Chapter - 2055

- 2055. Extension
The mountain chain had disappeared, but Noah could accept that. Nothing ever lasted too long among the storms, especially the lands that they created. Only a few environments with specific purposes could remain relatively intact since Heaven and Earth influenced their creation and destruction.

However, the presence of the sky was a surprise that Noah couldn't explain. The dark world would have prevented any attempt to affect its position, so he knew that he had remained in the same spot inside the stormy regions. He could come up with a few guesses, but they all sounded unreal after the energy that Heaven and Earth had to deplete to deal with the monster.

Noah could only approach the white layer to find answers. He initially guessed that Heaven and Earth had found the location of his breakthrough and had tried to isolate him from the rest of the world, but that guess vanished in mere seconds.

The white layer wasn't a cage. It didn't even try to apply any pressure on the empty area left behind by the dark world. When Noah unfolded his consciousness, he noticed that the bright material expanded far past his position. He actually couldn't find other spots devoid of that whiteness in his surroundings.

Other strange details became clear in his mind after his initial inspection. The white material was identical to the sky, but it didn't carry its usual features. It slightly opposed Noah's mental waves without ever stopping them, and its fabric didn't have the devouring ability that made Heaven and Earth's world so scary.

'Is this a copy?' Noah wondered before dismissing that thought. 'No, no one can create such a perfect imitation. This is Heaven and Earth's work, but why does it lack its usual features?'

The strangeness of the situation didn't offer any answer. Noah could only question his companions about the matter since they had guarded him during his breakthrough, but their memories ended up confusing him even more.

Night and the others had experienced the same confusion when they inspected the event. They had seen the white material of the sky appearing in the form of countless tiny crystals before expanding to cover everything in their vision. It seemed that the chaotic laws themselves had transformed in that imitation of the sky, but they had been careful not to affect powers that went above theirs.

The memories explained why the dark world had remained unaffected by the event, and they even gave Noah a few insights into the actual event. However, they left him unable to find the answers that mattered the most. He couldn't explain why Heaven and Earth had decided to execute such a consuming procedure.

'How long does this stretch?' Noah wondered before glancing at his left hand.

His primary energy, darkness, dark matter, and mental energy flowed inside the black crystal and mixed to create the unstable substance. Yet, the ethereal blackness added a drop of its fuel to the procedure, creating energy that seemed to have the power to turn his insides into dust.

Nothing bad happened to Noah. He actually felt astonished that his black crystal could contain that incredible fuel on his own, and the surprises didn't end there. The unstable substance flowed out of his organ and ran through new black vessels to reach his left arm and fill it with a power he had never wielded.

Noah had merely thought about punching the sky to inspect its insides and testing his new power, but his world had acted even before he made up his mind. He didn't even feel worried about that apparent lack of control. He only experienced satisfaction.

'I see,' Noah thought after understanding what had happened. 'I'm not a normal existence anymore. I'm a world, and a thought is an order that my aspects will fulfill on their own.'

Noah didn't need to decide. Even thinking felt superfluous since his mind was only a part of his world. He only had to be since that already involved eventual choices, inclinations, and preferences.

'It's not lack of control,' Noah chuckled. 'My thoughts are forces that can put my world into motion. I don't need to think because I already know what I want to do. I don't need to decide anything because I've already made up my mind about everything.'

The maniacal character that every existence naturally developed during the cultivation journey reached a new level in the ninth rank. Noah still had a personality, but his world already considered it. It almost felt that his thoughts had transformed into instincts capable of activating certain abilities on their own.

Noah closed his eyes to commit that sensation to memory. He knew that everything would soon turn into his new normality, but he wanted to make sure not to forget that evolution. Noah didn't only wish to expand his understanding of the cultivation journey. He felt the need to remember how much he had changed to remain aware of his roots.

After that feeling became an immortal part of his memories, he threw his punch, and everything shook. A giant chunk of the sky in front of Noah vanished, leaving only primary energy behind, while cracks and boulders appeared and fell everywhere around him.

The perfectly spherical area left behind by the dark world vanished as pieces of the sky fell and opened. A single punch had discharged enough power to tear tens of regions apart, and the most surprising part about the event was the lack of aspects carried by the attack.

Noah had empowered his punch with the unstable substance, and the gesture naturally expressed his world, but that was the bare minimum that he could put into an attack. That blow was very close to his base level.

The primary energy in the shattered area flowed toward Noah even if he didn't activate any technique. His figure attracted sources of power on its own. It seemed an improved version of the magical beasts' natural absorption ability. Still, its range was insane, and its destructiveness also went beyond what normal creatures could do without relying on specific skills.

Noah barely sensed the benefits of that primary energy. He almost lost track of it after it entered the black crystal, and it couldn't do much after flowing toward his flesh.

The destruction of that massive chunk of the sky provided more benefits than the actual absorption of energy. A tremor ran through Noah's world after his attack. The ethereal blackness had tried to expand, but he felt that his feat wasn't enough to grant any improvement. Still, the event had taught him how the rest of his cultivation journey had to proceed.

Noah needed to increase the influence of his world, which required an expansion that he guessed could come from many factions. His incredible feats had always been a powerful fuel for his potential, but he believed that the mere expression of his abilities was enough to provide benefits.

'I only need to let my world express itself to improve it,' Noah concluded after his inspection. 'Still, I don't depend on external energy anymore. I can absorb it, but the greatest benefits seem to come from the fuel inside my world.'

Most of those conclusions came from an instinctive knowledge that his mind had about his ethereal blackness. Noah knew how it worked, what it wanted, and how it desired him to seize it. The matter wasn't even too surprising since he was his world. The latter simply was a pure and unbound version of himself.

Noah almost instinctively stepped inside the cavity created by his punch. He reached its end with a single sprint since time and space bent under the effects of his world to fulfill his desire, and the unstable substance flowed toward his arm again as he prepared another attack.

A series of punches later, Noah found himself deep inside the white material, unable to find a way out of that strange environment. His mind also remained unable to find other empty areas. It was as if the entire higher plane had transformed into an extension of the sky.

****

Author's notes: The third chapter will need another hour or so to be ready.
Chapter 2056: Mercy
Noah continued to punch forward without ever finding the end of the white material. Its lackluster structure made him believe that Heaven and Earth had the power to fill the entirety of the higher plane with that weaker sky, but he expected to encounter other empty areas. Still, his search didn't provide any result.

The dark world was an incredible technique, and its defensive properties had been at their peak during the breakthrough, but Noah knew that other existences could come up with something similar. He even felt relatively sure that some rank 8 beings could also fend off the expansion of the sky with their power, so it would make sense for him to find other holes.

Yet, the world didn't seem to care about his reasonable ideas. It only showed intact whiteness that revealed pure stillness. The chaotic laws had transformed into a material with an opposite nature, even if it carried more power.

'Is this another evolution of Heaven and Earth's energy?' Noah wondered before deciding to interrupt his relentless advance to inspect the areas that he had already crossed. 'This version of the sky is too weak to be a direct improvement. Maybe they have only transformed the nature of their chaotic laws to have more control over the higher plane.'

Noah still felt off track. The chaotic laws weren't easy to affect due to their very nature. Heaven and Earth also needed to keep most of them without deeper purposes to balance their ability to affect the entire higher plane. The recent battle might have removed part of the fairness' limits, but that still felt like a stretch unless the rulers had something in mind.

The lack of answers and the complete absence of traces that could hint at the presence of other living beings tried to bring hesitation to Noah's mind. However, his new mental state had almost forgotten about that feeling. He acted according to the true nature of his existence. He was even growing used to forsaking his thoughts to act according to the desires of his world.

His inspection of the previous areas finally brought some answers. Noah could see a force opposing the influence that lingered on the walls of the large cavities created by his punches. The sky was trying to remove the effects of his attack to expand again, and its effort appeared relentless.

Understanding dawned upon Noah. He wasn't finding traces of other living beings because the sky had never stopped expanding even after filling the area. The nature of that weaker version of the white material was clear now, but he couldn't gain anything out of that.

Keeping track of the passage of time had been impossible for Night and the others after the sky had covered the dark world. They had tried to calculate it, but the results could vary by entire thousands of years.

Noah could finally feel relatively certain that the entirety of the higher plane had fallen prey to the weaker sky, but that only put him back to square one. He didn't know where to go or who had survived the event, but finding his companions wasn't part of the plan. It was time to have a solitary journey to study and improve his position in the ninth rank, so he only had to pick a direction now.

'I guess I should check whether the real sky is still in place,' Noah thought before turning toward the direction of the sky.

Noah vaguely knew where he was, so finding the direction of the sky wasn't an issue. Still, he felt that he would have been able to find it anyway due to his anger. Heaven and Earth's world almost attracted him due to how strong his aspects had become.

Noah limited himself to punch forward and take all the energy he could. He switched to his right arm when he grew bored of using his left, but he eventually decided to limit himself to greed and hunger.

Noah transformed into a vortex as soon as he stopped suppressing the innate effects of his world. The weak sky around him shattered due to the sheer strength of the pulling force that his aspects generated. Nothing survived his absorption, and a path naturally appeared in front of him whenever he stepped forward.

His pace appeared slow, but that didn't reflect the reality of his advance. Space and time twisted whenever Noah stepped forward and allowed him to cross immense distances with only slight movements.

From time to time, Noah decided to release other aspects of his world. Everything felt natural as if he had an inborn understanding of the limits of his power. Yet, he had always tested his abilities after each breakthrough, and the same happened now.

Noah could see how powerful he had become whenever his intentions made his world release part of its power. The space-time array condensed whenever he wanted to move faster. The sky shattered as soon as hunger made its way inside his mind. Part of the white material broke and reassembled in different forms whenever he came up with ideas for disposable weapons or similar projects.

Everything was alive. Noah felt as if the aspects of his existence had taken life after completing the world. He couldn't treat them as weapons or tools meant to improve his attacks anymore. All of them were core parts of his life, and he needed to nurture them accordingly.

His new state also had brought an odd feeling that he had managed to understand fully only after walking across the weak sky for a while. Noah had severed his connection with Heaven and Earth long ago, and the cultivation journey naturally led toward that state too. However, he could truly experience what it was to be a stranger in a world that didn't welcome him.

That feeling was different from a simple separation from Heaven and Earth. It was deeper than the simple brand as an enemy of the whiteness. Noah could feel like a proper world inside a vaster and stronger world.

The feeling obviously wasn't pleasant, but it gave Noah a better understanding of the distance from Heaven and Earth. He could sense the rulers in their immensity, and he could only accept that they were vaster than he had initially predicted.

Heaven and Earth's vastity alone couldn't describe their strength. Actually, that feature almost made them appear weak due to how messy some parts of their world were. Noah could guess that a smaller but denser world could deploy more power, which explained how so many powerful existences could survive their oppression.

The many laws could work against the magical beasts, but it was evident that Heaven and Earth had lost control of their approach. They had too much in a path that didn't exist since they had fused with a world.

Noah's new understanding of the higher plane and the rulers' world almost made him wonder whether his initial idea to waste Heaven and Earth's energy had been wrong. The rulers were naturally striving toward self-destruction, while his feats had often relieved them of the weight of their energy.

'I couldn't really take other paths back then,' Noah reassured himself, and his thoughts came to a stop when he reached a familiar area.

His destruction stopped affecting the path in front of him. Noah saw the familiar sky and confirmed that Heaven and Earth didn't remove the devouring abilities from that material. They actually appeared stronger than before.

Then, a few presences appeared in his consciousness. Noah didn't hesitate to shoot to his right and resume the digging to reach them, but they tried to escape as soon as they sensed him.

The presences weren't faster than Noah, but he still decided to accelerate. In an instant, he found himself among a pack of giant lizards doing their best to run away through tunnels dug by their rank 9 leaders.

Noah voiced a low growl when he saw that his arrival didn't make the magical beasts stop. His pride froze everyone on the spot. Even the lower tier leaders couldn't do anything but leave their tunnel and turn their lowered heads toward him.

"Mercy, Defying Demon," One of the lizards pleaded in a human voice before Noah could voice other cries.
Chapter 2057: Kidding
Noah inspected the lizard. They were huge and had blue scales that seemed able to protect them from the whiteness radiated by the sky. Two curved horns grew from the side of their heads, and long claws stretched from their four legs. Their tails were long and thick, but they also appeared flexible and agile.

'Did I forget about them?' Noah wondered when he failed to remember an encounter with that species. 'Did they end up on the black landmass and learnt my name there?'

"How do you know my name?" Noah growled since his memories couldn't provide answers.

The two rank 9 lizards exchanged a glance before slowly raising their heads in confusion. They didn't know whether Noah was putting them through a test, but they decided to be honest about the matter anyway.

"Everyone has seen the battle against the black creature," One of the leaders said. "Some even say that you have caused it."

"Who are these some?" Noah continued.

"Well, magical beasts, humans, and hybrids," The leader replied. "Some say that they belong to an organization that opposes Heaven and Earth, but they have become rare since the sky filled the world. We live by rumors."

"How did you meet these existences?" Noah questioned. "How long has it passed since you met them?"

"That's hard to say," The other leader responded. "It's hard to keep track of the passage of time when the environment has nothing but sky. As for meeting them, the encounters are random. We never know when we might meet suitable-."

The lizard stopped speaking when it realized that the truth could probably lead to its death, especially if it involved Defying Demon's potential allies. Still, its abrupt interruption only felt awkward in that situation and forced it to lower its head again.

"I don't care if you have eaten them," Noah reassured. "I'm only trying to understand the current situation. I have been away for some time."

The two leaders exchanged another glance, but neither seemed willing to continue talking about that topic. Yet, Noah only needed to growl to force them to speak.

"The sky alone can't sustain us," The first leader whimpered. "We must look for better targets, so we roam through this whiteness searching for them. Some try to use your name to save their lives, while others let us live and share their stories. The dragons are especially kind if you are lucky enough to meet them."

Noah almost couldn't believe that he had become famous even among magical beasts, but the event didn't feel too unrealistic after his show of power. The lizards also confirmed that some of his companions had survived the current state of the world, so he could focus on other details.

"Why are the dragons kind?" Noah asked before sniffing a few times. "Is it because your bloodline has some connections with theirs?"

Noah could smell their partial belonging to the dragons' bloodlines. It was distant and far from pure, but he couldn't guess what the four upper tier leaders had in mind in the current situation.

"Rumors say that they are kind to every magical beast," The second leader announced. "They have become the protectors of every species."

"Is someone hunting them?" Noah asked as a bad feeling formed in his mind.

"Rumors say that Heaven and Earth area targeting every large pack," The first leader replied. "We never faced anything, but the dragons still warned us about that."

Noah quickly came to an obvious conclusion. Heaven and Earth had started their preparations for the final battle. Their first step had consisted of filling the entire world with their sky, while the second involved the population of the magical beasts. They were probably trying to reduce the number of opponents that could oppose them while they still had that complete control.

'What now?' Noah questioned himself while falling deep in his thoughts.

His first idea was to create an area that Heaven and Earth couldn't affect right in the middle of the higher plane. The white materials that filled the world would provide all the energy that Noah needed to complete that project, and he was one of the few existences capable of uniting magical beasts, humans, and hybrids under the same banner.

However, Heaven and Earth seemed to have started approaching their breakthrough seriously. Noah didn't know what consequences his actions could cause, and he wasn't sure his power could deal with them. After all, he had stepped into the ninth rank. The rulers could probably throw everything they wanted at him now.

Noah wouldn't make choices founded on his fear of the rulers. His journey now had to focus on himself since he needed to expand his world. Yet, his pride was one of his aspects, which was relatively pointless when he had no underlings.

His ambition also was perfect for a potential pack. Noah would only increase the number of enemies that could threaten Heaven and Earth if he decided to restore his organization.

'I don't want to go back to being a leader right away,' Noah admitted, 'But leaving Heaven and Earth on their own isn't ideal either.'

Heaven and Earth could probably slowly eradicate every pack in that favorable environment. The dragons would become their last opponents, and Noah wouldn't have the chance to help them since he couldn't even try to find them among that whiteness. The situation was troublesome and unclear, but he had to accept that he only had a few options.

"You are lucky Heaven and Earth want to kill magical beasts," Noah sighed. "I would have totally eaten you otherwise."

The lizards didn't feel happy about that admission, but they didn't hesitate to express their gratitude. Noah didn't even need to show his power to make them understand how they had no chance against him.

"Try not to die," Noah eventually exclaimed. "You might be important in what's about to come."

The lizards didn't know what Noah meant, but they nodded and expressed their gratitude again anyway. They were too scared to understand the benefits that his ambition could provide to their species, so they were ready to say anything to preserve their freedom.

Noah didn't add anything else. He sprinted toward a random spot and activated his suction force again. The weak sky shattered to create a large path, and he quickly disappeared from the lizards' vision.

The dull and unchanging environment almost made Noah regret his decision, but that feeling barely managed to reach his mind when he let his instincts lead him. He had chosen to remain alone for a while and inspect what the weak sky hid. As for the direction, his anger would be his guide toward places that opposed Heaven and Earth.

Noah planned to slowly expand his world and develop techniques that could make full use of his new power, but his desires shattered in no time. He sensed that something had happened behind him, and he quickly turned to reach the source of that feeling.

'You must be kidding me,' Noah cursed in his mind when he found a barrage of black clouds on his path.

Crackling noises and cries seeped out of that black array, and Noah even sensed the presence of the lizards on the other side. It seemed that Heaven and Earth had attacked them right after his departure.

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Author's notes: The chapters will come. I'm just late as usual.
Chapter 2058: Steps
'Why did they go back to the clouds?' Noah wondered as he placed his hand on the black array that had taken control of the area.

