Defiance of the Fall

An absolute cryogenic state of this grade was a death sentence for a Hegemon, and Zac was no exception. The only reason he was able to hold on was the two treasures he'd swallowed just prior. Their Law-imbued energies were fighting back, like candles keeping him just warm enough to stay alive. Even that was only possible thanks to his deep foundations and Sindris Heritage.

Zac wanted to assure those around him he was fine, but the cold had isolated him from his surroundings. Eyes frozen shut, he couldn't see, and his Soul Sense barely extended beyond his bodies with his soul locked down. They'd have to make do with the weak flicker of spirituality emanating from him and the fact that the motes of destiny around him hadn't disappeared.

Keeping track of his internal state was still possible, even if his thoughts moved so slowly it was difficult to hold onto a thread. Ichor and blood had become ice, and his withered muscles had hardened into glistening rubies. His soul, which had been in a constant state of movement since he began cultivating [Nine Reincarnations Manual], had fully stopped, looking like a still picture.

Their plan had come from a place of desperation and was partly based on assumptions and pure guesswork. Still, there was precedent. Back in the E-grade, Zac had used various means to get through the deadly hurdle of breaking open nodes. One of them was relying on Spiritual Ice to freeze the node, lessening the damage from the breakthrough.

Zac's current situation was based on the same concept, except infinitely more complex and dangerous. Their main goal was to press the pause button on his breakthrough, stopping the inflow of energy and ensuring his quantum space would survive the teleportation into the trial. He'd thaw out after things had stabilized and finish the job afterward.

Catheya's scale was the only thing in their possession that could accomplish such a feat, except it was too powerful. Zac needed a safety net to survive being frozen for so long. The problem had made Zac think of the microscopic suns still burning in the depths of his cells. During the tribulation, they had showcased a hint of the amazing resilience that allowed the Stellar Wanderers to even travel the great beyond. Not even the Four Desolates could faze them.

The suns were much too weak to resist a Supremacy's Dao, even after they'd marginally grown from feeding on Ultom's light. The treasure he'd gotten from Esmeralda was the closest thing since its origins were clearly related to the Stellar Wanderers and the Lost Plane. They'd either strengthen the suns or provide a similar effect on their own. Observing the results, it was the latter.

With one treasure covering his bodies, he also needed something for his soul. His companions had pursued every avenue, even browbeating the Ship Spirit into hacking into a few of the Centurion Base's restricted terminals. Finally, they found a lead on a Soul Nurturing treasure and where it was stored—the carafe that Catheya and Ogras had managed to bring back at the eleventh hour.

Any of the three treasures would have killed Zac outright if used on their own. Together, they formed a system of mutual restraint, just like [Void Emperor Apoteosis] brought mutual promotion between heart, soul, and body. Starting up the method before freezing also allowed him to slowly siphon some of the medicinal energy.