dao Heart, though its meaning had broadened over the years.
Imparting purpose into Dao wasn’t strictly necessary. In broad strokes, it boiled down to the difference in perspective between the Boundless and Heavenly Paths. Those who followed the Boundless Path, whose ultimate goal was breaking through the Terminus, were more likely to have Daos influenced by their motivations and indomitable will.
The Joyful Gardens took this concept to its limit, to the point excessive sentiment occasionally caused deviations and self-made bottlenecks. On the other end of the spectrum, you had Buddhists who gave up on the self to become one with the cosmos. There were also the fanatics who severed their emotions and desires to face the Dao without distraction.
Neither side was better than the other. Both had merits and downsides. Zac leaned toward the Boundless Path, but this wasn’t something that had to be settled right away. It wouldn’t be too late to infuse his Earthly Daos with sentiment in a few centuries. By then, he should have settled and stabilized his mind.
The treatment was generous enough to make the elites of the Freydrift Province green with envy. The generosity was a desperate attempt to stop the murders, which had already risen to twelve. Their target was growing more audacious by the day, exponentially increasing its number of hunts. The tension was so palpable that you could touch it. Ventus had warned that they were approaching a tipping point. History would soon repeat itself.
Zac hadn’t made any promises, but having nothing to show for his efforts was both frustrating and embarrassing. He had benefitted tremendously from the situation, perhaps more than the culprit. The fifth layer of the [Void Vajra Sublimation] reached a serviceable completion on the third day, only requiring some fine-tuning to be perfected.
Absorbing such extraordinary treasures had also saved Zac years of cultivation. He was already more than halfway through the fifth layer. The excess had even pushed his cultivation forward, awarding him three more levels.
The Joyful Gardens could easily bear such expenses, but the situation was causing friction. Their assistance came with expectations. Ogras’s contact had warned that some elders and Core Disciples were expressing growing concern about Zac and his claims. Mei’Er’s support remained steadfast, but Zac worried he’d soon go from an investigator to suspect.
Seeing Sasoi’s cold expression, Zac looked toward the forest depths in thought. Swallowing his fear and reluctance, Zac turned back to the elder.
“There’s one thing left I can try,” Zac said. “It won’t burden your sect’s resources any further, but it means you’ll have to trust me one final time.”