Chapter 698: Perennial Vastness (1/2)
Zac floated in the emptiness of space next to Catheya, and his new allies formed a small clump in an endless sea of E-Grade cultivators. Thousands upon thousands of groups had gathered around him, in a roughly even mix between life and death. Of course, there were also millions of lone cultivators who were spread amongst the group, waiting for the Twilight Ascent to start.
The accumulated aura of over ten million warriors was something else, yet it was nothing compared to the one hundred thousand Hegemons who had gathered on the opposite side of the glowing star in front of him. Their frightful power could be sensed even at a distance of thousands of kilometers, and it was no wonder the two groups had been instructed to gather far away from each other.
The pressure didn't come just from afar though, as Zac sensed some auras nearby that could overpower his own. He even recognized a few faces from the intelligence missives he had prepared for the Trial.
Thankfully, one's aura wasn’t an exact measurement of combat power. With Zac’s accumulations and aces, he wasn’t a fish at a chopping block in front of even the greatest of E-grade warriors. Furthermore, those monstrous elites from the Undead Kingdoms or living Empires would hopefully head for the core of the Twilight Ocean while his group wouldn't pass the 70% mark according to Catheya.
Still, Zac estimated himself to be in the top quartile among the trial takers after looking around. If he could evolve his Dao Fragments and find some more opportunities over the next three years, he might even make it to the top percent, which would allow him to complete Va Tapek's, Catheya's Master, mission with some degree of success.
Zac was suddenly dragged out of his thoughts as two new people popped up out of nowhere, their arrival not even causing the slightest ripple of Cosmic Energy. The clamor in the area immediately died down, as these two demanded everyone’s undivided attention by their presence alone.
One was an ancient-looking treeman over thirty meters tall. On top of his head was a small tree crown with golden leaves, each of them covered in dense scripts. His body was generally humanoid in shape, with two legs and two arms, though his face was simply at the top of the trunk right beneath his crown. However, there were thousands of branches sprouting out from his back, forming an intricate diamond pattern.
But most striking was the vast aura of life he exuded.
His features somehow made him look old, but it felt like he would live forever going by his aura. It even felt like the glowing Twilight Ocean had dimmed in his presence. He was clearly a cultivator following some path of nature, and just looking at him made him feel like he was caught inside the energy emanations of the Dimensional Seed again.
However, it was just an illusion formed by his latent will. His aura was clearly restrained and it didn’t hurt anyone. Zac wasn’t actually inundated in any energies, since he would probably die if that happened. Furthermore, the powerful treeman wasn’t alone. Next to him stood a hooded being, looking almost like a fly next to the massive treant.
But his aura was just as shocking as the treant's, and Zac felt the grip of death clutching his heart when glancing in his direction. The air itself seemed like it was teetering on the brink of collapse from the force hidden within those robes.
“It’s the Goldenleaf Monarch and Kaard’Es Venarun, the Moonblight Monarch,” Catheya said with a low voice. “Both are Middle-stage Monarchs and supreme elders of two of the council clans. I didn't expect such bigshots to appear today.”
Zac nodded in understanding. Didn’t know what force the treant was from, but he had heard of the Venarun Clan. The undead side of the council was manned by three clans, one Sect, and one Consortium, with the sect holding the greatest power. One of those clans was precisely the Venarun Clan, a local Revenant clan with some bloodline of the Izh'Rak Reavers.
“Welcome, trial takers,” the Goldenleaf Monarch said with a smile. “The gates will open in a few moments, and the council wishes to make sure everyone understands the rules of the Twilight Ascent. Most of you are local talents chosen to represent your forces, but some are also faraway guests.”
“The Twilight Energy will sap your energy, robbing you of your power. The Energy is unique and most likely modified by the Boundless Heavens. It will burrow into your body no matter whether you want it or not, and the amount is mostly based on your level and how deep into the ocean you have gone. There are various means to reduce its effect, but no method is as effective as improving yourself,” the treeman said. ”Making breakthroughs and boosting your attribute pool will allow you to reach further, to gain more from this Trial.”