Heaven and Earth had slowly moved away from punishments that resembled their old selves. The human and heroic ranks featured the usual three Tribulations, and similar attempts to suppress existences happened in the seventh rank. However, they transformed into avatars or proper unique counters against rank 8 and 9 beings.

The pack of lizards featured two leaders in the ninth rank and a few rank 8 specimens. In theory, the lightning bolts released by punishments meant for weaker beings wouldn't be able to hurt them, but Noah didn't believe that Heaven and Earth had misjudged the level of the threat.

The clouds felt different from the raw mass of destructive power that Noah had fought in the past. They were an improved version of that weak punishment, and the meanings that they carried had also deepened.

The clouds still radiated pure destructive power. They resembled Snore's innate ability if Noah compared his companion to the energy system in Heaven and Earth's world. Yet, they seemed to have become relatively intelligent.

Noah only needed to desire to inspect the insides of the black array to radiate part of his destruction. The clouds opened and created a passage that revealed a surprising scene. He saw the pack of lizards immersed in a dark battlefield illuminated by a series of giant avatars and currents of lightning bolts.

The avatars and the lightning bolts had changed. The puppets were huge, and they didn't have their unstable structures anymore. They resembled the version of Heaven and Earth that had fought the monster. They had proper skin instead of a series of sparks constantly flowing to create a humanoid shape.

Instead, the lightning bolts had grouped in the form of dense currents that enhanced their individual power. Those gales actually resembled the attacks released by the orange city, even if they were white and rotated to increase their destructiveness.

The environment created by the clouds was also strange. It made Noah think about the Heaven Tribulations that used to fall on the Mortal Lands, but that only increased the oddity of the situation.

Heaven and Earth had filled the entire world with their weak sky, but they prevented their light from surrounding their targets with their clouds. The avatars and lightning bolts glowed with the same radiance and applied the same effects. Still, that felt like a waste of energy with so much whiteness in the environment.

Noah could guess that the whiteness deployed on that battlefield had different meanings, but it still felt strange when Heaven and Earth could use the weak sky. The only explanation he could come up with involved a change in the approach to the cultivation journey. It was as if the rulers wanted to express their power through individual entities instead of using the world for their needs.

'Are they trying to remember what they were before fusing with the world?' Noah wondered before correcting himself. 'No, that would go against the current situation of the world. Probably, they are looking for a different balance now that they had lost so much energy.'

The lizards were struggling against the avatars and currents of lightning bolts, but their eyes lit up when they saw Noah crossing the clouds. However, he remained still and watched the fight instead of helping them.

Noah wanted to observe before jumping into a battle. Heaven and Earth had changed in ways that went in the opposite direction of their previous approach. Their stronger punishments tried to express their magnitude in the past, but they had turned into individual assets capable of releasing denser energy now.

Noah didn't know how to feel about that change, mostly because he felt he was to blame. Heaven and Earth had been able to show traces of personality only with rank 9 punishments, but they were attempting something different now. They almost resembled cultivators, even if they remained too messy to appear as a single existence.

'Are they trying to transform again to adapt to the new flaws?' Noah questioned himself.

That wouldn't be the first time Heaven and Earth had pulled off something similar. They had transformed when they found themselves unable to defeat the magical beasts, so it didn't feel unreal that something similar could happen due to the orange city, the monster, and Noah's group. Actually, it suited their behavior quite perfectly.

The issue was that Noah probably was one of the main reasons behind that transformation. He had forced Heaven and Earth to waste massive amounts of energy multiple times, and his companions had also affected their foundation.

Noah couldn't help but think that Heaven and Earth were striving to reach a smaller but denser shape. Wasting energy and losing laws could help create a firmer foundation capable of overcoming the magical beasts and the new threats that had appeared after their first transformation.

'It should be impossible,' Noah thought after evaluating every possibility. 'They have already lost too much of their original selves. They would only throw away what they have left of their personality and drive if they perform another transformation.'

Noah found the loophole in that reasoning immediately. Completing a second transformation on such a vast scale would be impossible unless Heaven and Earth found a way to retrieve what they had lost in the past. They would have the chance to fuse the best of their two versions and develop something stronger that didn't have flaws in the current state of the world.

'Why are they targeting the magical beasts then?' Noah wondered. 'They have enough power to deal with the old rulers. It would have been easier to focus the entirety of their energy on them instead of filling the higher plane to attack the various packs.'

The answer to those doubts didn't take long to appear in his mind. Noah could imagine everything. Both Heaven and Earth and the old rulers had deep flaws in their current state. The former still couldn't approach the breakthrough, while the latter had yet to retrieve and overcome their previous level.

By attacking the magical beasts, Heaven and Earth were slowly pushing their state closer to the tenth rank and giving room to grow to the old rulers. The process wanted to prepare the field for a vaster project that involved their existence as a whole.

Of course, all of that was happening in Noah's mind. He had vague clues gathered in an environment that he had yet to understand properly. However, his existence had never been stronger, so his ability to predict Heaven and Earth's plans and intentions had also reached insane levels.

Moreover, Noah had a general understanding of the world and the cultivation journey as a whole. He could see the possible paths in front of Heaven and Earth. Predicting where they would decide to walk felt almost natural after adding their past behavior to the current situation.

'The first step before the final battle has strived to the total control of the world,' Noah summarized in his mind. 'The second is focusing on reducing the population of magical beasts, and the third probably will probably involve the transformation that Heaven and Earth need to prepare for the fusion. Interesting.'

"Enough," Noah casually growled when his reasoning ended, and his voice sent waves of destruction throughout the battlefield.

The avatars and currents of lightning bolts directly shattered and released waves of energy that converged toward Noah's figure. Yet, the clouds didn't suffer any damage and began to emit angry crackling noises that resembled growls. He could even feel that Heaven and Earth's attention had finally fallen on him.

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Author's notes: I had to sleep. The third chapter should come relatively soon.
Chapter 2059: Shatter
Heaven and Earth seemed to have just noticed Noah's presence. Actually, he could feel that new energy had flowed inside the clouds after destroying the avatars and the currents of lightning bolts.

'This feels familiar,' Noah thought as he recalled past Heaven Tribulations. 'These clouds are probably a program that targets packs of magical beasts once the conditions are right.'

Noah didn't know if Heaven and Earth had always had that program ready, but that didn't seem to be the case due to the different abilities that it expressed. The normal black clouds would have already thrown barrages of lightning bolts at him after his interference. Yet, that new version stood still and analyzed his figure to understand how to deal with him.

"I'll take you for a while," Noah growled and waved his hand to expand the dark world and retrieve it in the next instant.

The lizards saw the mass of black crystals filling their surroundings and dragging them inside Noah's separate space. They couldn't oppose the process, especially with the pride seeping out of that technique. Still, they didn't struggle too much after seeing that they were finally getting a chance to escape the Tribulation.

Noah didn't immediately attack after clearing the area. He waited as his eyes darted among the clouds, and the corners of his mouth curved upward to reveal a cold smirk. Destroying that Tribulation at his current level felt easy, but he wanted to study their abilities first.

The clouds appeared unwilling to fight Noah. He didn't know if that feeling came from their natural structure or the power that had filled them after his arrival. Yet, he continued to wait to see what decision they would make.

The battlefield eventually started to shrink. The clouds closed on Noah as their fabric shrunk to condense their power into something that could at least hope to hurt him. The new energy had no part in that event. The form that they were trying to achieve felt like an aspect of their programming.

Noah began to raise his hand, but he stopped before any attack could come out of it. He had initially thought about forcing Heaven and Earth to pick a stronger move, but he feared that his power would make them decide to give up on fighting him.

The clouds soon stopped condensing. Their crackling noises intensified as humanoid white figures started to come out of their gaseous fabric. They were giving birth to giant avatars that had the same shape deployed during the battle against the monster, but Noah felt disappointed when their auras expanded.

The avatars were in the lower and middle tier of the ninth rank. They were stronger than their previous versions, but Noah had become able to deal with them even before his last breakthrough. Heaven and Earth couldn't possibly hope to defeat him with that little power.

His initial idea that Heaven and Earth wanted to waste power on purpose began to shake, but he didn't give up on it yet. After all, the rulers had yet to influence the clouds properly, so Noah guessed that they were trying to test him.

The clouds continued to generate avatars until Noah couldn't find a spot without them on the black array. Sparks started to seep out of their white skin as they gathered power. The puppets then joined hands and created a circuit that allowed their energy to flow freely from body to body.

The energy grew stronger as it flowed through that battle formation. Each avatar acted as a core that forced the power obtained from the clouds to condense and improve.

Noah's eyes sharpened at that sight. He had seen a vast deal of formations throughout his journeys with King Elbas, but that scene reminded him of something else. He recognized the theory behind June's Perfect Circuit in that technique.

Some coldness inevitably began to seep out of his figure. The weaker avatars that happened to touch that feeling found their bodies severed into countless parts. Noah ended up destroying many of them before managing to retract his influence and let the technique continue.

Noah couldn't help but forget about his initial plan when June's techniques appeared in front of his eyes. That scene didn't necessarily mean that she was in danger, and he even trusted her enough to know that she wouldn't lose to Heaven and Earth so easily. Still, his reaction had been instinctive and intense anyway.

The clouds gave birth to avatars that filled the spots left behind by the destroyed puppets. They didn't seem to mind Noah's abrupt attack, and the new energy inside them also remained still. It didn't connect that reaction with his relationship with June, but he didn't know whether to consider that as a good sign.

The avatars continued to accumulate energy until a series of spheres gathered in front of their chests. Sparks tried to come out of them, but the pulling force generated by the formation forced that energy to remain in their place.

Noah sensed that the avatars were striving to deliver an attack with power in the upper tier. His instincts warned him about that potential threat, but he limited himself to deploying the unstable substance.

The fabric of space began to twist when the entirety of Noah's body went through that empowerment. His sole presence became too heavy for an environment that lacked the strengthening of Heaven and Earth's light.

The avatars eventually let go of each other's hands and released all the power accumulated in front of them. A series of white beams that transformed into lightning bolts when their energy began to disperse converged on Noah and engulfed him into Heaven and Earth's iconic aura.

The attacks continued to rage even after the initial explosions. Shockwaves spread from the impact and reached the clouds before bouncing back. The black array worked as a cage that made use of the power dispersed after the technique to increase its destructiveness.

'This won't do,' Noah sighed, and his gesture made the raging energy around him leave his figure before flowing inside his body in the form of nutrients.

Noah reappeared among the array of clouds. His body featured no injuries, and even the robe created through his dark matter was completely intact. The attack didn't manage to leave a single mark on him.

'Is this the power that stands at the peak of the cultivation journey?' Noah thought as he checked his hands in the hope of finding small marks.

Everything felt too weak now that Noah had reached the ninth rank and had become able to study Heaven and Earth's punishments properly. The last attack stood in the upper tier, but its quality wasn't nearly enough to injure him after deploying the unstable substance.

That realization left Noah disappointed. He had long since understood that he had gone past the normal labels set by past experts. Still, that was too much. He had seen magical beasts with bodies that theoretically stood at his level suffering from the same attack that didn't hurt him in the slightest.

"Shatter!" Noah roared, and intense destruction accompanied the soundwaves generated by his voice.

His anger and understanding of Heaven and Earth's power accompanied the roar and granted it the power to affect the clouds. Fissures appeared in the black array and the fabric of space around him as his voice flew. It didn't take long before everything fell apart and left only Heaven and Earth new energy in the area.

Noah inspected the energy. He could see that it had the potential to rebuild the clouds and push their power to a superior realm, but nothing similar happened. Heaven and Earth lost interest in him and made its power go back inside the sky.
Chapter 2060: Orders
Heaven and Earth retreated, leaving Noah with many questions and only a few answers. He didn't know what the rulers were capable of right now, but he had seen how they had polished their punishments and had added some complexity to their power.

The return to the black clouds and their automatic nature hinted at the presence of a different system. Heaven and Earth had evolved the Tribulations and had unleashed them throughout the sky. Their initial indifference toward Noah partially proved how they lacked proper wills and only targeted specific enemies. The magical beasts were a clear hindrance on the path to the tenth rank, so the rulers had decided to isolate them before starting a worldwide hunt.

Noah inspected the area for a bit. He couldn't see any trace of the energy that had invaded the clouds. Heaven and Earth had merely gazed at the battle before leaving without deploying any additional measure. The event had resembled scenes seen in the Mortal Lands, but he knew that it had a different meaning now.

In the Mortal Lands, Heaven and Earth intervened only when the Tribulations turned out to be unsuitable for certain existences or when they were involved in acts that defied their fairness. However, they appeared when something aroused their interest now, and Noah obviously was on that list.

June's face inevitably appeared in his mind. The cultivation journey, especially near its higher ranks, didn't leave time to love and similar relationships. The path toward the peak also separated friendships due to the problems that different worlds could experience after remaining close for too long.

Noah trusted June deeply, and he even missed her whenever his mind went on those topics. He would love to have her at his side right now to discuss their respective journeys or just dive into intimate moments. Yet, searching for someone in that environment was virtually impossible. He believed that King Elbas would also struggle to develop something that could work.

'I'll meet her as long as I keep moving forward,' Noah eventually concluded in his mind. 'If I don't, I'll be forced to leave her behind.'

The sad but inevitable conclusion only managed to keep Noah in a daze for a few seconds. He recalled every promise he had exchanged with June, and neither could go back on their words. That would only mean the end of their cultivation journey.

Noah released the pack of lizards after putting those thoughts in the back of his mind. The creatures prepared to fight as soon as the whiteness shone on their reptilian eyes, but they relaxed when they saw Noah floating next to them.

"Thank you, Defying Demon," One of the leaders politely exclaimed, and the other lizards quickly echoed those human words.

A tremor ran on the creatures' eyes when Noah turned to show his cold face. His expression had nothing to do with the lizards, but they felt fear anyway. Yet, they didn't complain nor move since their lives basically belonged to him now.

Various thoughts ran through Noah's mind as he inspected the lizards. He had decided to focus on himself, but he couldn't let Heaven and Earth do as they wished either, especially after seeing how brazen they were about their hunt.

'Maybe it's time for the rulers to get what they deserve for using programs instead of stepping directly into the battlefield,' Noah thought before turning toward the weak sky.

"Stay there," Noah ordered as he approached the weak sky and placed a hand on its white layer.

Black lines began to spread on the material as Noah unfolded his aura. His destruction seeped into the very fabric of the weak sky, but he didn't trigger it immediately. Instead, he let it expand until it reached spots that even his vast consciousness struggled to touch.

The spiderweb of black lines eventually showed its power. An enormous chunk of the weak sky shattered and transformed into immense clouds of primary energy that made the lizards drool in hunger. They already ate those nutrients, but they had never seen so many of them at the same time since their destructive power was nowhere near Noah's.

Noah didn't feel hungry since he had already decided to proceed in a different direction. A new nature seeped into his aura and attracted the primary energy. That fuel typically was too thin to be visible with mere eyes, but the currents created by the pulling force were so dense that they gained multicolored shades as they converged toward Noah.

The primary energy didn't enter Noah's figure. He let it accumulate on his palm as his aura continued to condense it. The fuel wanted to gain specific shapes already, but he didn't allow it to complete the process since he had to take care of another phase first.

Noah moved back toward the lizards after taking that primary energy for himself. His consciousness shrunk to condense on those specimens and seep deep into their bodies. The creatures opposed that inspection, but a mere tinge of his pride was more than enough to make them lower their innate defenses.

"Don't oppose it," Noah growled when he approached one of the rank 9 leaders.

The lizard could only lower its head when Noah stretched his hand. The release of a wave of dark matter followed the contact, and the creature almost tried to escape when it felt that dense foreign energy seeping inside its body.

Noah only needed to glare at the lizard to make it stay still. He didn't blame it for trying to be uncooperative since most of those reactions came from its instincts, but he still wanted to complete his study quickly.

"You too," Noah said after retrieving the dark matter and glancing at the other leader.

The lizard lowered its head and approached Noah slowly. He placed his hand on its body before sending dark matter in its insides. His higher energy allowed him to understand everything about those creatures, including the differences that made those leaders unique.

"You need to eat something for me," Noah ordered after retrieving the dark matter and deploying the dark world.

"We wouldn't dare to oppose you," One of the leaders said, but Noah ignored those words since he had already started to focus on his project.

Noah let the primary energy disperse inside the dark world as multiple workshops materialized. The technique used the power obtained from the sky to give birth to Great Builder's iconic items. He quickly created fake cores that suited the lizards' specific bloodline and even modified some of them so that they could fit the rank 9 specimens.

The fake cores were similar to Great Builder's creations only in their structure. They were oval black items as large as a human's head. However, their purpose was completely different. Noah didn't make them to provide energy and superior harmony. He had developed dispensers of his ambition that would help the lizard overcome the innate limits of their species or current state.

"Eat them," Noah eventually ordered as he controlled the dark world to send the finished products in front of each lizard inside his technique. "They won't give you any immediate power, but they will open a path toward higher forms of existence. Stepping on it will depend on you."
Chapter 2061: Techniques
The lizards didn't have the time to worry about Noah's orders since their instincts could predict the positive effects of the fake cores on their power as a whole. They were naturally attracted to materials that could improve their current state, and nothing in the world could surpass Noah's ambition in that field.

The creatures swiftly ate the fake cores, and Noah inspected how they reacted inside their bodies. His items dispersed and flowed toward specific spots before regaining their original form. It didn't take long before they started radiating Noah's ambition, and nothing of that power seeped out of their figures.

Noah nodded in satisfaction. He didn't want Heaven and Earth to be aware of which magical beasts he marked. His ambition had to remain hidden and leak as few traces as possible to take eventual punishments by surprise. Of course, that would depend on the creatures' ability to survive and evolve, but he believed that specimens capable of reaching the ninth rank had what it took to strive for superior realms.

