Chapter 653: Mad Ambition (1/2)
Zac had been completely convinced that it was Void’s Disciple he tackled and pushed down from the Dimensional Seed. Who else would be able to withstand the intense fluctuations except for a Spatial Cultivator? But it turned out he was wrong. The aura of the one he tackled was identical to the one who had attacked him just now, and it wasn’t Adcarkas.
The person standing in front of him with an expression rife with killing intent was still someone he knew though; it was Inevitability.
He hadn’t seen the second Dominator since they met in the Eastern Trigram Hunt. The battle back then had been completely lopsided with Zac only escaping with his life because Thea used her ultimate escape skill. However, Zac had left for the Tower of Eternity and evolved into E-Grade since then. Zac had believed that he had not only caught up but far surpassed the murderous chain-wielding Zhix by now, but it was clear that Zac wasn’t the only one who had made tremendous steps forward.
The aura Inevitability emitted gave Zac some palpitations, like he was once more standing in front of a blood-drenched level 100 warrior while still muddling along as a level 60 human. She had gained a lot of levels thanks to her killing points during the hunt, but that alone couldn’t account for the enormous transformation of her aura.
The Inevitability of back then had first seemed like a curious child before she turned into a monstrosity full of unbridled bloodlust. But the Inevitability in front of him had already reined in her killing intent and now gazed at him with a calculating look, like a cold-hearted killer observing its prey.
Zac also didn't how was she almost unscathed after all those attacks. The only one who seemed to have managed to hit her was actually Ogras judging by the shadowy aura in a small wound on her left shoulder. That meant that she really had been there when the other attacks landed but it was like they never actually hit her.
The people Zac had brought here weren’t fools who would hit empty air, and he had seen for himself them slam down on the unmoving body of the target. Zac glanced over to the spot Inevitability landed. As expected, the body had simply disappeared, and the Anointed had instead turned to Inevitability with solemn expressions.
Also, where the hell was Void’s Disciple? Adcarkas was neither the one cultivating on top of the Dimensional Seed nor the one who attacked him. But surely he wouldn’t stay back and let Inevitability fight all of them? Nothing was like how Zac had planned things out, and it made him hesitate.
“So, Karma has finally brought you here. I would have hoped that this building would delay you for another day. Well, searching for perfection is a fool’s errand,” Inevitability sighed as she looked Zac up and down. “The threads of fate surrounding you just keep growing. I have to say I am a bit jealous. But cultivation is ultimately a struggle against the Heavens. If fate does not choose you, then you simply need to subvert fate. That by itself might lead to greater things.”
Zac’s brows furrowed even further when he heard Inevitability speak, and the sense of wrongness just increased. This was definitely not how she spoke back then.
“Adcarkas!” Rhubat exclaimed with shock, making Zac look over with confusion. “How is this possible?! Why do you look like Kirath?!”
“Oh? I guess I can’t hide from your senses, Chainbreaker,” Inevitability snorted.
Or perhaps it was more apt to say Void’s Disciple. Zac finally understood what was going on, why the Inevitability of his memories was so different from the one in front of him. However, the realization only created more questions than answers.
“Possession,” Zac muttered, looking at the Zhix with disgust. “You said Inevitability was like a child to you when we met the first time, yet you steal her body?”
“Kirath wanted to contribute, to help me on my journey to the peak. What better way than to provide her body and to give me a chance to escape the chains of Karma?” Adcarkas smiled. “The fetters to my old body were too great, and it had long missed the prime window for building momentum strong enough to reach the peak.”
A wave of repulsion filled Zac’s heart as he looked at Void’s Disciple. His actions were so far into taboo territory that he would never be able to follow the normal path to power. Possessing one’s family, who’d do something like that? Anyone with even a sliver of conscience would get a mental demon from an action like that, and their cultivation road would immediately get fraught with danger and missteps.
Furthermore, possession was definitely was marred with problems. If it wasn’t, then old cultivators would just pick a new body and retrain from the start. Levels came easy, but insight did not. Imagine being a peak C-Grade cultivator stepping into the F-grade again? You would turn into a monster far greater than Zac ever was.
And what was that about chains of fate? Zac had until now operated under the assumption that Void’s Disciple was a devout follower of The Great Redeemer, but it didn’t sound like it from that expression.
“You’re not here to give your master this treasure?” Zac asked.
Void’s Disciple looked at Zac with a teasing smile, before he looked up at the sky.
“Not all is as it seems. Hm, I guess there’s no harm in telling you, the embryo will not be able to break out for over a day. This Dimensional Seed is a divine treasure for someone at the peak of the D-Grade. Incorporating it into your core can immediately open the road to monarchy. But why would I waste such a rare treasure on Voridis A’Heliophos when it is perfectly suited for me?”
“Is that why you killed Inevitability?” Zac asked as he circulated his energy while trying to come up with a plan.
There were too many variables at the moment. The aura of this merged Dominator was too weird, too powerful, making Zac a bit unsure he had what it took to succeed. Besides, he was clearly far more affected by the emanations of the Dimensional Seed than Adcarkas, and any second he could stall to regain his wits would increase his odds of victory.
“Kirath lives on through me. She will never die as long as I keep walking down my path,” Adcarkas smiled. “Luckily, part of our Master’s heritage was a Body Tempering Method to turn our bodies into suitable vessels for possession. I guess Master desired a fallback in case his experiment failed. I simply made some adjustments to better suit my purposes.”
“This body was then reforged with the energy of the Seed, and my soul has already been suffused with the Dao of Space. It will allow a nigh-perfect fusion, and the next step is to infuse the Seed itself into my body. That will be my foundation for my Immortal Path. A Spatial Constitution with a Seed of Origin, a miracle that has never appeared in this sector,” Adcarkas smiled.
“Why are you telling all of us this?” Zac frowned.
“Isn’t it too sad? To have stumbled onto this earthshattering opportunity and survived the almost-certain demise of putting thoughts to action, yet have no one to tell of your exploits? The moment I step out into the cosmos I will have to hide my true power, but at least here I can speak freely,” Adcarkas laughed before his eyes locked onto Zac’s. “Now I just need to tie up a few loose ends. With the death of this world and your soul extracted, I will have closed this ancient chapter of Karma. The ties will be cut, and I’ll be free to pursue my truth.”