Defiance of the Fall

Zac took in the large hall he'd entered, finding it grander in scale and make than the corridor he'd come from. It reminded Zac of a cathedral, its ceiling reaching over 50 meters into the air. His guess was likely not far off. Their exploration of the Ensolus Ruins had already shown that the Limitless Empire cultivated faith to some degree. There was also a hint of lingering will gathered in a few of the pillars.

Its character was a stark contrast to the decaying murderous intent of the sword scar. Despite being faded, it maintained clarity and strength of will, which was doubly impressive since there were traces of the corrosive Killing Intent in the hall. The Faith Energy gave Zac the impression of an ancient war god's blessing, its mark all but gone after eons of abandonment. Just standing in the cathedral helped wash away some of Zac's doubts, filling him with motivation to forge ahead.

He finally understood the engravings within the small cultivation chambers. They were Faith Catchers that nurtured the cathedral and possibly the whole fortress. Zac felt mixing war and faith was a two-edged sword, similar to relying on the Emotional Daos when fighting. Every victory would strengthen the fortress, leading it to greater glory.

However, losses would dampen an army's spirit, weakening the faith gathered in the halls. Just encountering a powerful enemy could weaken its defenses before it even was hit. Of course, it was possible to forge an unyielding faith that would stand tall against any threat or tribulation. The Limitless Empire could very well have reached that stage, which would explain how the faith had withstood the superior Killing Intent all these years.

It was slightly odd that a sealed hall was infected while the hall directly exposed to the sword scar was not, though Zac suspected it could be explained by the chasm. When the tower started spinning, the intent was dragged out of all open areas. Meanwhile, whatever intent had made its way to the inner regions was trapped, thus safe from the hurricane's pull.

Zac walked further inside, a slight frown on his face. The intent was there, but its creators were not. Like the hallway, the only damage came from broken arrays and spatial tears. There were no signs of battle, nor were there any corpses.

There were even unusually little signs of habitation. He was only guessing the large hall was once a war cathedral because of its design, but there were no furniture or installments that could help corroborate his theory. It was swept clean, with not even a layer of dust on the ground.

Had some Technocrats swept through the region, picking everything in their path? Zac shook his head. Why would they bother with random items without value? It felt more like the room had been emptied during an evacuation.

However, that theory didn't make much sense either. Zac could feel the pull of at least one hundred valuable treasures spread through the tower. And that was just the best stuff that could trigger his [Lucky Beads]. It was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Why leave all that wealth behind but take worthless furniture? Perhaps some logbooks or reports could shed light on the mystery.

The cathedral had dozens of doors lining its sides, but Zac suspected they led to hallways like the one he came from. Instead, he flew into the sky and entered a gallery after confirming it led further into the tower's heart. Just as Zac landed, he sharply twisted and shot forth with [Skystriker].

A spatial tear appeared without warning, and two harried cultivators emerged. Both were Hegemons dressed as alliance members. Their apparent allegiance didn't stop [Verun's Bite] from finishing its trajectory. The first died before his whole body had emerged from the tear, while the other had an arm cut off before being punched in the head with enough force to knock him out. The attacks had destabilized the tear, and Zac finished the job by launching a series of Dao-Empowered Fractal blades into it.

The high-pressure situation wasn't enough to make Zac give in to paranoia and strike at anything that moved. He could tell something was wrong with the spatial gate. There was a familiar energy mixed with the powerful Spatial forces—the refined energy Technocrats used to power their machines. He'd seen it both aboard the Jaol's old ship and in the research base.

Zac considered throwing a bomb into the gate just as it closed but ultimately decided against it. There might be actual allies on the other side, unaware their ranks had been infiltrated. Zac turned to his unconscious captive, who'd already been wrapped up in Vivi's vines. Since the mere presence of their tools angered the tower, he'd simply have to drag the truth out of this guy's mouth.

A blast of energy destroyed Vivi's vines and Zac's hopes for answers, and he flung the body further into the cathedral while escaping further into the hallway. A tremendous explosion threw him off his feet, but an overbearing pressure subdued and contained the inferno to the cathedral. Zac sighed after confirming nothing of the Technocrat remained. These guys could even trigger self-destructs while unconscious? Or was someone remotely observing their actions?

It looked like it would be harder than expected to figure out the Technocrat's schemes. Then again, their goals didn't matter compared to finding Emily. Their presence would make it difficult to take control of the fortress, but did that matter?

Zac couldn't imagine the fortress lasting long, especially if used in battle. Less than half the arrays were functioning, indicating widespread damage to the energy channels within the walls. Besides, Zac had his backup plans if things went south. He would ensure the tower and those inside wouldn't survive the day.

For now, securing Emily and finding an escape route was priority number one. Zac resumed his journey, eventually finding a path leading further up that wasn't protected by new barricades. Emily's signal was still some distance away, and his token wouldn't last if every corridor had a safety door.