The lizards immediately experienced an outburst of their hunger. The magical beasts could take far longer than cultivators and hybrids to reach the higher ranks since they often settled for slow and safe improvements, in some cases. That allowed them to accumulate many experiences that would typically transform influences for their evolution.

However, the magical beasts had stricter paths. Their cultivation journeys had harsh limits given by their bloodlines. Those issues grew laxer in the divine ranks, but they remained unable to transform completely according to what they had overcome or experienced.

Noah's ambitions could remove those limits, but he had never been able to create a portable version of that power. However, his new level had allowed him to complete that task easily. After all, those fake cores were nothing more than weaker copies of his ethereal blackness that only focused on one aspect of his existence.

The ambition that flowed inside the lizards made their very fabric reevaluate all the events experienced throughout their lives. They had been unable to do much with them due to their species' limits, but the situation had finally changed. They could feel their bodies striving for a different form that required a lot of energy, so their hunger had instinctively skyrocketed.

"You are free to go," Noah announced after confirming that everything was working perfectly. "Try not to die due to your new hunger."

Noah noticed that a tinge of greed flashed in the eyes of some lizards when they glanced at him. Their hunger was so strong that it almost made them ignore the suppression of his pride and their instinctive fear. Yet, they managed to control themselves since their leaders voiced a growl to force them to move away.

The two leaders lowered their heads toward Noah to express their gratitude and respect before leading their pack away. They picked a random direction in the white scenery and began to dig through the weak sky while eating everything that left the main structure.

'I should probably slow down the release of ambition next time,' Noah thought as he watched the lizard disappear among the whiteness. 'It's still hard to control my power.'

Noah inspected himself before turning toward the large area destroyed to create the fake cores. He was in perfect condition. He didn't feel any strain after defeating the clouds and their powerful attack. Noah didn't feel anything even after the unstable substance stopped empowering his body.

His centers of power had become able to endure eventual drawbacks, and he felt that the same went for the potential contained in the ethereal blackness. Something told Noah that he could use the fuel inside his world without worrying about falling into a mental coma or facing similar issues.

His current resilience made sense, but he still felt elated about it. Still, the true extent of his power remained a bit vague since he wasn't clear about his limits. Noah didn't know how strong he would become after activating the ethereal blackness to its fullest.

The desire to find a worthy opponent appeared in his mind, but he ignored it for now. The environment didn't give Noah many options, so he began to advance as he focused on his current techniques.

His thoughts tried not to involve his companions. Noah had already seen what his companions had developed after their breakthroughs. They were essential parts of his world now, but he wanted to focus on his aspects before deciding how to fuse them with his techniques.

Anger, pride, greed, hunger, ambition, creation, destruction, sharpness, space, and time fused to create Noah's world. Some of those aspects shared similar features, and others felt like different versions of existing parts that carried unique or specific features. Still, they all had special uses, and he wanted to develop a battle style that could express their power to their fullest.

Noah had to divide his aspects when thinking about his techniques due to the stark differences among them. The final slash and his other sharp attacks could express them in the same blows, but that felt almost natural after spending so long fighting with blades. Part of Sword Saint's influence also still affected his battle style, so he didn't consider those blows yet.

However, Noah also had powerful but complicated techniques able to express only some of those aspects. A few of them even had a supportive role and couldn't work as core aspects of an attack, especially when it came to his anger.

Noah had to improve his arsenal to express the entirety of his power. Otherwise, he would turn into a different version of Sword Saint, and his existence wouldn't accept that singular path. He didn't even feel the same dedication toward any individual aspect. Everything was good as long as it made him stronger.

Hence, Noah focused on techniques that he had already perfected, but that would only benefit from a new wave of tests now that he had overcome the breakthrough.

His first ideas involved the workshop and the dark world as a whole. Noah could create strong puppets now, and adding his understanding of time could only help that technique. He could already imagine the insides of his ability working faster than everything else in the outside world and deploying entire armies of powerful disposable troops.

His movement technique felt good already, but he could imagine a few possible improvements. Noah guessed that he could be faster as long as he rebuilt the space-time array according to his needs. His idea came from Sepunia's power since he intended to put a self-made patch on time and space to accelerate during his sprints.

His hunger and greed could transform into a proper devouring technique and add a third powerful pulling force to his arsenal. Noah didn't know how much energy his centers of power would require now, so he needed to be ready for his next challenging battle, especially if he found someone capable of hurting him. He couldn't guess how long it would take him to heal deep injuries without external sources of fuel, so preparations were necessary.

At last, Noah started to add his companions to those calculations. Many were suitable for specific attacks, while others felt wasted in roles that didn't express their nature. For once, Noah felt glad that the sky had decided to isolate everyone since the number of projects in his mind required a long period of isolation. Luckily for him, he had a lot of time to think about the issue while traveling across the weak sky.
Chapter 2062: Alone
The dullness of the environment gave Noah a lot of time to think about his current state and the heights that he could still achieve. His initial ideas about potential techniques evolved, shattered, improved, separated, and took directions he didn't initially predict.

Noah didn't need to create final techniques, not yet, at least. His focus went on his general battle style and the power it could express if he deployed his aspects correctly, especially when it came to time and space.

Then, Noah had to mix them with his companions. The times when he had to fear for their well-being were over. Night and the others could stand proudly at his side and help in most battles, depending on the situation.

Noah partially gained insights into Heaven and Earth's initial mindset after analyzing his power so thoroughly. It was hard to think of ways to deploy the entirety of his arsenal in each battle, and his world was tiny compared to the number of laws that the rulers had accumulated throughout the eras. He felt almost able to understand why they had decided to deploy similar punishments most of the time instead of going directly for the perfect counters.

Having too much could often lead to being unable to show its true power. The issue was fine when it came to actual worlds since they had to manage various environments and living beings. Their job would be over after creating all the systems they needed. Yet, existences didn't have it so easy since they needed to deploy their aspects in battles that were never identical to the others.

Heaven and Earth had it even harder since they had to deal with the negative aspects of both paths. They had to manage the world while also striving toward the tenth rank with an immense number of laws. Noah had to admit that his respect for those beings had only increased after his understanding deepened.

The deeper understanding also allowed Noah to see how to exploit eventual flaws. He felt almost certain that his feats had helped Heaven and Earth develop a better path now, but that evolution felt inevitable when he thought about it. The world would have only continued to create suitable enemies even if he didn't transmigrate there.

Still, that didn't mean that his previous approach remained the best approach. Noah was too extreme. He was one of the few existences that the world would have tried to suppress even without Heaven and Earth, so his feats helped the rulers too quickly.

Instead, delegating part of his plans to weaker beings would continue to hinder Heaven and Earth without giving them much room for growth. Empowering the magical beasts could help delay the final battle and give him the time to seize the power he needed to defeat the rulers.

Of course, Noah didn't delude himself. He knew his character, and his arrival in the ninth rank only enhanced his features. He knew that he would create a mess if the situation benefited him, so his efforts went on avoiding troubles and focusing on his power.

Noah hovered with his legs crossed and his destructive aura all around him. The weak sky couldn't oppose him, and energy never stopped flowing inside his figure, but he barely paid attention to his surroundings. He spent most of his time inside his mind, busy developing techniques or pondering about the current state of the world.

His ethereal blackness slowly expanded as he continued to apply his influence to his surroundings. Still, the growth was barely noticeable. Noah felt that affecting the weak sky couldn't grant him much power since he was stronger than that material.

For once, Noah didn't mind that slow growth, not too much at least. He was too immersed in that new environment to come up with plans that could quicken his improvements. He lacked the knowledge necessary to develop proper strategies.

Keeping track of the passage of time was obviously close to impossible. Sometimes, Noah closed his eyes only to discover that he didn't recognize anything in his immediate surroundings. He didn't even notice when he had deployed the destruction that had opened his current path through the weak sky.

Noah had never cared about the passage of time, and that environment only made him forget that a similar issue even existed. His understanding of that field even involved deeper topics that made centuries and millennia irrelevant. He only needed to desire it to see the space-time array and play around with it, so he couldn't even take the problem seriously.

That long travel felt like the seclusion meant to stabilize his breakthrough. Nothing disturbed him, and he could even decide to study the environment whenever he wanted to find new ideas. Testing attacks wasn't an issue since Heaven and Earth didn't seem to care about his random destructive acts. Noah was using the higher plane as his personal training area, and he found the experience quite intriguing, especially when he recalled where his journey had begun.

Noah had decided to avoid troubles for a while, but he was a magnet for those situations, and someone eventually appeared to remind him that the world didn't belong to him.

"Is the ninth rank fun?" A familiar youthful voice suddenly resounded from behind Noah, but the event didn't take him by surprise.

Noah turned to gaze at the privileged cultivator that had come out of the sky behind him. He had sensed Caesar's arrival even before he teleported completely into the area. His cold reptilian eyes inspected the smiling young-looking expert for a few seconds before voicing words through an annoyed tone. "What do you want?"

"I thought that you might have felt alone after waking up in this type of world," Caesar joked.

"Don't tell me," Noah teased. "Did you take so long to find me?"

Caesar felt slightly taken aback by that question. He couldn't believe that Noah had understood the nature of the situation so deeply a few seconds after that encounter.

"You are right," Caesar admitted. "You can see this part of the sky as a massive Tribulation that Heaven and Earth don't want to affect out of fear of ruining its purpose. Your world didn't help either. I couldn't pinpoint your exact location, and even the destruction that you left behind felt hard to investigate."

"How did you find me then?" Noah asked.

"It was fate," Caesar chuckled. "We had to meet before you went back to your usual chaos."

"Fate doesn't exist," Noah announced.

"It does in my world," Caesar revealed as a meaningful smirk appeared on his face.

"Why are you disclosing the nature of your world?" Noah questioned. "This shouldn't help Heaven and Earth."

"But it helps you," Caesar exclaimed while spreading his arms. "Look around you. Heaven and Earth have almost complete control of the world, and you have played a big part in this success. I'll give you the advantages that you need as long as you keep putting the rulers in tough spots."

"I wonder," Noah sighed. "What if I were to were to defeat Heaven and Earth? What would become of your plan at that point?"

"Death is an inevitable event on many paths," Caesar declared. "I might even say that death is necessary for the paths to exist at all. Yet, we strive to avoid it, even if fate doesn't like that."

"This is useless," Noah whispered in front of the vague answer. The unstable substance started to flow inside his body, and two swords appeared in his hands as he broke his cross-legged stance to walk toward the cultivator.

"What would this be?" Caesar asked in an amused tone.

"It was about time I found a decent opponent," Noah explained. "I have a few things to try. Make sure to defend so I can understand where I stand."

"You are strong," Caesar stated, "But not strong enough. Our battle won't happen today."

Noah revealed a cold smirk before activating his ambition. His companions even came out of his figure and echoed his power. None of them would remain behind in front of an expert that represented the very peak under Heaven and Earth.
Chapter 2063: Astonishment
The display of power that Noah was currently capable of was immense. The fuel inside the ethereal blackness flowed inside his centers of power and spread toward his companions while they activated their own ambition.

A system that could force the entirety of Noah's arsenal to go through two rounds of improvements formed in a few seconds and turned an immense area dark. The light radiated by the weak sky couldn't pierce his aura. Actually, the glow emitted by his figure was enough to push that whiteness away.

The unstable substance joined the empowerments as roots started to come out of his palms. Black crystals appeared around the blades as the parasite covered them and enhanced their destructiveness.

Duanlong took its position behind Noah, and Shafu activated its pulling force from inside him. Night disappeared among the darkness spreading in the environment, and Snore materialized itself before showing its immense figure from above Noah.

The dark world also expanded, but it didn't hide Noah. He unleashed it behind him to put the workshops to work. He didn't know much about Caesar, so he couldn't create specific environments to counter him. The dark matter around his blades was enough to empower his attacks.

Caesar smiled as confidence filled his face. Noah had seen similar expressions in his opponents countless times, so he didn't think too much about it. Yet, the faint helplessness that appeared in the cultivator's eyes warned him that something was off.

Noah inspected his surroundings as his aura laid waste to the weak sky. The relatively large tunnel soon transformed into a vast battlefield incapable of hiding anything. He could confirm that Heaven and Earth weren't trying to use traps or similar methods. They were leaving him against Caesar, but that only made the helplessness in his eyes even stranger.

"What is it?" Caesar asked when he saw that Noah seemed to have no intention to attack him. "I thought you drew your swords for a reason."

Noah didn't fall for that taunt, but he had to admit that hesitating wasn't helping him. He couldn't see anything after inspecting the space-time array in the area, and the sky was too far away to take him by surprise.

Noah's hesitation came from a faint instinctive reaction to Caesar's helplessness, but he couldn't withdraw from a similar battle without launching a single attack. He also recognized how he needed to test himself against an opponent who could withstand his power. That was the perfect chance to see how strong he had become.

Caesar opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out of it since Noah promptly took a step forward. The cultivator wore his smile again at that sight, and his eyes moved as soon as his opponent vanished.

Noah reappeared at Caesar's right, and a massive crack opened behind him to mark the path that he had crossed. His blades seemed to expand as he swung them toward his opponent, and dark shades filled the area as his destructive aspects spread.

Caesar wanted to voice a comment before the blades hit him, but he suddenly noticed that he couldn't express his usual speed. The time for him had slowed down, and even his surprised reaction ended up suffering from those effects.

The blades hit Caesar directly and unleashed a wave of power that made the fabric of space shatter. A massive hole that led to the void opened due to the sheer might of the blow, and the cultivator's figure ended up disappearing in the darkness.

Noah inspected the destruction that he had unleashed. His darkness showed scarlet and purple shades as it continued to expand and shatter the world. Almost one-third of the vast area cleared by his aura had transformed into a hole that led to the void, and that damaged spot only enlarged while his pulling forces remained active.

Caesar's aura had disappeared among that blackness. Noah couldn't see him anymore, and he had failed to confirm whether he had fallen into the void. Still, he had felt his weapons landing on his body. In theory, even a solid stage cultivator would have a hard time enduring something like that.

"You have definitely become strong," Caesar's voice suddenly resounded from a spot above Noah as his aura spread into the environment again. "I couldn't dodge it at all."

Noah glanced at the source of that sound, and astonishment inevitably filled his mind. Nothing appeared on his face, but he remained surprised at that sight. Caesar had reappeared, and he didn't show any injury.

"What is it?" Caesar asked as his confident smile reappeared on his face. "There is no need to look at me like that. You have hit me, and I didn't use any technique to defend myself."

'That's impossible,' Noah initially thought before disregarding that idea.

Noah knew that worlds didn't have fixed limits. His potential made him obtain power that his structure couldn't normally release, so Caesar probably had something similar. Yet, he couldn't explain how the cultivator had protected himself without revealing anything of his existence.

"Try again if you must," Caesar announced. "Maybe you'll understand something."

Noah didn't like to fall for Caesar's taunts, but he didn't have other options. He couldn't win if he didn't attack. Still, he decided to change his approach.

The space-time array reappeared on his vision as he sprinted toward Caesar. Noah teleported above the cultivator and unleashed another powerful attack that turned the entire area into a pool of blackness.

Yet, Night, Snore, the Cursed Sword, the Demonic Sword, and the parasite unleashed their true power before Noah could lose track of Caesar. A series of black lines, a destructive ray, a wave of bloodlust, dark matter that could enhance its innate sharpness, and a dark-purple liquid joined the offensive.

The result of that massive display of power was incredible. The entirety of the area cleared by Noah's aura transformed into a huge hole that connected the higher plane to the void. The shockwaves released by the attack also expanded the battlefield and transformed the primary energy released during that destruction into raging storms.

Noah felt amazed by his own power. He almost couldn't believe that a simple blow that used most of his arsenal could be so destructive. He had already confirmed that point during his travel, but he could see it clearly now. His world was beyond the limits of the liquid stage.

"Incredible," Caesar's voice resounded again as his aura reappeared among that blackness. "This is the power of the solid stage. The high quality of your world allows you to ignore any form of reason."

Noah glanced at the source of that voice and found Caesar floating among the waves of energy caused by the shockwaves. No injury had appeared on his figure, but he seemed honestly surprised. Still, Noah couldn't feel happy about that reaction.

"How are you doing this?" Noah asked. "You aren't using any technique, and I'm hitting you every time. Is this an effect of your world?"

"Yes and no," Caesar replied as he stretched his hand to immerse it in some storms of primary energy. "It's the effect of my world in this case, but cultivators at the same level can pull off something similar. My influence on the fabric of reality is simply stronger than yours. It told you that our battle wouldn't have happened today, so your attacks have never existed in the first place."

Noah didn't show any reaction, but profound astonishment filled his mind when the area transformed in an instant. He didn't even blink, but the world returned to its previous intact state in less than a second. It didn't even use energy to heal so quickly.

****

Author's notes: So, I ended up sleeping for 13hours lol. It's annoying because I almost had it this week if we ignore the delays. I still have 2 chapters for Thursday and 3 for Friday to do before approaching Saturday, and I don't know how I can cover all of them. I'll write as much as I can before resetting the schedule again on Monday.
Chapter 2064: Training
Time and space had remained still, but the world had reverted to before the beginning of the battle anyway. Even the weak sky had returned to its previous state. It was as if Noah had never unfolded his aura at all.

The sky began to break again since Noah was still expressing his power. He studied that phenomenon for a while, but his eyes eventually returned on his smiling opponent. He didn't understand Caesar's power, but giving up so soon wasn't in his style.

Noah shot forward and swung his blades after reaching Caesar. The expert didn't even try to move at that time. He endured the attack directly and disappeared among the blackness unleashed by the blow.

