Profane Exponents

*Fatewarded by the profane masters.*

## Summary

Profane Exponents is a peak-quality E-Grade skill Zac created using one of his two Fetters of Desolation Upgrade Skill Quests by fusing his class skills Immutable Bulwark and Undying Legion. It was Zac's solution to completely overhauling his defensive capabilities. The skill summons pygmy skeletons that each provide a different defensive capability: damage protection, defensive fractal corrosion, damage or attack redirection; and at peak, a fourth, a weakening layer and ability to empower one of the other three skeletons. The skill appears to have no cooldown.

Zac upgraded this skill and raised it to middle proficiency off-screen. The upgrade only added one new feature. The skeletons become pieces of armor when they are exhausted. Otherwise the skill saw increased autonomy, capability, and range.

## Fusion

* The trio came from the last of his skill fusions, which resulted in a skill called **[Profane Exponents]**. It was the toughest one of all his fusions and the one that differed most from its original skills. **Book 8, Page 148**
* The fusion came from **[Immutable Bulwark]** and **[Undying Legion]**, and they were Zac’s solution to completely overhauling his defensive capabilities. **[Undying Legion**] had grown a lot more powerful having pushed it to Peak mastery. Though the change wasn’t exactly what he’d hoped for. **Book 8, Page 148**
* Unfortunately, that didn’t mean it really fit Zac’s tool kit, and the skeletons were ultimately only used for their damage diversion. **Book 8, Page 148**
* Meanwhile, **[Immutable Bulwark]** was very powerful, but always required him to wield a shield, which didn’t suit Zac’s taste. **Book 8, Page 148**
* The result was a new supportive skill that was a lot more flexible compared to his old ones. **Book 8, Page 148**

## Skill Location

**Not Stated**

* *No textual information.*

## Skill Window

[E] Profane Exponents - Proficiency: Late. Fatewarded by the profane masters. Upgradeable. **Chapter 898**

## E-Grade

### Early Proficiency

Summons three pygmy skeletons each with a different look and function. **Book 8, Page 148**

#### Look

* Three pygmy skeletons appeared behind Zac, each radiating such an immense aura of death, the air around them kept distorting.
* One held a lantern wrought out of bone and a blue flame shone from within.
* The second held a coffin as large as itself,
* while the final one was mostly obscured by a black cloud that floated around it as though it were a living thing. **Book 8, Page 143**

#### Function

* The first pygmy was simply a pure fusion of the bulwark of his **[Immutable Bulwark]** and the skeletons in **[Undying Legion]**. It became a coffin-bearing skeleton; a representation of his path and Dao of the Coffin that could protect him or groups of people. **Book 8, Page 148**
* The lantern-wielding pygmy specifically targeted defensive skills by corroding defensive fractals. Its weird burning light wouldn’t be able to kill most E-grade cultivators. It was on the other hand efficient at eating through defensive arrays and barriers. This pygmy drew inspiration from several sources. Part of it came from the skeletal mages that appeared when Zac upgraded **[Undying Legion]**. A big part of the inspiration came from Kenzie and her array-breaking enterprise. **Book 8, Page 149**
* The third pygmy had taken on the power of displacement from **[Undying Legion]**, but its usage was a lot more flexible. It could either transfer damage from Zac to the three pygmies or displace an attack altogether, as it had with the crystal spire. When used correctly, it could be considered an offensive skill, though the [*targeted*] skill ultimately was under the control of the attacker. **Book 8, Page 149**

### Middle Proficiency

* *Mentioned in passing when Late Mastery described. See below.*

### Late Proficiency

* In fact, most of his skills were evolving, proving just how powerful the altar was. That was not to say it was all thanks to this temple. Many of his skills were long overdue for an upgrade, ... After having been through two tremendous epiphanies and getting blessed by the altar, they were all bursting forth at once. **Chapter 897**
* Like the previous upgrade, the **[Profane Exponents]** had received a general upgrade from reaching Late Mastery. Their auras had grown deeper while their tools, from coffin to lantern, looked more exquisite. **Chapter 925**