It was quickly becoming clear that the tower was much larger than it looked from the outside, though the difference wasn't at the level of the Tower of Eternity, where each level held a whole world. Zac ran back and forth through the labyrinthian design, eventually concluding its diameter was roughly ten times larger than it appeared. The dimensions were normal, though, meaning it wasn't the result of spatial expansion like the research base. More likely, it was the work of the chasm.

The first five floors forced Zac to use his token four more times, and the only thing he found was more chambers and rooms related to the Faith of the Limitless Empire. Zac ignored all rooms that didn't provide easy access, even two doors that released a steady wave of alluring aura. There was no inexplicable pull indicating the presence of a top-tier treasure, but there were likely resources whose spirituality had seeped through the materials.

Zac wouldn't trade his token's lifespan for some random resources. Furthermore, the fact he could sense the energy from the hallway meant the materials had lost most of their spirituality. However, Zac couldn't help but stop when he stumbled upon a grand door marked with 'Sixth Library' in the script of the Limitless Empire.

What kind of books would be placed inside a C-grade Fortress's Library? Cultivation Manuals, skills, Arrays, and blueprints for War Machines. There might even be the blueprints for the whole fortress waiting inside. Gathering the materials required would be tough in Zecia, but what really made the construction of facilities at this level impossible was the lack of knowledge.

They were missing the methods to create high-grade minerals and alloys, not to mention the millions of arrays needed to erect an impregnable fortress. Zac couldn't resist the attraction and placed the [Court Cycle Token] against the sigil.

"Shit!" Zac swore and flashed away, his eyes wide with alarm after a wall of rejection rebuffed his mind.

It wasn't accompanied by an attack or a sense of threat. It felt like a brusque warning that he didn't have the credentials to enter the library. Zac looked at the sigil with a frown. Was the problem that he had too few sealbearers infused, or did some facilities require specific credentials? Either case, Zac wasn't ready to give up just yet with an invaluable repository just a stone's throw away.

The fractal for [Apex Jungle] had multiple cracks after being forcefully used inside the hurricane, yet Zac pressed on. Cramped trees exuding an archaic air filled the hallway, filling every nook and cranny with nigh-impassable verdure. However, when the jungle tried to spread into the library or any other sealed rooms, it encountered an impassable barrier.

Zac refused to give in, and the domain rapidly expanded beyond the immediate vicinity. It continued down the stairs he came from, searching for a point of ingress through a dizzying network of connected paths. There were none. Zac gave the stalwart door a final reluctant look before disappearing into a tree.

His go-to cheat didn't work, though Zac sincerely doubted the fortress was equipped with methods to block the Void. The problem was that the stones were imbued with a natural isolation that trumped whatever theories his Void Energy utilized. It was just like the Orom World. He'd tried the same thing to escape through the spatial barrier at the world's edge, only to realize the trees couldn't grow beyond a certain point.

It was still a worthy experiment, though. Better know now than in a pitched battle. And while he couldn't get his hands on the repository, there were some other goodies.

Zac appeared inside a large room and swiftly stowed a holstered sword and a box before entering the tree he came from. The next room was liberated of a bookshelf full of dusty tomes and a slab of green stone that had been used as a prayer mat. Zac was like a mischievous forest nymph who stole a few items from twelve rooms in rapid succession before teleporting to a tree next to a set of stairs.

The jungle dispersed, and Zac continued on his way. The walls could block his skill, but age and frayed space had created small openings. A few doors had become slightly tilted, while wall cracks created an opening to some other rooms. The slightest gap was enough for [Apex Jungle] to squeeze through.

None of the rooms he accessed held overly precious materials, and they had lost much of their spirituality. Still, they were relics from an ancient era, half made from materials Zac didn't even recognize. There was no way he'd leave such goodies lying on the table. Unfortunately, the tomes were only ledgers and purchase orders from the floor's quartermaster.

Zac forged ahead, his appetite for plunder whetted, and his worries slightly alleviated. Five floors and one skill activation later, he hadn't seen a shadow of the Technocrats or their operation. He'd been worried after encountering two groups at such close intervals, especially when it looked like they had a method to direct the pathways. Luckily, they seemed limited in method or manpower.

In fact, the whole tower was almost suspiciously safe. He'd half-expected to run into energy sentries or get blasted by hidden turrets when rounding a corner. There seemed to be no such safeguards beyond the safety checks at the sealed doors.

The tower provided other surprises instead. Zac stopped and looked around in wonder after exiting the stairs, almost wondering if he'd been teleported off-world without noticing. Why was there a rustic city square this far up a military facility? There even seemed to have been flowerbeds and trees lining the streets once upon a time, though only a few calcified trunks remained.

Zac looked around with confusion as he passed dusty storefronts whose wares were either looted or long since turned to ash. It was clear that these civilian buildings could not preserve their interiors like the reinforced chambers. He could even use Soul Sense to sweep the buildings without meeting any resistance. Perhaps the city square was only a temporary installment meant to be replaced with other forms of entertainment after a while.