Noah didn't stop there. He roared while a sea of flames flowed out of his mouth. Snore and his other companions also unleashed attacks as another dark world expanded. He took control of the area, but that didn't prevent Caesar from speaking again.

"You can delay the strands of fate," Caesar said from outside the dark world, "But you can't change what's going to happen. The sky will follow its destiny as soon as you leave the area."

Noah ignored those words and continued to study the waves of dark matter expanding into the void. His focus was on the hole's edges. He could finally see the deep and immense energy forcing everything to return to its previous form. His entire power tried to prevent that event, but the sky slowly retrieved its shape anyway.

'I can't stop it,' Noah admitted in his mind.

The dark world could only slow down the process. Still, the event appeared inevitable. The sky had already decided that it would retrieve its previous form, and those effects existed even after Noah destroyed its matter.

Absorbing the primary energy that had come out of the fabric of space didn't help. Noah could feel that fuel slowly disappearing from his body as the sky fixed itself. That power didn't even flow toward the crack. It just vanished before materializing in the form of the white environment.

Noah retraced the dark world, and the area immediately returned to its previous state. Injuries tried to appear on his body due to the drawbacks of the Cursed Sword, but only marks formed on his chest. One of his strongest assets couldn't injure him anymore, but he remained unable to stop Caesar.

Noah inspected his surroundings before casually waving his swords toward an empty area. A giant crack appeared, and the sky on the attack's path shattered, but nothing happened at that time. The world didn't heal.

"You have a tricky power," Noah sighed as he watched the crack remain in its place. "Can you even control the fate of the area? I don't understand whether you are a powerless puppet or the existence that pulls the strings."

"Your understanding of fate is too shallow to request answers," Caesar explained. "Both ideas are right and wrong at the same time."

"I wonder," Noah said while turning toward Caesar and raising his swords. "Your fate involves the world, but it's not part of it. These strings exist because you are alive."

"You are indeed sharp," Caesar chuckled while spreading his arms. "I'm the source of fate, and my influence spreads past your grasp, so you are entangled in my power."

"Let me guess," Noah exclaimed. "Your interest in me has something to do with the fate of the world. You don't like what it would become of Heaven and Earth if you do nothing. Actually, you can't do anything to affect that destiny. That's why you are helping me."

"That's correct," Caesar revealed. "Only someone who escapes Heaven and Earth's eyes can truly affect their fated growth, and you are perfect for that role. You and your group."

"What if I win?" Noah asked. "I believe that you can't see everything, right? Your power loses accuracy as I grow stronger."

"Risks are necessary," Caesar stated. "And yet, can you do it? Can you reach the apex of the cultivation world when your opponents outlive you by entire eras? Can you touch the realm where Heaven and Earth stand? Don't you fear that even if you accomplish all of this Heaven and Earth would still defeat you?"

"Fear belongs to the mortal world," Noah sighed. "We are all prisoners of ourselves, so it's pointless to hesitate. You have your path, while I have mine. If you throw fate at me, I'll just have to sever it."

Noah started to approach Caesar without deploying his movement technique. He walked and closed his eyes as he reviewed everything invented during his travel through the sky.

"You have already accepted that you can't defeat me right now," Caesar announced. "Why are you still raising your blades against me?"

"I can't win," Noah declared, "But it will take a long time before I meet someone who can endure my blows. I believe you can't attack me either since your fate doesn't see a battle, so stay still and be a good training dummy. I have a lot to test."

"Won't that reveal your power to Heaven and Earth?" Caesar asked.

"This battle isn't happening, right?" Noah laughed. "You can influence Heaven and Earth with your world, so they'll probably forget what I'll show."

"You are full of surprises," Caesar smiled before falling silent.

Noah had found a way to gain something out of that situation. He couldn't win, but he had already tested that Caesar's fate didn't affect his memories or injuries. Instead, the world and the sky weren't immune to those effects since the cultivator was part of Heaven and Earth's system. Caesar had basically created a training area.

An attack flew out of Noah's sword as soon as he reached his opponent, another followed when the world healed, and a third didn't take much to appear. He knew that everything would end once Caesar left, so he did his best to test most of his techniques. Of course, he kept his trump cards a secret in case he ended up piercing the shield that fate had created in his area, but he still used the experience to improve his battle style.

Caesar laughed for the entirety of the training. He didn't seem to care about the countless attacks that landed on his figure. Actually, he rejoiced whenever Noah showed something new and powerful.

Noah could only ignore those reactions and focus on his battle style. Testing attacks and creating fake battles inside his mind wasn't enough to grant him a proper understanding of how strong he had become. However, Caesar quickly solved all his doubts and helped him fix clucky techniques or series of attacks.

In the end, Caesar left without saying a word. His smile continued to shine on his face. He seemed completely satisfied with what he had witnessed.

Instead, Noah only stared coldly as his figure disappeared among the sky. Everything around him then shattered as his greed and hunger intensified to give him access to the energy needed to deal with his world's drawbacks.

Noah didn't say anything, but part of him felt grateful. Caesar had given him what he needed the most. The cultivator had shown how the ninth rank still had opponents capable of defeating him.

'I feel the need to cause a mess,' Noah thought as the fabric of space shattered around him.

****

Author's notes: I will take the rest of the week off. I can't catch up, and I'd just end up in the same situation if I attempt to do more than this. The chapters will come back Monday since I'll use tomorrow to write them.
Chapter 2065: Workshops
Expanding a world was a tricky process, and it had different requirements depending on the type of power that it contained. Noah's ethereal darkness had pure potential as its fuel, so incredible feats spread his influence.

Of course, the amount of expansion depended on the nature of the feat. Slaughtering countless magical beasts or cultivators at his level wouldn't do much since he had already stepped into a superior realm. He needed to do more than that to experience substantial improvements.

Heaven and Earth's evolution and the current state of the world prevented Noah from doing as he wished. The rulers were benefitting from his incredible power and feats, and the weak sky stopped him from finding suitable targets.

Moreover, Noah had already accomplished wonders. He had robbed the Mortal Lands hidden inside the void, he had invaded the sky, and he had caused an apocalyptic event. The higher plane couldn't offer anything else except for deeper areas inside the white layer. Even if he wanted to create a mess, he wouldn't have a hard time understanding where to start.

His idea to spread his influence through seeds planted inside magical beasts or similar creatures still sounded like the best option in his current situation. Yet, Noah had never chosen the slow and careful path in his second life. He wanted to avoid diving into apocalyptic events, but he also desired to escape the countless years that simple seclusions would require to improve.

Wandering throughout the weak sky also felt too slow. Noah would eventually run into other packs, similar forces, or lone experts, but that remained too slow for his tastes. It was easier to attract those beings instead of searching for them in that vast environment.

Noah didn't immediately resume his journey. The drawbacks of his ambition had started to affect his centers of power, so he had expanded his greed and hunger to appease those adverse effects.

The weak sky had shattered alongside the fabric of space. Noah had remained among the void. His mere influence could open a passage toward a dimension that was probably outside Heaven and Earth's influence, but he couldn't do much with that. The event only showed him how far he had gone and how little that powerful energy could help him.

Still, the blackness of the void gave Noah an idea. He had already created a landmass inside Heaven and Earth's world. He could do the same among that weak whiteness, but the purpose of that new home had to be different.

Noah didn't want to be with other experts during that part of his journey, but isolating himself wasn't a good solution either. The environment also prevented him from hunting down every Tribulation Heaven and Earth sent toward packs or other powerful forces. Yet, he could create something similar to small inheritances during his travel.

'Most magical beasts would try to devour the inheritance instead of benefitting from its real power,' Noah thought as soon as that idea began to take form in his mind. 'Other rank 9 cultivators would probably do something similar since my influence can put their world at risk.'

Noah couldn't limit himself to a mass of benefits that forced other beings to improve according to his ambition. The magical beasts wouldn't have problems accepting that, but other experts couldn't simply allow him to tinker with their worlds. According to the lizards, his fame was incredible, but he would also hesitate to accept such influential inheritances in the ninth rank.

The experts had to accept his influence willingly, and he also had to reduce its forceful influence. Noah had to put eventual worlds in the position where refusing would be idiotic. He had to give away free power that didn't cause any negative influence on eventual beings.

'The cultivators would never eat an unknown item,' Noah admitted as he shot toward an intact area and released his destruction to clear most of the weak sky in his surroundings.

The dark world unfolded from his figure as he let his thoughts run wild. It wasn't his style to create something that didn't affect the matter forcefully, but he had to compromise since the project didn't involve himself.

The workshop activated as his figure became the home to multiple pulling forces. Duanlong, Shafu, his hunger, and his greed began to spread their influence, and the dark world enhanced their effects. The technique transformed them into vortices that affected farther areas of the weak sky and turned them into energy that flowed among the crystals of dark matter.

Meanwhile, Noah started to perform a few tests. The energy inside his ethereal blackness was perfect for his project. His world contained pure potential capable of improving everything. Even Heaven and Earth would benefit from it if he didn't exist as a flaw of their system.

The first hurdle in the process came from the very nature of his potential. That energy forced the matter and everything else to improve, but Noah needed to turn that feature into an option to please eventual worlds too scared of adverse effects.

Solving that issue forced Noah to dissect his potential until he developed a theoretically harmless version. That energy was obviously weaker than what raged inside his world since it had lost part of its nature. Still, eventual cultivators would find it easier to accept since it could work as a free boost. No one would refuse something that provided benefits without asking anything in return nor cause negative consequences.

The second hurdle came from his targets. Noah wanted to create something unique for magical beasts, cultivators, and hybrids since their power required different approaches. Yet, he had to compromise there too.

The main issue there came from his lack of knowledge about his targets. With the lizards, Noah had the chance to study their bodies thoroughly before developing an organ that suited their species and the modifications obtained in the ninth rank perfectly. That was impossible when he wasn't directly next to potential heirs, but he could reach satisfying results anyway.

Noah used his dense mental waves to create a series of wills that had specific purposes. They would have to study eventual heirs and use the workshop to apply the final modifications to the seeds that spread his influence. The magical beasts would get organs, the humans tattoos, and the hybrid a mixture of both.

The testing phase didn't take long. The initial hurdle had been the harshest part to solve, but Noah already had experience in everything else, so coming up with something final had been easy.

His product came out as a quasi-living workshop that spread his influence by sucking the weak sky in its surroundings dry. It couldn't affect the fabric of space because Noah had made sure that its power only targeted the white material. Also, it could go dormant when Heaven and Earth stopped restoring the area.

The quasi-living workshop had the shape of a chest-sized black sphere. It didn't need to be big. Actually, that size would help it remain hidden from Heaven and Earth's inspections. Its purpose was to accumulate energy from its surroundings and generate incomplete fake cores before storing them in its insides.

The workshop wouldn't create fake cores endlessly. It would fill its insides and let the items spread Noah's influence throughout the world. In theory, it could expand if Heaven and Earth and other experts left it at full power for too long, but he hoped that the situation never reached that point.

Whenever a potential heir got near the quasi-living workshop, the will inside the dark matter would activate to inspect the target. The final modification would take place at that point, and a fake core would come out.

Noah had also created countermeasures meant for those trying to seize his creation to study it. His wills would detonate the fake cores and spread his influence throughout the weak sky at first sight of danger.
Chapter 2066: Call
Noah left the quasi-living workshop in the sky after retracting the dark world. The item started spreading his influence immediately since he had already charged it with energy. It didn't take long before faint black lines appeared among the whiteness and stretched toward a distant area to find the weak white material.

Noah had to clear a large area to gain access to the energy required by the project, so the workshop didn't find anything. Its influence eventually stopped expanding, and the black lines vanished. The item fell into a dormant state while it waited for Heaven and Earth to restore the area to its normal state.

The workshop was barely noticeable in its dormant state. Noah could feel it clearly since it shared part of his power, but other worlds and the rulers would have a hard time finding it among that whiteness. Heaven and Earth might event rebuild the weak sky around it without paying attention to its power.

The results of the project satisfied Noah. He had found a loophole in his predicament, even if it didn't match his standards. The quality of the potential that he would pass to eventual heirs couldn't compare to what his ethereal blackness contained, but it was something that would allow his world to expand quickly. The process would even quicken after he placed thousands of those quasi-living workshops throughout the higher plane.

Noah could only leave the area at that point. Th quasi-living workshop didn't feel like a proper solution to his issues, but it was something that would allow him to remain put for a while. After all, everything was better than the dull and potentially endless exploration of that white environment.

The journey resumed, and Noah didn't take long to grow bored of it. He didn't know how many creatures had survived the arrival of the weak sky, but his meeting with the lizards made him guess that the area was far from empty. Still, that thought couldn't reassure him when he saw nothing but whiteness.

His mood improved whenever he placed a quasi-living workshop among the sky. Noah would watch it expand and bring slight benefits to his world before leaving the area and searching for another suitable spot.

Spreading his influence throughout the fake sky wasn't nearly enough to make him happy, but he knew that the real benefits would arrive once heirs appeared. Noah wanted that moment to come quickly, so he hurried away from areas already affected by the workshops to find spots where to place new ones.

Having a goal made Noah feel alive. He was fighting against the very sky in a battle that only he could join. Heaven and Earth would also remain unaware that he had started fighting for a while, and the inevitable discovery would only lead to a forceful dispersion of his influence.

Noah knew that his workshops would have a short life, but that was fine. He only needed to act faster than the rulers and gain a good number of heirs. Everything would be worth it as long as he increased the pace at which his world expanded.

Moreover, the fake cores weren't the final version of his creation, even after the quasi-living workshop added features that suited eventual heirs. Noah could still replace that weaker version of his potential with the real fuel inside his world after finding those who benefitted from his items.

The dull journey across the weak sky transformed into a series of sprints performed to reach areas outside the quasi-living workshops' range quickly. Noah was relentless in his solitary battle. He knew that his chances to gain heirs increased together with the numbers of items that he planted among the whiteness, so he never stopped.

The superior endurance of his body and his state as a rank 9 existence allowed him to press forward without ever stopping for entire decades. Noah could push his limits far past that, but he preferred to leave some room for regular training sessions.

His attacks had to improve past their simple smoothness and coordination. Caesar had shown Noah how battles between worlds happened on multiple realms that could ignore eventual superiority in power. The depths and influence of one existence had more value than the brutish display of mighty techniques and abilities.

Noah knew that his power could compensate for those differences. Dinia and many other rank 9 cultivators would have been immune to his attacks otherwise. Still, his superior abilities didn't seem to matter against Caesar.

Noah guessed that other cultivators would put him in front of similar problems. Caesar was famous even among the sky, but he wasn't the only privileged cultivator who had lived for entire eras. He wasn't even the only solid stage asset inside Heaven and Earth's system.

Caesar and the cultivators who could match his power probably were the strongest assets before the actual sky. Heaven and Earth's true level existed near the tenth rank, and Noah felt that even the hands seen during the apocalyptic event didn't reveal their might. There could also be different realms of superiority when it came to the rulers, but he didn't despair.

His current power gave him more than hope. Noah had been able to defeat liquid stage cultivators when he was nothing more than a rank 8 expert. His arrival to the solid stage would definitely put him close to the rulers. Every other guess had to wait for the actual clash since he didn't know how much Heaven and Earth had kept hidden.

Of course, Noah didn't want to rely on his breakthrough to affect stronger experts. There had to be a solution that exploited the remarkable properties of his potential, and he intended to find it during his training sessions.

The dull journey eventually revealed a change. Noah almost couldn't believe his eyes when he sensed a presence inside the range of his consciousness.

Needless to say, Noah shot at full speed toward those presences. He could feel that they were weaker than him, but he didn't care. He didn't even mind that they had started to escape as soon as they sensed him.

Noah was stronger and faster. The fact that the weak sky was on his path didn't hinder him in the slightest since his destruction took care of it before he could reach it.

In an instant, Noah pierced the tunnel that the auras were digging and found two orange apes freezing on their spots under the pressure of his pride. A simple inspection told him that those creatures belonged to the orange city.

"Did you lose yourselves?" Noah asked through a growl that carried no harmful intentions.

The apes were rank 9 magical beasts in the lower tier, but they seemed to have a hard time under Noah's influence. The event felt strange since he had tested his pressure with the lizards, so he expanded the dark world to check their bodies.

It turned out that their bodies were running out of energy that Noah couldn't identify. He could vaguely guess that it was an unknown form of higher energy after inspecting the organs involved with that fuel, but he couldn't study its features in that situation.

"We have remained separated from the orange city since the rulers filled the sky," One of the apes managed to say inside the safety of the dark world. "We can hear its call, but the whiteness always manages to tamper with its signal to make us lose our way."
Chapter 2067: Organs
Getting involved with the orange city so quickly wasn't in Noah's plans, but the current state of the higher plane didn't offer many chances to find something outside the dull whiteness. Moreover, the apes' special fuel felt interesting since it could give him insights into the old rulers' growth.

"How can you hear the orange city's voice inside this environment?" Noah asked.

"The old rulers know the sky very well," The first ape explained. "They can send signals capable of reaching each side of the higher plane."

"I'm afraid only those touched by the orange city can hear its voice," The second ape added.

"We'll see about that," Noah commented before placing his hands on both apes and focusing his attention on their organs.

The dark world understood Noah's intentions and began to mimic the functioning of the apes' organs. He was an expert in the magical beasts' field, but those creatures had many parts that didn't originally belong to their species, so he had to test them out before finding what he needed.

Part of their ears turned out to have a special connection to their incomplete minds. That link created a special instinct that allowed the apes to hear eventually signals sent by a unique source. That chunk of the organs existed with the sole purpose of noticing the orders of the orange city.

'I bet the old rulers have other uses for these organs,' Noah guessed.