### Peak Proficiency

* Four small skeletons appeared behind Zac's back as a complex sigil appeared beneath his feet. It looked like a five-meter-wide summoning circle leading to the deepest recesses of the netherworld, and dense plumes of death rose around him. Simultaneously, an oppressively dark coffin appeared above his head. The rune beneath him seemed tethered to his body. **Chapter 987**
* Upon reaching Peak Mastery, a fourth Skeleton was added, looking like a hooded mage holding an ancient tome. It emitted dense plumes of death and was the source of the large sigil beneath his feet. On its own, the sigil formed a second layer of defense, weakening any force entering it. However, the mage skeleton actually had a second feature—empowerment. Every time the skill was activated, Zac could have the mage strengthen one of the other three pygmy skeletons and their abilities. This time, the empowerment went into the coffin-wielding defender, which increased the durability of its barrier by over 30%. **Chapter 1006**

## D-Grade

### Upgrade

* **[Profane Exponents]** was one of the E-grade skills Zac was the most satisfied with. As such, it had seen very little change after entering D-grade. **Chapter 1,188**

### Early/Middle Proficiency

* The pygmy skeletons had mostly seen a general boost to autonomy, capability, and range. The latter had turned the lantern- and darkness-wielding skeletons into long-range turrets. **Chapter 1,188**
* It was just in time, as the flickering flame inside the lantern winked out, and its wielder became a set of leg bracers. This feature was the only real change to **[Profane Exponents]**. When the skeletons ran out of energy, they'd become armor pieces that generated a passive protective domain. Zac could even shatter the pygmies prematurely if he wanted to add new pieces of armor. **Chapter 1,188**

### Armor Components

* Darkness Wielder. *Not specified.*
* Coffin Bearer: Left Shoulder. **Chapter 1,188**
* Lantern Bearer: Leg Bracers. **Chapter 1,188**
* Tome Wielder: Gleaming Armor. **Chapter 1,188**

## Commentary

* Any defense within his domain was quickly targeted and dissolved by the priest pygmy. Zac believed the skeleton would even be able to destroy D-grade defenses when the skill reached Peak mastery. **Book 8, Page 149**
* Zac infused a stream of energy into the coffin-bearing pygmy skeleton, and a deathly barrier reminiscent of **[Love’s Bond]** sprang up to block the incoming spear. **Book 8, Page 143**
* At the same time, the blue light inside the second pygmy’s lantern increased in intensity, and the crystal hand deteriorated and fell apart. **Book 8, Page 143**
* The third pygmy finally made its move as the swirl of darkness around it expanded and rose like a hungry maw. It swallowed the crystal whole, and a moment later, a tremendous shockwave erupted a few hundred meters out to sea as the very same crystal spike slammed into the waters, causing a small tsunami. **Book 8, Page 145**
* Zac really missed **[Profane Exponents]**, his three loyal followers whose defensive properties were leagues beyond **[Innate Ward]**, which he’d gotten from his Dao Repository. **Book 8, Page 622**
* Zac had resummoned **[Profane Exponents]** with the help of **[Force of the Void]**, just like he had when he first figured out the talent, allowing him to retain its strength even while **[Void Zone]** was running. **Book 8, Page 90**
* A swirl of darkness from the third pygmy of **[Profane Exponents]** moved the Hegemon even further off-kilter at the last moment, pushing both arms and staff entirely out of the way. **Chapter 905**
* Still, the quick response gave Zac time to activate **[Profane Exponents]** again. A huge five-meter coffin formed an umbrella of protection while Catheya froze and shattered the bloody sludge around them to prevent lightning from spreading to their legs. **Chapter 991**
* **[Profane Exponents]** immediately collapsed after Zac stopped infusing the skill with mental energy. **Chapter 991**
* The trusty coffin of **[Profane Exponents]** appeared to block a sword strike from the opposite direction, but Zac was shocked to find the thin rapier create a small hole in the skill and pierce through. **Chapter 1.006**
* The floating skeletons climbed onto his back, and a protective shield formed around him. **Chapter 1.050**
* He could even have gone further and infused **[Profane Exponents]** with Oblivion to completely block the pulse. **Chapter 1.050**
* Four skeletal minions reeking of danger had appeared behind his back, one of them holding a coffin covered in scorch marks. ... Ker'Ero couldn't believe his eyes when the all-out attack of their Late D-grade captain was covered in a swirl of darkness and disappeared. **Chapter 1,187**