It was undeniably odd. He'd somewhat assumed the tower would be a pure military facility while soldiers lived in the vast protected spaces underground. But the rooms he'd looted indicated some really lived in the tower, and he remembered seeing similar arrangements inside the Technocrat Mystic Realm. Perhaps it was a requirement to maintain the mental health of those stationed.

High-grade cultivators had incredibly tough mental fortitude, but the damage they could cause if their Dao Hearts and mental state deteriorated was devastating. Using a few floors to give these warriors a sense of normalcy wasn't a high price to pay.

Zac walked through three levels of the simulated town. It became increasingly clear it was just for enjoyment. His Soul Sense exposed that most buildings were empty above the restaurants or storefronts on the ground floor. Normally, those floors would be offices or living spaces for the owners, but there was no evidence they'd ever been occupied.

Only a few buildings diverged from the norm. Zac glanced at a faded sign of a woodworking shop. Most wares had turned into dust on the ground except for a few carvings made from Spiritual Wood. The shop looked no different than its neighbors, but it was outfitted with a massive living space that continued into the neighboring buildings.

There was also a damaged top-tier cultivation chamber in the basement, whose arrays were far more intricate than anything Zac had encountered in the tower thus far. Perhaps some higher-up came down to play woodcarver as a stress relief? There was nothing of value left behind, but the woodshop wasn't the only place that stood out.

Zac found himself drawn toward a small store hidden in a corner of the makeshift village, even passing the stairs leading to the next level. He felt like a monster constantly being side-tracked on his rescue mission, but Emily's beacon moved every ten minutes. It had already taken him an hour to navigate the complex layout.

What was a few minutes more when fate pulled at him with such urgency? He'd ignored multiple buildings holding the promise of treasure on his way to the tower, but none had been so accessible or powerful. His stomach rumbled, and his cells itched as he passed through the door and an invisible barrier. Even Haro stirred through [Adaptive Symbiosis] because of the irresistible scent of primordial life.

The dusty storefront looked the same as the others, but Zac followed the scent until he reached an office in the back. The small room would have looked wholly ordinary if not for the erosion of time. One of the walls flickered, occasionally exposing the hidden compartment the scent of life originated from.

Zac observed the broken set of arrays for over five minutes before coming up with a solution. However, he didn't even have time to infuse the first talisman before a scream of danger forced Zac to flash away. He was too slow.

A silver streak punctured a hole through his gut as an eruption of energy consumed everything in the office. The storm lasted a few seconds before abating, at which point Zac reentered. The wound hurt like hell, but Zac knew he was lucky.

The compartment was outfitted with a concealed array Zac hadn't noticed at all, but the damage made it fail before it could properly go off. He would have been hit by dozens of silver pellets if it had worked properly. But intentional or not, his solution worked.

A small cubby had been exposed on the other side. It was covered in sublime engravings from floor to ceiling, and some still seemed to be working. The arrays used a lot of patterns that diverged from those Zac was familiar with, but he could vaguely understand their function. They were an archaic form of treasure-nurturing arrays.

Most materials and Natural Treasures lost spirituality over time. Putting them in containers and spatial rings drastically slowed the process, but it wasn't nearly as effective as having arrays nurturing them. It was the second-best option after nurturing the treasures in the unique environment that gave birth to them.

That was why established factions had proper treasuries instead of some elders keeping everything inside their rings. The best items would even have custom-designed arrays to create an optimal environment. For whatever reason, someone had constructed such an arrangement here and hidden it behind a combination array.

Were the three engraved containers ill-gotten gains that needed to be hidden from the officers? Their markings perfectly blended with the cubby's arrays, showcasing exquisite workmanship. Unfortunately, two had already broken down, and the treasures they held only emitted the aura of E-grade.

The third box's array had also failed, but it looked like it had held on far longer than the other two. A tendril of vibrant energy seeped out of a crack, and a gurgling sound confirmed it was what he'd come for. He opened the broken chest, finding a single quill encased in a crystal covered in the markings of a natural formation.

On second look, Zac realized it might be the spine of a cactus. Furthermore, it wasn't the spine that was valuable, but rather the liquid it held. Zac greedily inhaled the aroma, marveling at how well the ancient Dao of Life had been preserved. It was rugged and primal but incredibly pure.

Haro's vines moved in his sleep, and not even Vivi could sit still. Zac was just as interested in the shockingly pure essence of life. He could tell it could provide a much-needed boost to his [Void Vajra Sublimation], saving months of arduous cultivation. Furthermore, the spine was rapidly losing spirituality now that it had lost the treasury's protection.

But he was already halfway to Emily. Zac gritted his teeth and sealed the box the best he could. Absorbing it would have to wait until he'd confirmed Emily's situation. Waiting an hour or two shouldn't worsen the effect that much.

A stabbing pain made Zac groan and clench his chest as he emerged from the inner room. Not the pain of regret but of his chest being flooded by a malevolent storm. Once more, Zac was attacked by dozens of red streaks of Killing Intent. His eyes were wide with panic upon realizing [Void Heart] couldn't save him this time.

After all, it was his Hidden Node that cracked, unleashing its contents unrefined and ahead of schedule.