The organs seemed able to mimic the innate effects of the magical beasts' pride, something that the old rulers couldn't express naturally. Still, those body parts appeared almost perfect after he played its effects inside his mind.

'Are they exploring the magical beasts' path due to their enmity toward Heaven and Earth?' Noah wondered. 'I might be overthinking the matter. These organs only sound like a good method to control underlings for now.'

Noah couldn't help himself when the old rulers were involved. He still treated them as potential enemies for obvious reasons. Yet, they had given him no reason to be wary of them for now, so he accepted them as allies.

'Let's hear this call,' Noah thought while making the dark world mimic the part of the organ connected to that feature.

The dark matter transformed and changed its nature before strange sounds quickly started echoing inside the dark world. He could hear the usual crackling noise of Heaven and Earth's lightning bolts, but there was something deeper inside them. He noticed faint anxiety that explained why the apes had almost exhausted themselves to return to the orange city.

The crackling noise was incredibly clear, but a wall seemed to appear in front of it from time to time. That cover tried to hide the source of that sound and sway away those listening to it, but the dark world managed to ignore those attempts and highlight the direction that theoretically led to the orange city.

The apes remained in awe of Noah's power. Their organs couldn't reach that level of clarity, let alone ignore Heaven and Earth's attempts to hide the calling. They quickly turned toward him with a request in their minds, but they lowered their gazes when they recalled that he wasn't a proper companion.

"I will get you there," Noah announced before the apes could muster their courage to voice their request.

The process of recreating the organ had been relatively easy, and that told Noah that the calling wasn't as simple as it sounded. The old rulers knew how to remain hidden among the sky, so they would never send something that could uncover their position. They wouldn't even use signals that Heaven and Earth could block.

The apes wore ecstatic expressions, but Noah ignored them as he shrunk the dark world in the shape of three fiendish armors that covered the trio. He even left a connection in place to make sure that he didn't lose the creatures during his sprint.

"Don't fight it," Noah growled. "You won't feel anything, but you might not like it anyway."

The apes didn't dare to question Noah, and they couldn't say anything either. His last growl had reminded them of their position in the food chain. He was at the very apex while they were lost among the sea of weaker species even after the old rulers had improved them.

The space-time array replaced the world in Noah's vision. Moving the various lines felt harder since he was dragging the apes with him, but everything eventually bent under his will.

Noah shot forward. He was so fast that many would mistake his movement technique for a teleport. His acceleration was so great that his destruction struggled to keep up at times and forced him to slam into the weak sky.

The impacts with the sky didn't slow down his advance. Noah pierced everything as he sprinted toward the source of the crackling noise. He even made sure to drop the quasi-living workshops whenever he reached a suitable spot.

The apes were completely lost during the sprint. The dark matter around their bodies kept them safe, but their instincts screamed in fear whenever Noah's destruction failed to destroy the sky before their arrival.

Noah's pride was the only reason behind the apes' silence. A battle between sources of fear happened in their minds, but he always won. Crashing on the sky at that speed could leave them badly injured or even kill them, but he could do far worse.

The crackling noise intensified until a giant empty aura unfolded in Noah's vision and forced him to interrupt his movement technique. Everything behind him crumbled and created one of the longest cracks in the fabric of space that the higher plane had ever witnessed, but he barely looked at it.

The empty area featured the same black clouds Noah had seen with the lizards, but they felt slightly different now. They had gathered into multiple spots to create black masses, and a trace of anger raged in their insides.

The clouds released precise lightning bolts toward the center of the empty area. There didn't seem to be a target, but Noah could sense something hidden behind the fabric of space. The old rulers' aura even leaked into the sky whenever the crackling attacks managed to open fissures in that tough cover.

The apes grew restless at that scene. They wanted to shoot forward, even if that meant ignoring Noah's suppression. He inspected them for a few seconds before releasing them to see how the clouds reacted to their arrival.

The clouds immediately diverted their attention on the two apes and launched precise lightning bolts that carried the power of the upper tier. However, two giant slashes crashed on those attacks and devoured their energy before they could fall on the creatures.

A familiar pressure converged on Noah. He could feel Heaven and Earth glaring at him. He had interrupted their hunt, and he only shrugged his shoulders to justify his behavior.

Heaven and Earth lost interest in Noah after the apes disappeared at the center of the empty area. Even he lost track of them when they crossed a specific spot. There seemed to be a passage, but he had no intention to inspect it for now. Noah wouldn't miss the chance to watch a battle between the old and new rulers.
Chapter 2068: Help
The battle between the old and new rulers had always felt inevitable. The siege at the orange city didn't even surprise Noah after everything that had happened during the apocalyptic event. Heaven and Earth could find and hunt down magical beasts, so it naturally had the power to use the new environment to find other hated enemies.

The new control that Heaven and Earth could have over the higher plane was the very reason behind Noah's decision to make his quasi-living workshops small and faint. He couldn't reduce the destructiveness of his influence, but the rulers would have a hard time finding his creations after they went dormant.

Moreover, Noah had always planned to plant many of them to make their complete annihilation impossible. The weak sky gave him a constant stream of energy that he could steal, so mass-producing his quasi-living workshops wasn't a problem.

The various lumps of clouds didn't hesitate to launch other lightning bolts toward the spot where the apes had disappeared. The fabric of space trembled and revealed the presence of a barrier as cracks spread on its surface. The orange city's iconic aura spread from the fissures into the environment, but everything stabilized quickly.

The old rulers didn't seem willing to fight, but Heaven and Earth didn't want to give up. Noah could guess that the current scene wasn't unusual in the new environment of the higher plane. He had woken up many years after the weak sky filled the world, so the battle between those two forces had probably happened multiple times already.

The clouds never stopped releasing lightning bolts. The weak sky continued to add energy to their structure so that they could launch a relentless offensive, which eventually led to results. A large hole opened in the fabric of space, and bright orange light came out of it. Noah could even see the faint shapes of familiar buildings past that barrier.

'Why aren't they fighting?' Noah wondered while inspecting the scene.

The lightning bolts carried the power of the upper tier, but they were attacks that the orange city could fend off. Even Noah could deal with them if he went all-out since they didn't carry any deeper meaning connected to a world. They were simple masses of power that had taken a destructive shape, so an equally strong technique could take care of them.

Still, the orange city didn't answer. It limited itself to cower behind the barrier as attacks continued to rain on that cracked defense. Cracks expanded from the hole, and new openings appeared as destruction unfolded.

Noah could see the orange city's attempts to seal the holes and close the fissures, but that was a passive approach that only slowed down the inevitable destruction of the barrier. Part of him felt the need to intervene to ruin Heaven and Earth's plans, but he held himself back to see where that situation led.

The old rulers had the power to fight back, but they didn't use it. Noah tried to find damages or clues in the holes to explain that behavior, but he didn't see anything unusual. The orange city shone brightly as usual, and he even noticed the array of lightning bolts protecting it.

Something deeper was happening there, but Noah couldn't see anything. Yet, an odd sound eventually reached his position, and a cold smirk appeared on his face as he deployed the dark world and made it replicate the apes' organ.

"What is it?" Noah asked, making sure that his voice spread past the dark world.

"Why aren't you helping us?" The old rulers' androgynous resounded inside the crystals of dark matter.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Noah replied.

"Is this really the time for this?" The old rulers wondered. "We thought you trusted us by now."

"Saying that only makes you shadier," Noah chuckled. "Come on. This battle must have happened multiple times already. I want to understand what's going on."

"It's pretty simple," The old rulers announced. "Heaven and Earth are trying to deplete our reserves of energy. They probably want to take us out right before the final battle."

"With lightning bolts and clouds?" Noah asked. "They wouldn't be able to take me out with this little power."

"The real Tribulation will start after our city appears among the world," The old Heaven and Earth explained. "We are afraid we'll suffer losses even with your help at that point."

"I'd like to see that," Noah stated. "I'll help you if everything turns out to be too troublesome."

"Very well," The old rulers uttered before putting an end to the conversation.

Noah retracted the dark world in time to watch the whole area sieged by the clouds shatter. The fabric of space fell apart and transformed into energy that entered the immense city hidden behind that barrier.

The second layer of space stood under the orange city. The old rulers had used the same trick to hide traps and sources of energy in the past, but that didn't prevent Heaven and Earth from finding them now that they had seized a tighter control over the world.

The clouds continued to launch lightning bolts, but they couldn't do anything now that the crackling defensive array of the orange city showed its real might. The attacks fell on those defenses and shattered into waves of energy that the buildings absorbed in no time.

The area appeared too frail for the orange city. Noah couldn't help but feel that the overall weight of those buildings had increased since the last time he had seen them. It seemed that the structure had yet to show its real size and power, but its current state was enough to trigger a reaction in the Tribulation.

The clouds didn't waste energy anymore. They absorbed fuel from the weak sky before shrinking to condense their power. Then, they started to move slowly toward the orange city, and the defensive array of lightning bolts did nothing to stop them.

The various clouds were nothing more than chest-sized black masses by the time they reached the orange city, but they detonated as soon as they touched the array of lightning bolts. The power that they released felt immense, but Noah inspected it coldly. He would have a hard time against a similar attack, but he could endure it, so the old rulers could fare even better.

The old rulers didn't betray his confidence. The array of lightning bolts appeared unaffected when the waves of chaotic laws dispersed and allowed Noah to inspect the area. A few buildings now showed cracks, but that wasn't surprising. That damage didn't even lower the city's overall power.

Nevertheless, Heaven and Earth had launched that attack only to fill the area with chaotic laws. Not many of them had survived the clash with the lightning bolts and the absorption that followed, but the few currents still in the environment ended up flowing toward the nearest spots with weak sky and fusing with that fabric.

The sky morphed after absorbing those currents. Large chunks of that white material separated from the main structure to give birth to multiple giants that slowly condensed to obtain smooth surfaces. Different weapons also appeared on their hands, and a series of armors slowly grew from their pure-white skin.

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Author's notes: The second chapter is almost done.
Chapter 2069: Favor
The different features of the avatars didn't immediately surprise Noah. His focus was on the process that had given birth to them. He didn't miss how Heaven and Earth had used the chaotic laws that had survived the orange city to create those giant puppets, which clearly was an important aspect of the whole process.

Heaven and Earth didn't create the avatars out of random energy. Instead, they had built precise puppets using the surviving chaotic laws as their foundation. That had ensured a faint resistance against the old rulers' power since that energy had already proven itself capable of enduring the array of lightning bolts.

The different weapons expressed the unique features of the chaotic laws used in the process. Heaven and Earth had actually chosen to enhance the individuality of that surviving energy instead of forcing it to stick to something that represented them. That was another proof in favor of Noah's guesses, but he let those thoughts rest in the back of his mind as his inspection continued.

The avatars in their entirety weren't the usual perfect counters that Heaven and Earth deployed against troublesome beings once they hit the ninth rank. They appeared as something right before that step. They aimed to have specific effects against the old rulers without requiring complicated procedures for their creation.

The weapons were a strange addition. The individual aspects of the various waves of chaotic laws had taken the form of swords, bows, spears, whips, and sticks capable of different types of attacks that didn't necessarily match their shape.

Noah could sense a mace's destructiveness in a short sword, a blade's sharpness in the whip, and a hammer's heaviness in the bow. Everything felt rather odd, but that only explained how hurried the process had been. Heaven and Earth had basically decided to create imperfect counters to reduce their expenses and quicken the birth of assets that could annoy the old rulers.

'Interesting,' Noah couldn't help but comment in his mind.

Noah continued to wait. He didn't mind jumping into the battlefield to test those upper tier avatars, but he wanted to see how the orange city reacted to them first.

Noah didn't have to wait long to see some action. The avatars began to shoot forward, but the orange city reacted before they could go too far.

Precise lightning bolts shot out of the defensive array and hit every avatar at the center of their chests. Those attacks carried an unusual piercing power that left even Noah surprised, but the puppets managed to resist them. Only dark marks appeared on their bodies.

The orange city didn't stop there. The occasional attacks quickly turned into a storm that crashed on each avatar and slowed down their advance. The area transformed into an orange spectacle, and the real fabric of the world eventually started to shatter under the might released in the area.

It didn't take long before only the void, the orange city, and the avatars remained in the area. Noah remained on the sidelines without doing anything, but the situation had already reached the point when he would need to go all-out to affect the battle.

The clash between the two massive forces stood on a realm that Noah had become able to touch only recently. He wouldn't even feel too confident about his position in that battle if he didn't test his power against Caesar.

The avatars came to a complete stop as the piercing lightning bolts continued to crash on their chests. They felt unable to advance under that constant offensive, but their bodies also continued to endure the attacks.

The avatars changed approach when the lightning bolts started to push them back. They raised their weapons and activated their effects without performing any gestures. Different invisible forces immediately shot forward and crashed on the piercing attacks, destroying them in no time.

That felt normal in Noah's eyes, so he continued to watch. The lightning bolts returned as soon as the avatars resumed their advance, but they remained one of the most basic attacks the orange city could deploy. He wanted to see more, and the old rulers didn't disappoint him.

The avatars raised their weapons to destroy the lightning bolts, but a spherical wave of orange light suddenly shot out of the city. The puppets froze on their spot, and their fabric destabilized due to the power of the attack. Their state worsened so much that the piercing attacks finally broke their skin and started to expand inside their bodies.

Noah almost couldn't believe in his senses. Heaven and Earth had created partial counters of the orange city, but the old rulers had done the same toward the avatars. Moreover, the latter had only needed a few exchanged to find something that could destabilize those giant puppets.

Noah understood the nature of the situation after getting rid of his surprise. The old rulers didn't find a way to counter Heaven and Earth's assets so soon. They had already ended up in a similar situation, so they had decided which strands of chaotic laws let go.

The orange city obviously had to mix part of the chaotic laws let go on purpose with those that had survived the crackling defensive array. That reduced the number of avatars that the old rulers had to study and made Heaven and Earth's counters partially ineffective.

The avatars started to fall apart as the lightning bolts ravaged their insides. Their weapons couldn't stop the process, and their resistant nature turned out to be partially flawed. They didn't have the power to oppose the offensive, but Heaven and Earth didn't let them die like that.

Strands of white light stretched out of the distant sky as if they were the roots of a tree. They reached the avatars and fused with them to send energy that partially brought new stability. The lightning bolts still fought fiercely, but the puppets started to mutate while they endured their might.

Heaven and Earth added meanings that the simple chaotic laws from before couldn't have during the process. They filled the avatars with energy and new features meant to counter the orange city.

The avatars grew new arms, hideous spikes came out of their smooth skin, and white lightning bolts started to crackle in their mouths. Heaven and Earth didn't seem to care about the harmony of their creations as long as they succeeded in forcing the orange city's hand. Still, a series of giant black slashes suddenly fell on the roots and interrupted the empowerment.

"You owe me one," Noah sighed after reappearing above the orange city.

The old rulers didn't waste that chance. They sent more power on their lightning bolts and exploited the moment of instability created by Noah. The sudden surge of energy made all the avatars explode and fill the area with their giant shards.

Noah placed his swords on his shoulders as his ambition activated. The unstable substance was already empowering his body, but the black crystal made sure to add new black vessels to push his flesh and muscles past their limits. His potential also improved his physical features and ignored the rest.

The shards didn't disperse nor lose their connection with Heaven and Earth. Even their hovering among the void wasn't random. They floated until they took specific positions that created a spherical formation around the whole orange city. Then, the white roots returned and filled that structure with power.

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Author's notes: The third chapter should come in an hour or so.
Chapter 2070: Spherical
The formation used the various shards of the avatars as cores that the roots connected to the weak sky. Heaven and Earth didn't seem to care about the amount of energy that they wasted now. They had already partially forced the old rulers' hand, so they would only gain from keeping them in that state.

Noah's arrival didn't change that behavior. The old rulers were still deploying part of their real power, so Heaven and Earth were winning. The latter had never planned to destroy the orange city in a single attack. Instead, they preferred to slowly drain their opponents now that they had almost complete control over the higher plane.

"What made you change your mind?" The old rulers asked through proper words echoed from the buildings under Noah.

"I couldn't stand seeing Heaven and Earth winning for so long," Noah announced. "Besides, I don't want you to show everything you have in store. I still plan to use you against the rulers in the future."

"You could have just lied," The old rulers complained.

"Where's the fun in that?" Noah laughed before slowly bending forward. "I'll blow up some cores. Be ready."

"It's too dangerous to charg-," The old rulers tried to warn Noah, but they interrupted their line when they noticed that a crack had replaced his figure.

Noah sprinted toward one of the shards and kicked it. The entirety of his physical strength flowed into his target and filled it with cracks before shattering it completely.

The shard released the energy that it had accumulated during those short seconds. An explosion engulfed Noah and tried to push him away, but he didn't move at all. The shockwaves crumbled when they fell on his skin, and no marks appeared either.

The energy tried to flow toward the other shards, but the multiple pulling forces coming out of Noah's figure captured it before it could become part of the formation. Heaven and Earth didn't like that outcome and tried to launch their roots toward him, but the white structures could only generate clanging noises when they slammed on his skin.

'The upper tier isn't enough to hurt me in my current state,' Noah thought before casually waving his swords toward the roots.

The battle was happening in the void since the previous exchanges had shattered the fabric of space. Still, the old rulers felt sure that the casual slash carried enough power to create a massive hole in the whiteness.

A giant slash flew toward the roots. The attack didn't carry the many aspects of Noah's world, but its violent might expressed enough power to destroy those structures and reach the sky in the distance behind them.

Both the rulers and Heaven and Earth understood the nature of the situation at that point. In that state, Noah's physical strength could rival some of the strongest magical beasts in the upper tier.

Noah had managed to bring the embodiment of power into realms that the original creator had never even imagined. His four energies had created a far stronger unstable substance, and his incredible body allowed the black crystal to overload it with that fuel in ways that no other creature could endure.