“The laws are the same one as in the rest of the Multiverse,” the Moonblight Monarch continued with a rough voice, and Zac felt an almost primal fear just upon hearing him speak. “The law of the jungle. Kill, steal, and battle to your heart's content. Hone yourself through slaughter and mayhem. The council will not interfere.”
A dense killing intent spread through the whole zone as warriors surreptitiously glanced around. Cultivators who had reached the end of E-Grade all had blood on their hands, some far more than Zac himself. It was an unfortunate reality of the world; cultivation didn’t only require time and Cosmic Energy.
It required a steely conviction and mental fortitude that would allow them to keep going down the same path for centuries and millennia. And that kind of mental strength couldn’t be cultivated inside a cultivation cave. It was gradually formed through risking one’s life and bloodshed. There might be a few beings in perfect tune with their path and with sublime mental states that didn’t require this kind of training, but those people were beyond rare in number.
“Remember, the council will not have any opinions on your actions inside, but that doesn’t mean your actions have no consequences. Cause an undue amount of slaughter inside, and trouble might find you, either inside the trial or even the moment you exit. Furthermore, slaughtering the weak is a dead end with meager rewards. The true opportunities are waiting for you in the depths of the Twilight Ocean,” the old treant said.
“The Council has studied the ocean, and we expect it to stay open for 3 years and 2 months. Staying the whole duration is not required to take a position on the Fate-Plucking Ladder. Knowing when to retreat is an important skill of any adventurer.”
“But remember. The gates will be closed for one year. You better have the means to stay alive if you want to enter the ocean. Otherwise, you’ll just turn to fertilizer for others,” the Venarun elder snickered. “The first year and the last months are always the bloodiest.”
Zac inwardly nodded in agreement, not surprised at all. In the beginning, there would be ten million warriors at the starting continent, all full of adrenaline and greed for treasures. Bloodshed was bound to happen. Things would gradually stabilize as people died and people started leaving after a year, but the carnage would pick up pace by the end.
By that point, everyone’s Cosmos Sacks would be bulging with loot, and a single battle might double people’s net worth. Beasts die for food, men die for money.
“I am sure everyone is curious about the reward this time around?” the treant smiled, causing an excited murmur among the people.
A huge plaque appeared the next moment, clearly listing the treasures.
1st – [50-year Perennial Vastness Token].
2nd – 5th – [E-grade Reforged Providence Gem] & One unique treasure presented by the Twilight Council
6th – 10th – [E-grade Reforged Providence Gem] & One supreme treasure of the Twilight Vault
….
5,001 – 10,000th - 3rd Class E-grade Treasure from the Twilight Vault.
Zac read the list with interest, and he found that the rewards even at the top thousand were pretty good. For instance, the top 100 would all get to pick a Special Class E-grade treasure from the Twilight Vault. The Twilight Vault was a shared hoard guarded by the Twilight Lord and the Council, and it had accumulated mountains of valuable items over millions of years.
A Special Class E-grade Treasure were all at the level of the items at the second part of the auction, and every single one could provide a drastic improvement if you found a suitable one. As for the top 10 prizes, they were all things that wouldn't reach a public auction, especially the top five items.
Zac didn’t hold out much hope for those things after seeing the preliminary duels, but he still read the rewards with interest.
“Perennial Vastness? What’s that?” Ravan, one of Zac’s new team members, muttered with confusion, sparing Zac the need to ask.
Ravan was a local to the Twilight Harbor, an elite naturally-born Corpselord from a subsidiary force to the Sharva'Zi Clan. He was just like Mhal in a sense, though his accomplishments far eclipsed the general that caused Zac so much trouble back then. His role in the party was as a pure offensive combatant, though Zac still didn't know exactly what kind of class he held.