Defiance of the Fall

CH 540

Default Dyslexic Roboto Lora

use the escape function.

The other part was a thin bracelet that was hidden beneath the sturdy bracer he got from Greatest.
He kept the bracer on at all times, and he figured it might be able to hide the [Spatial Gate Array] from any discerning eyes.
It seemed to be one of the most valuable things in his possession, though not quite at the level of things like the [Pathfinder Eye] or the [Divine Investiture Array].

Then again, it was hard to put a price on survival.
There was simply no supply of an item like the [Spatial Array Gate] in the Zecia sector, though there were a lot of other escape measures around.
For example, there was the skill that Thea possessed, and whatever the Head Priest used to turn into a stream of flames that allowed him to escape the Dead Zone.
There were even the weaker teleportation talismans he had gained just now.

“My lord, welcome back,” A voice drifted out from the rocks themselves as Triv emerged.

“It’s been a while.
I was almost starting to fear that you had managed to escape your contract,” Zac said with a small smile.
“Did you find anything interesting?”

The ghost had been gone for over a week as Zac sent it on a mission after it finished helping Kenzie setting up the cultivation caves.
The ghost was a non-combat class, but his incorporeal form also made him a qualified scout by default.
So Zac sent the ghost out to explore the depths of his island, to see if there was anything interesting or valuable in the vicinity of the root of the Nexus Vein.

“Even if I managed to break the Contract of Servitude I would still surely stay with the young master,” Triv hurriedly exclaimed, eliciting a snort from Zac.

But honestly, it wasn’t impossible that the ghost was telling the truth.
Just like Calrin hugged onto his legs because of the potential he represented, so could Triv.
A completely purebred Draugr of an ancient bloodline was unheard of in a remote sector like Zecia.
The few Draugr clans around were apparently just mixed-blood clans that would just barely be considered Draugr by Heartland Standards.

Following Zac was Triv ’s ticket to the Empire Heartlands in the future, as Triv was still certain that Zac would end up there sooner or later.
And Zac probably would, provided that he ever reached C-Grade or higher.
By that time Earth should already be safe, and the Zecia sector wouldn ’t be able to provide him with a proper environment.

’

Triv had mentioned a common saying during one of his campaigns to recruit Zac to the dark side.
He said that there were four requirements to cultivation: Wealth, Companionship, Method, and Environment.
Not one could be lacking if one wanted to reach the peak.

Wealth was the most important, and that went double for someone like Zac who was just a mortal.
To cultivate was to burn money, and it only got exponentially worse.
In the beginning he could cultivate and gain levels with just a couple of Nexus Crystals who were barely worth anything, but now he was contemplating buying Attuned D-Grade crystals for hundreds of millions just for some advancements to his soul.
And it would only get worse from here on out.

Second was companionship, but it didn’t refer to girlfriends or even Dao Companions.
It meant that no one could reach the peak alone.
You needed a master to teach you, friends you could trust your back to, a support system that could take care of things that were distracting you from your cultivation.

Method was partly referring to a cultivation manual, but it also incorporated things such as Inheritances, Heritages, Dao Impartments, and even hunting grounds.
Some insights would have to come from within, but there was no need to reinvent the wheel at every turn.
Taking advantage of the wisdom and knowledge of others would allow you to make faster progress without any detriment.

Finally was Environment, and this requirement was why Triv believed Zac would end up in the Empire Heartlands sooner or later.
It wasn’t without reason that B-Grade powerhouses never appeared in the Zecia sector.
It simply didn’t allow it.
No crops would grow if the soil was barren.
He needed to go to the more prosperous sectors of the Multiverse if he wanted to progress further after a certain stage.

In fact, moving as soon as possible was the optimal choice from a cultivation standpoint.
Earth was just a desolate rock by most standards, and staying here would no doubt delay his cultivation speed.

“It is quite odd, ” Triv said, dragging Zac back to the present.
”There are some Divine Crystals growing close to the source of the Nexus Vein.
This can happen spontaneously, but it is far more likely on life or nature-aspected planets.
When the world becomes attuned so does most of the neutral Veins. ”

“So the World Core’s upgrade was gaining an attunement after all?” Zac said with excitement.

This was something that had stumped him and everyone else over the past two weeks.
The world was supposed to have upgraded its core because he had defeated the Undead Incursion.
There even was that pulse that spread across the whole planet.
However, after the pulse there was no follow-up at all.

’

The density of energy was pretty much the same as before, still slowly climbing as the world continued its gradual integration.
No new Nexus Veins or treasures were sprouting up from the ground either, and no attuned energies could be found.
Most had simply assumed that it would take more time for the world to adapt to the reward, but it looked like the clues were finally starting to appear.

“Well, that’s the thing.
I also sensed weak hints of Miasma close to the vein,” Triv said with hesitation.
”Though I don ’t believe the vein is turning death attuned. ”

“What? Did you do something?” Zac said with a frown.

“I swear on the Empire, I didn’t do anything! It could be an effect of the realignment array being shut off at the last minute.
Either that, or…” the ghost said, drifting off at the end.

“Or what?” Zac asked.