Moreover, the ambition added power to that already unfathomable mix. Noah's body alone was more than enough to deal with that Tribulation. Heaven and Earth had yet to deploy something capable of hurting him.

Noah didn't stop at one shard. He quickly shot after the next core and destroyed it with a simple kick before slashing at the roots connected to it. He then repeated the process, leaving Heaven and Earth to powerlessly watch as he ripped apart the formation with nothing more than reckless assaults.

Heaven and Earth couldn't let that process continue, so it activated the formation. A spherical wave of whiteness fell toward the orange city and created a descending attack that left no openings.

Noah could only end up among that whiteness. He had managed to weaken the final state of the attack after destroying a few cores, but the result remained above what his body could defeat through a few blows.

The whiteness felt like the strongest metal in the entire world as it pushed Noah toward the orange city. He couldn't fight back that force, and his blades were unable to pierce that seamless array.

Noah was almost about to change the nature of his empowerment, but the old rulers helped him before he could show more of his power. The buildings moved and revealed the same pit that had defeated the avatar during the apocalyptic event.

The old rulers pointed the pit in the opposite direction of Noah's position and released an orange ray of light that immediately halted the white arrays' advance. Then, dense lightning bolts filled the insides of that attack and crashed on the spherical ability, creating a spiderweb of cracks that expanded until it filled the whole structure.

Noah's eyes lit up when he saw the cracks reaching his position. He headbutted the spherical structure to open a hole and shoot past it. Still, another white array unfolded in his view when he finally escaped the first.

A giant figure quickly materialized behind Noah as his potential started to flow toward another part of his arsenal. Snore showed its figure in all its might and unfolded its wings to reveal the giant feathers full of destructive power.

'Break that thing,' Noah calmly ordered through the mental connection.

Snore hissed happily as its feathers started to shine with a dark light. Beams soon came out of them and converged toward a single spot of the white array. The spherical attack didn't immediately break, but Snore seemed to have an endless amount of destructive energy.

The beam shrunk as Snore forced its power to focus on an even smaller area. Cracks slowly appeared on the white array before a complete hole took form and allowed Noah to shoot forward again.

Noah felt glad to see the formation after crossing the second spherical attack. Snore materialized in the area again as he shot toward the shards. The two of them soon resumed their systematic destruction of the cores through kicks, slashes, and destructive beams.

Heaven and Earth tried to create a third spherical attack, but Noah and Snore destroyed the cores too quickly, and they eventually made the formation unable to complete its technique. The rulers found themselves out of options and hesitating only worsened the condition of their assets. They could launch far more, but they didn't know if that investment of energy was worth it.

The orange city eventually pierced past both spherical attacks and showed its giant structure in the void. Lightning bolts also shot out of its crackling array to help Noah destroy the formation. It wouldn't take long before every shard transformed into energy that they could absorb.

Heaven and Earth could take out stronger Tribulations, but they decided to back away. Noah's presence would only ruin their initial plan. Prolonging that battle would worsen the slight losses endured during the short fight and make their investment unable to match the energy that the old rulers had depleted.

The formation soon transformed into currents of energy that spread among the void before falling prey to one of the pulling forces in the area. Noah glanced at the weak sky in the distance when the process was over, but nothing came out of it. He only felt Heaven and Earth's attention slowly waning to state the end of the battle.
Chapter 2071: Blame
Noah couldn't help but feel wary of Heaven and Earth's decisions. They were different from what he had grown used to during the previous stages of his cultivation journey.

The rulers didn't attack mindlessly anymore. Instead, they had precise goals behind every Tribulation, and they didn't mind backing off whenever those plans went wrong.

The orange city shrunk in the form of a small district that made it easier to leave the patch of void and fly toward the nearest weak sky. Noah silently followed those floating buildings as he tried to imagine what Heaven and Earth had in store.

The Tribulations had grown stronger, the assaults had become smarter, and the tactical retreats prevented Noah from inflicting any consistent damage to the reserves of energy. Heaven and Earth were playing a slow and safe game as they slowly prepared for the final battle.

The orange city stopped flying once it arrived in an intact area. The fabric of space started to tremble as a strange glow came out of the buildings. Faint and small cracks opened among the whiteness as the dimensional layer that divided the zone from the void split into two parts and created a hiding spot.

The district flew inside that area in-between the layer of space, and Noah followed it. The pale whiteness that reached the separate dimension created a strange environment that blocked Heaven and Earth's constant inspections. Noah and the old rulers were relatively safe there, but both of them added defenses.

Noah limited himself to deploying the dark world and filling the entire separate dimension with his black crystals. Instead, the orange city spread sparks among the technique that transformed into crackling barriers as soon as they reached the edges of the area.

Nothing could reach the insides of the dark world now. Even a Tribulation would struggle to pierce those defensive techniques. Noah and the old rulers silently understood that they could talk safely, and the district opened to reveal a large road that led to the familiar pit.

Noah jumped on the road and reached the pit in no time before descending in its faint darkness. An orange radiance soon filled his view, but he didn't enter in any separate dimension. He eventually reached the chunk of the old sky, but its current form left him surprised.

The old rulers had been nothing more than a severed and defeated part of Heaven and Earth. They didn't have proper features, and they barely recalled what they were before fusing with the world. However, their new form showed that they had long since abandoned that weak condition.

The chunk of the sky had slowly transformed into a humanoid figure that radiated pale orange light. Noah could see the giant puppet illuminating the darkness of the pit, but he eventually noticed the slight imperfections on its surfaces.

The puppet's skin was far from smooth, and many spots featured small cracks or sharp corners. It was clear that the old rulers were up to something, but their project appeared far from over.

"Are you trying to rebuild your existence into something more individual?" Noah asked as he floated around the tall avatar to inspect its details.

"We had to remember first," The old rulers' androgynous voice resounded inside the pit without revealing any precise source. "How can power come from a previous step in the cultivation journey? We don't know for sure. Still, our new form is slowly taking life as we continue to expand our influence in the higher plane."

"Are you ditching your fusion with the world?" Noah asked since it seemed that the old rulers were trying to obtain a more human form.

"We can't ignore that part of our journey," The old rulers explained, "But we won't remain bound by it. We had to evolve past those limits, especially now that Divine Demon has started to claim our old energy."

Divine Demon was the "Breath"'s favored son, while the old rulers were the creators of that energy. Noah had guessed that their existences would have eventually clashed, but the old Heaven and Earth had chosen to jump on another path.

"Did you develop a new higher energy?" Noah asked as the images of the apes' special organs appeared in his mind.

"We weren't trying to keep it hidden from you," The old rulers explained. "The current state of the higher plane makes communications hard. We can barely send troops outside our city now."

"Let me see it," Noah requested. "I'm still one of the major experts in the world when it comes to higher energy."

"We are sure you'll hate it," The old rulers announced as an orange drop slowly materialized in front of Noah. "We wanted to fill the world with energy for our species in the past. That feeling didn't change. It has only taken a new form due to the changes in the world."

Noah inspected the orange drop. Liquid sparks ran inside its structure. It was powerful, dense, and far stronger than the "Breath", but it didn't reveal any unique feature. It even lacked the various natures that the "Breath" could obtain depending on its elements.

"It feels bland," Noah admitted.

"The "Breath" could originally become a core part of every member of our species," The old rulers explained. "The same goes for this higher energy. Everyone can seize it. Everyone can use it to reach farther spots in the cultivation journey. We have almost improved our original existence without needing to fuse with the world again."

"Why are you doing this?" Noah asked. "The Mortal Lands are hidden past the sky, and the higher plane doesn't have a great population either. Moreover, the experts among the whiteness won't accept this energy."

That was the same issue that Noah had faced when developing the quasi-living workshops. He had to create something that the powerful experts of the higher plane could accept without fearing for their worlds. The old rulers' higher energy was nowhere near that, and it even felt weaker than most powers.

"Because it's in our nature," The old rulers revealed. "It doesn't matter if it's useless. It doesn't matter if no one will take it. We have our path to complete even if no one else understands it."

A sharp spot on the avatar's figure suddenly flattened. The proud statement had brought the puppet closer to its final form, and Noah didn't miss that detail.

Noah remained partially stunned to see how far the old rulers had gone after their initial meeting. They weren't cultivators, but they had started to resemble them, and it was unclear where their path would lead them.

"You found your path," Noah whispered.

"No," The old rulers corrected. "We recalled and improved it. We now know that fusing with the world is a flawed path. We'll bring the higher plain to new heights as individual existences."

"Heaven and Earth don't think that it's flawed," Noah argued.

"It isn't for them," The old rulers responded. "Heaven and Earth have found a new approach, and they probably need us to complete it. We can almost sense the new clarity that fills the world. We think that they can win."

Noah knew that the victory intended by the old rulers was different from his idea. In his mind, Heaven and Earth would win as long as they killed him. It didn't matter if they succeeded in becoming a rank 10 existence afterward.

Instead, the old rulers could sense that Heaven and Earth's current approach could lead them to the heights that they had consistently failed to reach. They were basically stating that the new path was probably correct.

"Was it my fault?" Noah honestly asked. "Did I make Heaven and Earth realize their flaws by forcing their hand countless times?"

"You are definitely to blame," The old rulers confirmed, "But you shouldn't think of that as a mistake. Someone else would have filled your role anyway. Heaven and Earth have simply learnt how to improve after facing their flaws for so long."
Chapter 2072: Glance
Noah had reached similar conclusions during his long travel. Sure, a lot of what he had accomplished had ended up putting Heaven and Earth on a better path. However, that was the nature of flaws and hindrances. Overcoming them led to benefits. It was true for him, and the same went for the rulers.

"What's your plan?" Noah eventually asked. "Heaven and Earth's reserves of energy surpass yours. You'll eventually have to hide for real or go for something bold."

"We have to expand our influence," The old rulers revealed. "Stopping isn't an option, but we admit that Heaven and Earth are getting annoying."

"You should go into seclusion," Noah suggested. "Take your improved magical beasts and city and leave. You can't fall in Heaven and Earth's hands."

"Would you hide like a rat if you were in our place?" The old rulers questioned, and Noah even felt able to hear a faint laugh at the end of the line.

"You aren't me," Noah tried to convince them.

"No one is you," The old rulers continued, "But no one is us either. Even Heaven and Earth can't be us. That's why they fight us, and that's why we must improve faster than them. That's how the cultivation journey works."

Noah knew that the old rulers were right, but the situation remained troublesome. Heaven and Earth would eventually defeat them, and he didn't know if he could become strong enough by that point. He couldn't even remain with the orange city all the time either since he had his path to follow.

"We don't need your protection," The old rulers announced as if they understood what was happening inside his mind.

"Still, you need to do something," Noah stated. "I don't want the final battle to arrive too soon."

"We have a plan already," The old rulers replied. "We didn't focus only on escaping during these years. We have almost found a way to gaze on the arrays of laws past the sky."

Noah snapped out of his worries and thoughts. His eyes lit up with pure interest after hearing those words. Part of him even believed to have misheard the old rulers.

"How can you even find that with the sky all around the world?" Noah asked.

"By using the sky, of course," The old rulers revealed, and Noah sensed tinges of pride in their voice.

"I want in," Noah immediately exclaimed.

"We thought you didn't trust us," The old rulers replied.

"Don't pretend to negotiate," Noah scoffed. "You told me because you want me to join the mission. Don't worry. I'm in."

"Are you sure?" The old rulers teased. "We would probably need to destroy the place only to take a glimpse at the path past the ninth rank. Heaven and Earth will definitely go all-out against us afterward."

"Stop insulting me," Noah sighed. "Show me the plan."

The old rulers went silent as the drop of higher energy spread and transformed into a map of the higher plane. Noah could see the oval world filled with weak sky and the white layer all around it. The image also depicted a few known Mortal Lands hidden past the white edges.

"You have learnt a lot in these years," Noah commented.

"We have initially tried to reach some Mortal Lands to infect their "Breath"," The old rulers explained. "We have ultimately abandoned that project to stop living in the past."

"What's the plan then?" Noah asked as his eyes inspected the map. "I can also make a similar picture, but I don't claim to know where Heaven and Earth keep their important structures."

"We can understand that because we used to be them," The old rulers announced. "Besides, gazing directly at the arrays of laws is impossible, but we used to know where we could inspect their effects. That can't change just because Heaven and Earth wish so."

Noah didn't feel surprised that the old rulers had started to search for the effects of the arrays when they still had control over the world. No one would give up on the chance to gaze at the path past the ninth rank if they had the opportunity. Still, he didn't share their confidence.

"So, you aren't certain," Noah said. "You don't really know if you have found the right place."

"We must take risks to uncover the path forward," The old rulers declared. "You understand, right? How many times have you relied on your instincts to find truths that you couldn't possibly know?"

"You can understand Heaven and Earth due to your previous connection," Noah continued, "But the opposite is also true. What if your plan is part of a greater trap?"

"It probably is," The old rulers admitted. "Heaven and Earth have long since understood that we are aiming for the arrays, but they can't hide them. Part of their current aggression probably comes from their realization that we are ready to start the plan."

Noah didn't need to ask how the old rulers intended to cross the sky. He had traded away the black metal during the apocalyptic event, so they definitely had something capable of digging through that white material.

"There won't be simple avatars waiting for us," Noah complained. "Cultivators who have been able to preserve their worlds for entire eras will try their best to stop us. Also, why would we need to destroy the place?"

"For those exact reasons," The old rulers explained. "Heaven and Earth will do everything in their power to prevent our possible inspection. That's why we must force everything to fall apart and exploit the chaos."

Noah started to gain a vague understanding of the plan, but that only revealed the many variables that could make it fail. First of all, the old rulers didn't know the exact spot from where Heaven and Earth gazed at the arrays. Then, they didn't explain how they intended to overcome the privileged cultivators.

The last part of the plan was also quite troublesome. Noah liked the idea of blowing away part of the sky, but that only made everything unclear. The purpose of the mission was to gaze at the arrays, so the chaos could potentially go against that.

"Is it worth it?" Noah wondered. "Why are you doing all of this for a simple glance? I'm not underestimating the benefits of the arrays. I just don't think that spending so much to obtain so little is worth it."

"Don't compare ourselves to those cultivators," The old rulers said after understanding the source of Noah's doubts.

The privileged cultivators and Heaven and Earth had access to those resources for entire eras. They had even searched for specific arrays and understood where their influence was more intense.

A simple glance was nothing compared to the eras that those experts had spent in front of those resources. Noah wanted to understand what stood beyond the ninth rank, but he wasn't willing to create such a mess for something that might not give him anything.

The old rulers understood those doubts, and they didn't hesitate to reassure Noah. "The idea behind the single glance isn't in the actual contents of the scene, but in the feelings that it expresses. We want to experience the path past the ninth rank with our new existence, but we would understand if you were to refuse."
Chapter 2073: Seclusion
The old rulers had yet to point on the map where they intended to attack. Noah guessed that they were waiting for him to make a decision, but he didn't know how he could even refuse that offer.

Traveling on his own and the quasi-living workshops were good plans, but they would require a long time to show their benefits. Noah wanted to do something in-between that long and dull wait, and attacking the sky with the old rulers definitely suited his character.

"How long will Heaven and Earth remain unable to gaze at the arrays after we destroy the place?" Noah asked.

"Heaven and Earth always have their eyes set on the realms above them," The old rulers explained. "We might slow them down a little, but the damage will mostly involve the cultivators striving to remain ahead of the system."

"So much for a mere glance," Noah sighed before nodding. "Let's go for it. I was already growing bored of taking it easy."

"What's your current power level?" The old rulers asked.

"You'll have to find that out," Noah smirked.

The old rulers fell silent, but a change eventually happened on the map. A spot on the sky turned white before expanding and adding a few details on the side that shone on the higher plane.

Noah didn't really care about those details. They didn't describe much anyway, and they didn't reveal the danger hidden inside the actual sky either. Even the old rulers couldn't predict what would wait for them once they entered that environment.

"How do you intend to proceed?" Noah asked.

"The attack must be swift," The old rulers explained. "We have developed three powerful weapons from the dark metal, and two of them will be necessary for the mission. We would prefer to keep the third for unexpected situations, but we are ready to use it if something goes wrong."

Noah could immediately guess that the power of those weapons was immense. After all, he knew how much dark metal he had given to the old rulers. The fact that they had split it into only three assets described their might.

"I'll rely on you for the direction," Noah stated. "I don't know where we are right now."

"We have moved toward that target for a few decades by now," The old rulers announced. "Still, Heaven and Earth keep sending Tribulations toward us. They are slowing us down as they prepare defenses."

"I think it's better if I remain hidden," Noah suggested. "Heaven and Earth can't confirm that I've joined the mission. We should keep things like this."

"We agree," The old rulers exclaimed as rumbling noises started to resound from above the pit. "We have already prepared a suitable training hall for your seclusion. Do you have other requests?"

"I need a connection with the outside world every few years," Noah responded. "I don't need to go out. You can close the connection as soon as I drop something."

"Deal," The old rulers agreed.

Noah turned to fly out of the pit, but a doubt appeared in his mind. He didn't worry about the Tribulations along the way, but the orange city probably was too big for the actual mission. The old rulers could shrink the structure, but he didn't know whether they had something better to send inside the sky.

"How do you plan on gazing at the areas outside the sky?" Noah asked. "Recording the scene from inside the city shouldn't be ideal."

"Don't worry about us," The old rulers stated as the humanoid puppet started to shake. "We'll be ready by then."

Noah could only nod. It seemed that the old rulers were going all-out for the mission, and he could only like that outcome.

