Defiance of the Fall

"You're breaking through? Now?" Kator said, and Zac could see how the muscles beneath his armor clenched. "Have you forgotten about our situation? You're putting all of us at risk."

"If anything, it's the opposite. Look around. The heavenly presence is subduing the region, scaring away the resentment that was coming our way," Zac countered. "Seeing as we're stuck anyhow, I might as well get it out of the way. I'll be better equipped to protect our crew in case we run into more of the cultists."

Zac had already been pushing against the threshold of his Earthly Daos since the Atavism. Weeks of bitter fighting inside the Imperial Graveyard had let him digest the insights at a record pace. He'd still been some ways off from taking the step, lacking the spark of inspiration to fully fuse the two aspects of the Daos of Life and Death.

His battle with the pugilist solved that issue, pushing him ahead of schedule. The beautiful tapestry when [Desperation's End] and [Judgment of Arcadia] clashed filled in the blanks, and Zac wanted to advance while the inspiration was fresh in his mind. He'd even been prepared to break through while fighting the beastmaster in case the battle dragged out, or they started to lose.

The Black Heart captain fell without Zac needing to use his tribulation as a weapon. Zac could have managed, but it would have been a waste of an opportunity. Forming an Earthly Dao was a major step forward that would greatly impact his cultivation. He wanted to fully focus on the Dao, ensuring the Dao Treasures or distractions didn't lead his path astray.

The only thing standing in the way of a breakthrough now was the spiritual damage he'd suffered because of the [Solidarity Link]. Kator's warbones cracking meant cracks had appeared on Zac's soul. Thankfully, the damage had been split between his two Soul Cores, making the situation manageable. He'd been in a far worse state for other breakthroughs, and his cores were already on the mend.

Zac looked at Kator with a raised brow, seeing him veritably oozing with irritation. "Why? Do you feel this is your opportunity to strike?"

"That's funny," Kator spat, glancing at the sky. "Are you trying to take me out using a borrowed dagger?"

"You'd be long gone if something as simple as an Earthly Dao Tribulation could do you in," Zac scoffed, waving his hand with the seal. "Remember, you were the one that forced this thing on me. You should have seen this coming since I dealt with the Remnants."