When Noah left the pit, he saw that most buildings had retreated except for a single palace. He didn't hesitate to enter it, and a cold smile appeared on his face when he confirmed the firmness of the structure. The training area wouldn't be able to contain his power if he went all-out, but it was sturdy enough to endure his normal absorption.

The structure also had a pool that seemed to work as a dimensional passage for the outside world. Noah could meditate while hovering above the opening to draw energy from the weak sky. Even dropping the quasi-living workshops wasn't a problem with that asset.

A long meditation inevitably started. Noah didn't do much except study his current power and expand his influence on the other side of the passage. Heaven and Earth might notice his presence inside the orange city like that, but he couldn't stop training altogether just to preserve some secrecy.

The training hall also lit up every few years. Noah used that signal to drop the quasi-living workshops. He even experienced something that he had waited for a while during his seclusion. Someone had picked up one of his fake cores, and his world had started to benefit from it.

Unluckily for Noah, he experienced that sensation only once during his stay inside the orange city. He didn't mind that too much since his project had just started, but he also wished that everything went faster.

Noah knew that the project would pick up speed once he filled the entirety of the higher plane with quasi-living workshops. Still, the current effectiveness of his items told him that the world had fewer experts than he had initially expected.

That realization wasn't exactly terrible. There was a chance that many packs, forces, or experts had simply decided to seclude themselves now that the weak sky filled the higher plane. Still, Noah remained disappointed about it. He wanted to improve quickly and become able to touch Caesar's realm, but wishes alone couldn't expand his world.

The seclusion came to an end when the training area lit up and continued to illuminate Noah. He understood that the time to go had arrived, and a peculiar scene unfolded in his vision when he left the structure.

An army of improved magical beasts had gathered around the pit. The iconic orange color of the old rulers filled the area due to the fur, skin, and features that shared that shade. The orange city seemed ready to go to war, and Noah could only feel happy about it.

Noah didn't hide his doubts even in front of the old rulers, but the current orange spectacle was reassuring. The orange city was willing to deploy the entirety of its assets, which proved how serious it was about the whole mission.

"We will open the path," The old rulers' androgynous voice resounded throughout the area as an orange halo started to come out of the pit. "You must come out only after we pierce the sky."

Noah knew that the old rulers were talking to him, so he nodded and started to ascend to place himself on top of a building. He could see the defensive array of lightning bolts from there, and the orange city quickly provided him with tools to inspect the situation on the outside world.

A series of lights came out of the roof and started to depict familiar images. Noah saw the orange city in a large area without weak sky. The real white layer was right in front of the buildings, but a sea of crackling avatars and black clouds prevented them from advancing.

"Rise," The old rulers ordered, and the army of magical beasts started to ascend past the defensive array of lightning bolts. Noah could inspect as a massive battle between those assets and the avatars began.

****

Author's notes: As you can probably guess, the chapters tomorrow will be quite late.
Chapter 2074: Quick
A spectacle of orange and white light unfolded as soon as the modified magical beasts met the avatars. Waves of innate abilities and lightning bolts filled the vast battlefield and shattered the fabric of space in ways that even Heaven and Earth struggled to fix.

Noah watched everything and waited patiently for the battle to end. He knew those assets and their power, and the magical beasts didn't interest him. They were strong and had an incredible efficiency against Heaven and Earth's avatars, but they didn't represent the old rulers' true might.

The battle went on for a while. The army of magical beasts had the upper hand, but Heaven and Earth continued to send reinforcements. The sky was right behind the battlefield, so the rulers only needed a few seconds to refill their side.

Orders came out of the orange city from time to time. The old rulers created battle formations that the magical beasts executed in no time. Those creatures were a trained force meant to destroy Heaven and Earth, and they never stopped showing their might.

Precise lightning bolts also shot out of the defensive array above the orange city. They flew among the modified magical beasts to pierce avatars or some of the clouds behind them.

There didn't seem to be an end to the battle. The constant flow of reinforcements eventually began to affect the magical beast's advantage. Those creatures' resilience was immense, and the old rulers knew how to make the best out of their innate abilities. Yet, Heaven and Earth had sheer superior numbers on their side, and they didn't hesitate to rely on them to tilt the scales of the battle in their direction.

The old rulers had predicted a similar situation, and they had also prepared countermeasures. Some orange lightning bolts ended up falling on the sky behind the battlefield to create spherical masses of energy. Initially, they didn't do anything, but the situation changed once a few hundred of them gathered on the white layer.

The spherical masses of energy started to send lightning bolts among each other. Those attacks ricocheted and quickly gave birth to a barrier that destroyed every avatar trying to come out of the sky.

The magical beasts launched an all-out offensive once the reinforcements stopped flooding the battlefield. Their assault swept away most of the avatars and cleared the clouds, seizing a quick victory while Heaven and Earth were still busy dealing with the barrier.

An order echoed from the orange city, and the army of magical beasts performed a quick retreat without minding the few avatars that had survived the previous attack. The creatures returned among the buildings, and Heaven and Earth destroyed the barrier when the battlefield became mostly empty. However, the old rulers had already activated the second part of their attack by then.

A few buildings placed at the corners of the orange city lit up and began to radiate a dark orange light in the area. Noah sensed the presence of the dark metal, but the old rulers didn't give him the time to study the event.

The light intensified until it tainted the defensive crackling array. The lightning bolts grew denser as they gained the dark metal's features. Their noise even intensified before they shot forward.

The orange city separated itself from one of its strongest defensive assets. It transformed the barrier of lightning bolts into an attack that reached the sky before Heaven and Earth could throw more avatars into the battlefield. Needless to say, the white layer directly shattered under the properties of the dark metal and the destructive features of the attack.

A massive hole appeared in the sky as the array of lightning bolts flew forward. Heaven and Earth couldn't do anything against its destructive properties, and many avatars inside the white layer also crumbled due to the destruction that unfolded.

The attack didn't stop even after disappearing from the sensor's range. The dark orange glow faded among the whiteness, but its power continued to fill the giant tunnel. That technique had been many times more effective than anything Noah and King Elbas had deployed during their past exploration. Still, that felt natural due to its different purposes.

The orange city wasn't trying to sneak inside the sky to seize resources. That mission had to be fast, direct, and flawless. Half-assed methods or slow approaches would only create unwanted variables that could lead to a complete defeat or worse.

The old rulers brought their city forward, and the structure expanded once it entered the tunnel. A new crackling array appeared above the buildings and stretched to reach the edges of the giant passage to slow down its innate healing properties. A series of runes and thunderous cores also came out of those attacks to spread throughout the area.

The orange city forced the healing process to a temporary stop. Heaven and Earth wanted to close the passage and prevent that invasion, but the old rulers' methods weren't easy to destroy. Still, the sky started to heal even if the formation expanded over its shattered surfaces. The sheer difference in power between those existences wasn't something that mere preparations could fill.

"Quick," The old rulers ordered as an orange figure shot out of the pit and arrived next to Noah. "We don't have long."

The space-time array replaced the world in Noah's vision. He was outside the void of the battlefield, so he could exploit his aspects to deploy the full power of his movement technique.

Noah shot forward, and the orange figure flew next to him. They were equally matched in terms of speed, but Noah felt that the old rulers had yet to show their true power.

The sprint didn't allow Noah to study the orange figure or its power. The old rulers were using the humanoid puppet that he had seen inside the pit to move. That seemed their real body, but he couldn't be sure without further testing.

The situation didn't give Noah the chance to test anything. He and the old rulers had to outrun Heaven and Earth's healing properties. They also had a limited amount of time since the formation that covered the shattered surfaces was constantly losing power.

The sprint seemed to last an eternity inside that dull environment. Noah could get how much he had crossed due to his understanding of space, but that didn't help him realize how far he was from his destination.

The sky didn't have fixed thickness. Noah didn't know how far the other side was from that spot, but he didn't have to remain with his doubts for too long since a trace of the void past the higher plane eventually appeared in his vision. Still, the scene was so spectacular that he almost slowed down to inspect it.

The other side of the sky in that area wasn't white. It was actually hard to notice it due to its transparent properties. The material showed the void past the higher plane and enhanced some of its details.

Noah could see faint currents of energy that even the sky's functions couldn't manage to enhance. He squeezed his eyes and expanded his consciousness as much as possible, but he couldn't improve his perspective. He had to get closer to make use of that material, but Heaven and Earth wouldn't make it so easy for him.

A series of figures broke the orange formation in random spots near the transparent piece of sky and appeared in the tunnel. Noah saw Dinia and other privileged cultivators gathering in front of the dark spectacle and blocking his view. Their auras also stopped his consciousness and prevented him from memorizing the few images that he had been able to see from his position.
Chapter 2075: Weapon
Noah didn't know how strong the old rulers were in their current form, but he felt pretty sure that their joint power wouldn't be enough against the team of privileged cultivators. Dinia alone wasn't an issue. Actually, Noah even wanted to test his current might against him. Yet, the other experts with him made the situation impossible to overcome.

Noah didn't recognize the other privileged cultivators, but their power was enough to raise doubts in his mind. Some of those experts were in the solid stage, which only reminded him of his fight against Caesar. The latter was an elite even among assets at the peak of the cultivation journey, but Noah couldn't hurt him at all, and something told him that something similar would happen against his current opponents.

The Cursed Sword and the Demonic Sword appeared in his hands even if he had no intention to fight. Noah prepared himself for the battle while he waited for the old rulers to make their move. He knew that they had prepared something for that situation, but he wasn't privy to the plan's details.

"You made a mess now," Dinia coldly announced as the cultivators around him expanded their worlds to prepare for the battle. "The sky will close, and you won't get the chance to escape. Honestly, I expected more from you."

Noah didn't answer. His face remained cold as he waited for something to happen. The black crystal and his companions became ready for the imminent wave of attacks, and the space-time array replaced the world in his eyes.

"Puppets never know their place," The old rulers spoke through their incomplete body. "You all are a rare breed, but most of your power comes from the flawed mindset that made you bow your heads in front of a superior entity."

"You sure talk a lot," Dinia scoffed. "I'm surprised you managed to survive after Heaven and Earth cut you away. Your current personality also comes from that troublesome individual."

A series of gazes fell on Noah. The privileged cultivators didn't seem to care about the old rulers, but he knew the real reason behind that behavior. Those experts probably had orders to leave his ally to Heaven and Earth.

"We don't have much time," The old rulers announced while taking something out of their orange body. "We are afraid this conversation must end now."

The cultivators instinctively prepared themselves to defend against the old rulers' weapon, but confused expressions appeared on their faces when they noticed the nature of the item. The orange avatar had taken out a black sphere that didn't seem to emit any power. Even Noah failed to understand its might.

The sphere clearly had dark metal in its fabric, but its lack of aura was destabilizing for experts that relied so heavily on their senses and minds. Even the monster with its non-world radiated effects that rank 9 experts could study. However, the old rulers' weapon appeared empty. Noah even struggled to inspect it since it didn't seem to exist at all.

"What's that?" Dinia asked.

"This is the current apex of the inscription field," The old rulers explained. "Gaze and marvel at the fusion between existence and non-existence."

The old rulers threw the sphere forward while the privileged cultivators tried to find some sense in their words. It was easy to connect that statement to the capture of the injured non-world, but the weapon didn't seem to carry its destructive and unique properties.

The sphere floated slowly among the sky. The old rulers didn't hold back when they threw the weapon, but it seemed to struggle to move through the whiteness.

That odd feature didn't give much hope to Noah, and even the privileged cultivators felt tempted to lower their guards and disregard the weapon. Still, none of them underestimated its power, especially after hearing such a bold statement.

The sphere stopped moving altogether when it reached a seemingly random spot between Noah and the cultivators' group. It stood among the sky before starting to rotate. A strange aura eventually began to leak from its figure, and everyone finally became able to understand its power.

Noah widened his eyes in shock. The array of darker lightning bolts had been a spectacular attack that stood at the very peak of the ninth rank. It had been able to dig a massive tunnel inside the sky, allowing Noah and the old rulers to reach the other side of the white layer without meeting any hindrance.

The old rulers were a few steps ahead of Noah, but that felt normal after considering their past. They were existences that had managed to touch the very peak of the world, and they had even become strong enough to attempt the leap to the tenth rank.

Their second weapon only highlighted the old rulers' immense power. The sphere showed its might as a peak rank 9 weapon during its rotation. It seemed to have even more energy than the dark crackling array, and it was also able to condense it in that small form.

The discharge of so much power would naturally have devastating consequences on the area. Dinia and the others felt the need to retreat, but they didn't leave their position. They were defending the best resource in the entire sky. Mere energy and constant safety barely had any value compared to what they could witness due to the transparent layer.

Instead, nothing stopped Noah from retreating, so he began to take a step back, but the rulers promptly turned their featureless face toward him to voice a warning. "You won't be able to take your glance if you back out any further."

The statement left Noah a bit stunned. He knew that the old rulers intended to blow the place up for a chance to gaze at the arrays. Still, that was too much. The explosion could kill everyone who dared to remain in the area.

Noah suddenly felt that the whole plan had been a bad idea. Even his instincts were warning him about the deadliness of the sphere. His best defenses might not be enough in that situation, but he wouldn't gain a similar chance anytime soon. It was now or never, and getting injured seemed a fair price to pay for that potential reward.

The black crystal started creating countless dark vessels inside his body, and the unstable substance quickly filled them. The pure potential inside his ethereal world forced his flesh to reach a level of power that it wouldn't achieve even if he spent millennia eating rank 9 resources. Dark matter covered his figure as his swords disappeared.

Roots soon wrapped themselves around the fiendish armor, and pulling forces came out of his figure to prepare the energy necessary to fix his injuries. Duanlong also got ready to use its new innate ability. Everything about Noah focused on a simple but necessary aspect of the mission. He had to survive the imminent explosion and keep his eyes open for the arrays.

The sphere's rotation accelerated until the items started releasing a high-pitched noise that intensified as the seconds passed. A dark light that carried orange shades also started spreading in its surroundings. Then, a loud, deep noise filled the area and made everything go dark.

Noah gave the order, and Duanlong's head came out of his chest to absorb part of the immense wave of energy that was flying toward him. However, the old rulers suddenly started to glow with orange light that fended off the incoming attack.

The old rulers weren't using any specific technique. It seemed that the massive wave of energy naturally avoided their glow. It was clear that they had planted a flaw in the weapon so that they could exploit it in that situation, and Noah ended up benefitting from it.

The path opened by the orange glow stretched forward. It pierced the dense sea of energy easily and created an opening that reached the transparent piece of sky. The explosion had made that unique chunk fall apart, but its shards still enhanced the distant void as they shot past the edges of the higher plane.

Noah fixed his gaze on the images that felt familiar to him, and his mind lost itself in the deep meanings that he saw.

****

Author's notes: Special thanks to Jakob_Voogd for the Spacecraft!
Chapter 2076: Shards
It was hard to describe the scenes reflected on the shattered transparent piece of sky. Words were unsuitable for worlds, let alone for everything that came after them.

The area was a mess of blackness and destruction disrupted only by the old rulers' orange glow and the random lights released by the privileged cultivators. The situation announced the need to run away with everything it featured, but Noah couldn't move.

Noah had merely gazed at the reflections on the transparent sky. Those shards continued to work while the explosion pushed them toward the void, so he could see the currents of energy that they had initially inspected.

The meanings carried by that energy were different, and most of them weren't even close to suiting his existence. However, Noah didn't need to learn from them. He only had to understand what lay beyond the ninth rank, and that mere glance was enough to reveal a lot.

Everything in the universe worked according to different laws. Some were vast or deep enough to become worlds, and they expressed that superior power through a denser and purer form of energy.

Still, that was only one side of the system. The universe worked like the worlds and followed a path that cultivators wouldn't normally approach. There was a lack of wills in the laws that ruled the void and the matter immersed inside it. Everything functioned because that was its nature. It was possible to see traces of an actual personality and character only when an external force tried to override those innate purposes.

Noah could gaze at forms of energy that went beyond his understanding. He felt unable to study them due to the lack of time, distance, and limitations that his current rank brought. Yet, their interactions with the void revealed part of their secrets, and that was more than enough for him since he could draw conclusions on his own afterward.

The cultivators didn't respect the rules of that system. The worlds and the universe featured a series of laws and true meanings fused to give birth to specific features. Still, those natures were never obtained randomly or developed through training and similar efforts.

The universe knew how it was supposed to work, and the same went for the worlds inside it. Everything was a complicated array that featured shallow forms of energy and laws so deep that even Noah struggled to recognize them. Together, they created what existed and non in a balanced environment that kept expanding.

The deeper powers didn't claim massive amounts of energy. They definitely appeared mighty and scary, but those features didn't come from what they contained.

'It's not what they have,' Noah realized. 'Their power comes from their ability to shape the world according to their features. The void is supposed to be empty, so deep laws that involve meanings close to the non-existence have control of its space-time array.'

Noah immediately corrected himself. Those deep laws didn't have control of the void. That piece of the universe had become the void he knew because specific meanings had shaped it like that.

That influence went beyond what the cultivators' worlds could do. Those deep laws had no interest in gaining more power, and they didn't even affect their surroundings on purpose. However, the environment changed and replicated their features simply because they existed.

Noah tried to compare and translate those effects to apply his findings to the cultivation journey. The ninth rank featured personal worlds with special features. Some were simple, while others were highly complicated. Still, they had a common aspect. They were all unique and impossible to replicate.

Even powerhouses like Heaven and Earth couldn't copy an existing world. The cultivators were simply creators of new laws that didn't naturally exist in the universe. Their sole existence expanded the scope of all creation and granted a constant flow of different meanings.

The universe grew thanks to the cultivators, and that process wasn't a mere expansion. Everything learnt from those experts improved its understanding of the balance that it naturally tried to achieve.

The universe actually felt alive, but Noah felt able to refuse those thoughts. The cosmos had innate purposes but no wills. It simply existed and strived to preserve the balance.

The cultivators' role in that immense and seemingly welcoming environment was to bring their worlds to the point when they could shape their surroundings. They couldn't just infect the matter around them. The change had to be far deeper. The very rules of the universe had to change because of the experts' power.

'How can anyone ever reach that point?' Noah wondered. 'This goes beyond the power of influence. Our worlds would need to become proper rules of the universe to touch that level.'

His thoughts contained the answer he needed, but they didn't tell him how to reach it. Noah knew how to grow stronger inside the ninth rank, but the tenth wanted more from him. He would basically need to accept to be a part of the universe, which sounded wrong after spending countless years improving his individual power.

'What about the arrays then?' Noah wondered. 'Are they mere catalogs that keep track of all the laws that appear in the universe? It would make sense, but there also has to be a corresponding level for cultivators, unless no one has ever reached it.'

Worlds and cultivators followed different paths, but they shared similar features. Moreover, they had the same checkpoints when it came to their power.

Noah felt that he would be as powerful as the entire higher plane once he reached the peak of the ninth rank. Of course, he wasn't considering Heaven and Earth in that comparison, but they were a variable that other worlds probably didn't have.

Noah could see himself as a force that continuously modified the universe in the higher ranks. He had seen waves of energy achieving that, so the cultivators had to get somewhere close to that. The issue came after those in-between levels. If the arrays were the apex of the journey past the ninth rank, what was the corresponding level for experts like him?

A few explanations appeared in his mind. One saw cultivators transforming into arrays and helping the universe in its pursuit of balance. That made a lot of sense. There had to be a limit to what those structures could calculate after experiencing the birth of many new meanings.

Noah didn't really like that hypothesis. He didn't work so hard only to become an overseer of the universe's balance. He guessed that there had to be other paths available, with one of them being the possibility of creating an entirely new environment that didn't follow the rules set by the existing arrays.

The waves of thoughts that had filled Noah's mind had made the single and short glance at the images reflected the transparent shards feel like an eternity. Less than a second had passed since the old rulers had opened a path for the other side of the explosion, but he still experienced everything as if he had the chance to let his mind wander for entire centuries.

Noah noticed that his potential had empowered his mind on its own to deal with the massive amount of information, but that thinking speed remained unusual. He couldn't help but blame the scene for that strange phenomenon, but the old rulers eventually put an end to it.

A series of runes came out of the old rulers' body and enveloped the two figures before activating a teleport. Noah's glimpse on the future path vanished in no time, and it took him a while to decide to snap back to reality.

The old rulers had brought them above the orange city, which quickly left the sky and allowed it to close. The mission had been short but worth it. Noah had gained a new perspective about the cultivation journey. Part of him even wanted to start testing ways to achieve the same deep influence witnessed in the transparent shards.
Chapter 2077: Perfect
The deep understanding that the short experience had brought to Noah's mind almost made him forget the dangerousness of the situation. The old rulers had teleported him outside the sky right after causing a major mess. That wasn't the time to ponder about his gains. He had to leave the area and make Heaven and Earth lose track of him.

"Shall we split here?" The old rulers asked. "We can give you a ride toward deeper areas of the higher plane, but Heaven and Earth can find us easily. We'll very likely end up facing a series of Tribulations in the next years."

"It's fine," Noah refused. "This has been a good distraction. I'd rather be alone for now."

"Then, was it worth it?" The old rulers questioned as a crack opened on their orange figure to create what seemed a smug smirk.

"It was definitely something," Noah admitted. "The universe looks immense, and there might be more past it."

"No wonder they call you Defying Demon," The old rulers chuckled. "Even a glimpse of the universe can't put a stop to your ambition."

"My journey is endless," Noah announced before turning and watching the space-time array replacing the white environment in his vision.

"As every journey should be," The old rulers exclaimed before Noah's figure disappeared from the area. Their orange body glanced at the crack created by his movement technique before inspecting the sky until they ultimately returned inside the orange city.

Rumbling thoughts filled Noah's mind as he walked among the space-time array. He couldn't stop reviewing what he had experienced during that short inspection of the realms past the ninth rank.

His techniques felt barbaric after witnessing what forms of energy lay ahead. Noah was exploiting the very nature of the higher plane for his benefit, but that was a mere trick compared to what beings past the ninth rank could achieve.

Existences capable of affecting space and time would directly morph part of the universe according to their understanding. That effect wouldn't be part of a technique or similar effects. It would be a normal consequence of their sheer power.

Noah could sense that his world wasn't part of any larger system. He had long since escaped Heaven and Earth's control, and the higher plane was under their control, so he could never experience what it was to modify something without affecting someone else's power.

That wasn't even close to what Noah had witnessed during the mission. His world was a solitary force moving among enemy territory. Instead, the deeper forms of energy among the void were part of the universe's system, and their sole existence shaped the environment depending on their meanings.

Noah didn't like that path because it seemed to throw away the uniqueness developed throughout countless years. He didn't want to become part of a system, but his unwillingness didn't make him unable to admire the positive aspects of the scene.

The deeper forms of energy didn't appear constrained or anything similar. They weren't like the cultivators inside Heaven and Earth's system. They were part of the universe but also free to express themselves and reshape the environment.

Moreover, those forms of energy probably didn't reflect the realm that cultivators would achieve at that level. Noah believed that another path existed for beings like him. Still, that different journey had to share similarities with what he had witnessed, so he naturally started to think about the issue.

His world affected his surroundings, but the process was a transformation rather than a natural consequence to his existence. He was strong enough to force the matter around him to benefit from his ambition, but those effects were forceful. The universe didn't react to him. He was only a lonely world roaming among a plane that belonged to an even stronger being.

Noah didn't know how to improve from that point. Sure, expanding his existence and throwing quasi-living workshops around would make him progress across the ninth rank, but the path beyond that realm wanted something else.

Noah wasn't sure that he could achieve similar effects immediately. He was strong, but Caesar had proven how his world still lacked depth. There was a chance that he would be able to understand how to affect the universe once he reached higher stages of the cultivation journey, but it didn't hurt to try to be ahead of his schedule.

The long sprint full of various ideas and vague plans ended when Noah sensed a foreign presence in the space-time array that filled his vision. He abruptly stopped, and his blades appeared in his hands when he recognized the aura that had appeared in the area.

"You never give up," Noah joked as a white figure slowly came out of the weak sky in the distance.

"My perfect self couldn't let you escape again," Dinia announced. "Let's end this today."

Noah inspected his surroundings as his consciousness expanded. He couldn't sense anyone else in the area, which left him quite surprised. Dinia could probably guess how strong he had become, so it made no sense for him to jump into a battle on his own.

"Don't worry too much," Dinia announced. "This isn't for Heaven and Earth or any other plan. I can't let you escape me again."

"Don't tell me that you need to kill me to reach the solid stage," Noah sneered. "You sure have a troublesome world."

"We can't change who we are," Dinia declared as white runes appeared on his body and started to draw power from the whiteness around him, "Especially at our level. You have endangered my perfect self, so I must defeat you."

Noah couldn't argue with that. He could actually understand what Dinia was experiencing due to his knowledge of the cultivator's world. Words had suddenly become pointless, and bloodlust inevitably started flowing out of his figure.

"Yes, good," Dinia exclaimed. "Go all-out from the very beginning. Let's avoid wasting time in pointless inspections of each other's power."

Noah didn't let Dinia repeat himself. His potential flooded his centers of power as the unstable substance reinforced his body. Intense ambition flowed out of his figure as his companions started to appear around him. He was going all-out just as Dinia asked.

"Are you going to make me wait?" Noah asked since Dinia didn't activate any new technique.

"My perfect self is already above you," Dinia stated as a copy of the cultivator materialized above Noah and tried to deliver a descending punch.

"I know," Noah sighed as a wave of bloodlust came out of him and released a dark-purple substance in the area. The parasite didn't hesitate to follow that event with its seeds. Many branches appeared between Noah and the cultivator, and the sky immediately began to waver.

"We have always known that your arrival in the ninth rank would have caused problems," Dinia explained as more copies of him came out of his figure. "Don't worry. I've come prepared."

Dinia multiplied itself, but Noah didn't falter. He knew that most of those copies would disappear as soon as they suffered a significant defeat, so he could only see them as puppets.

'I can match this power,' Noah thought as the dark world expanded and workshops started to generate an equally stronger army. He could deal with those copies even if they touched the upper tier in terms of power.
Chapter 2078: Might
Dinia wasn't arrogant, but he let Noah complete his preparations anyway. The cultivator was there to prove that his perfect self could defeat his opponent, so he didn't want to rely on tactics or intelligent approaches. His victory had to be flawless on every field.

Noah understood Dinia. Truth be told, he even liked the cultivator's world. The privileged experts stood on Heaven and Earth's side, but they were entities that had resisted the rulers' control for many years. They deserved his respect.

Of course, that didn't change anything in the battle. Only one of them would survive that clash, and Noah had every intention to come out as the winner.

The ambition released by his companions and the potential that filled the black crystal made the workshop function at an unfathomable speed. Countless six-armed dragons and fiendish figures appeared in his technique's darkness, but the dark matter eventually retreated to gather around his blades.

Dinia could see the full might of Noah's power after the dark world retreated. Hundreds of black figures now tainted the white environment, and a dark light spread from that small army. Six-armed dragons and fiendish figures in the middle tier hovered around Noah while the rest of his companions stood at his sides.

The scene was incredible, and Noah didn't even complete his preparations by then. Black crystals appeared over his figure to create a fiendish armor that allowed the parasite to entangle its roots around him without hurting his body. Meanwhile, the other branches withered and died as he forced the entirety of his power to converge around him.

Noah had transformed into a proper dark spot immersed in the whiteness of the sky. He expressed his previous thoughts with his current power. He was showing his world in the middle of the enemy territory, and the area inevitably suffered due to his sheer weight.

Dinia smiled coldly, but he didn't hide his faint hesitation. He didn't forget that his opponent had barely stepped on the ninth rank, but the power before him seemed to belong to one of the most experienced cultivators in the entirety of the higher plane.

The issue wasn't in the individual power of each asset. The army of dragons and fiendish figures had hundreds of middle tier members, but that wasn't enough against Dinia. Snore and the other companions had an unclear level due to the ambition that filled the area, but even that was relatively fine.

On the other hand, Noah appeared strong enough to rip the sky apart with his bare hands. Needless to say, even that alone wouldn't be enough against Dinia. However, all those assets working together while a sea of ambition engulfed them could create a few problems. The army led by Noah had the power to stand proudly on the solid stage, and that realization was astonishing.

"Your potential is indeed scary," Dinia admitted. "I bet that in twenty or even ten thousand years, I wouldn't have had any chance against you."

"You are talking as if you had a chance now," Noah teased.

"I don't," Dinia stated, "But my perfect self won't lose against such a young threat."

Dinia spread his hands, and his upper tier copies shot forward. They shone with white light as they reached the area tainted by the darkness and pierced it to arrive in front of the army.

A slaughter unfolded. Noah had empowered his puppets with fake cores and ambition, but Dinia's copies were too strong. The dragons and the fiendish figures shattered whenever punches, white rays, or corrosive glows fell on them. The cultivator wasn't even giving them the time to discharge their energy to detonate themselves.

The army quickly shrunk, but a series of stronger opponents rapidly appeared in front of the copies. Noah, Snore, Night, and Duanlong shot forward to face the enemies, and a series of explosions immediately resounded on the battlefield.

Dinia's copies were powerful, but they disappeared quickly. They were an expression of an idea rooted in the cultivator's mind. They could attack for a while, but they vanished as soon as Noah proved them wrong.

Noah unleashed a slash that made use of the dark matter released by the Demonic Sword, his higher energy, the corrosive properties of the parasite, and the Cursed Sword's innate ability. Snore unleashed a few feathers, Night launched a storm of black lines that fused to transform into a sharp wall, and Duanlong opened its mouth to absorb the incoming attacks.

The army of dragons and fiendish figures held their ground against the remaining copies. Many of them died in the process, but the explosions they generated eventually amassed enough energy to stop the incoming attacks.

The first offensive ended with Noah losing a few minor assets and using Duanlong's innate ability. Dinia couldn't feel satisfied with that outcome, but the same went for Noah. The latter wanted his power to overwhelm his opponent, but he couldn't change the reality of the situation. Dinia was simply strong.

Noah didn't limit himself to defend. He voiced a roar that made the entirety of his assets advance as the space-time array replaced the world in his vision. A few steps were enough to put him above Dinia, but his fast movements didn't surprise the expert.

Dinia shone with white light as the glow of his runes intensified. His radiance cut through the many puppets and shattered some of them apart while he launched a beam toward Noah. The latter's swords descended, and an explosion happened when they met the bright attack.

Waves of energy crashed on Noah's body and tried to push him back, but his physical prowess allowed him to move forward. He ignored the sharp and dense currents caused by the explosions to reach the cultivator hovering behind them.

Dinia raised his arms when he saw Noah coming out of the storms. His entire body lit up while a massive wave of energy flew out of his palms, but his attack ended up changing direction before hitting his opponent.

Noah used that chance to reach his opponent. His swords landed on Dinia's head and began to pierce his skull before intense bright light filled the area and made him lose track of the cultivator.

Dinia reappeared in the distance past the mess of dragons, fiendish figures, companions, and currents of energy. Blood fell from his half-split head, but his eyes remained bright. Multiple copies of him materialized at his sides, but he had to send them forward when he saw a rain of feathers flying in his direction.

Chaos unfolded in the area. Snore's attack turned a vast chunk of the sky into an oval hell of raging dark gales ready to destroy every form of energy. Nothing could pass through it, except Noah, of course.

The messy environment prevented Noah from using his consciousness to find Dinia, but he sensed him anyway. His anger toward Heaven and Earth's assets wasn't something that those raging storms could hinder. He strode forward, and his blades shone with a dark light when a figure appeared in his vision.

A giant slash split the vast area with destructive storms into two parts and opened a passage where Dinia could escape. The cultivator had a deep cut on his torso. His blood tainted his runes and hindered their correct functioning, but his problems didn't end there.

A shadow flew past Dinia and left a series of black lines on his back. Snore materialized above him and filled the area with a sea of destructive dark matter. The dark world expanded again and turned the raging currents into a force that blew toward the cultivator. Energy even left the latter's body whenever he tried to launch an attack.

Dinia struggled to free himself from that barrage of attacks, but everything suddenly stopped. Still, a series of giant figures suddenly slammed on him and self-detonated to create another chaotic area.
Chapter 2079: Woman
Dinia had always known that Noah was incredible, but that was too much even for a temporary enhancement. Noah's offensive was relentless, deadly, and unavoidable. Even stronger cultivators would inevitably get caught in the middle of the countless powerful attacks that carried different features.

The two blades were incredibly powerful. The Demonic Sword was basically Noah, so it could fuse two layers of dark matter and enhance its power beyond its normal limits. Instead, the Cursed Sword made use of his bloodlust to create highly destructive attacks capable of threatening even the strongest defenses.

Moreover, Noah backed those swords with his immense physical strength and profound aspects. His mind even instinctively led him toward spots that his opponents would struggle to defend. Everything on him had the sole purpose of killing his enemies.

The situation didn't improve with his companions. Duanlong was annoying with its ability to absorb energy even when it was still inside Dinia's body or world. Night was invisible in that mess, and its deadliness was unmatched. Snore was a powerhouse equipped with one of the most dangerous substances in the entire higher plane, and the parasite was simply dangerous.

Shafu even helped whenever Duanlong couldn't deal with the enemy offensive on its own. Attacks would change their course on their own for no apparent reason and create openings that Noah didn't hesitate to exploit.

The army of dragons and fiendish puppets weren't too dangerous compared to the rest of Noah's assets, but they became highly annoying in the middle of that mess. Their offensive wasn't great, but they contained enough energy to threaten even privileged cultivators.

Noah himself wasn't weak. His centers of power could touch Dinia's realm after experiencing the boost of the ethereal blackness' potential. Noah was also hard to follow due to his deep understanding of space and time. He seemed to have no weaknesses, but Dinia knew that even that mighty opponent had an inevitable flaw.

Perfection didn't exist in the world. Noah could make up for most of his shortcomings with his potential and companions, but his power had the usual flaw that had afflicted him for a long time. His base level remained inferior to his opponents, so he had to push himself harder than them, leading to higher energy consumption.

The ethereal blackness' immense size partially helped balance that weakness and the same went for his centers of power' higher quality. Noah could theoretically last as long as stronger experts, but drawbacks would eventually arrive, and there was no fix to that issue.

Dinia had to decide how to face Noah. He couldn't overpower his opponent as he did in the past, and the sheer number of assets against him made it impossible to create an even fight. He could buy himself some time and wait for the drawbacks to arrive, but that didn't suit his perfect self.

"You are strong," Dinia spoke from inside the currents generated by the detonation of the puppets. "You deserve my full power."

A pillar of white light pierced the storms and dispersed them. The few traces of whiteness in the area vanished to converge toward that bright event. Even the weak sky in the distance ended up falling apart to give Dinia more power.

Noah deployed the dark world under him to recreate his disposable army. He didn't hold back, and Snore's featherless state proved that. Yet, Dinia had survived his attacks and was still able to express more power.

'He isn't the average privileged cultivator,' Noah concluded in his mind.

The pillar slowly converged until Dinia became visible again. His body had turned completely white, and bright marks appeared on the void whenever he waved his fingers or simply moved. Still, he didn't shine. It seemed that he tried to contain most of his power inside his figure.

"You know," Dinia announced. "My perfect self is a projection of what I believe I should strive for. You have your ambition to overcome the limits of your current ranks, but those restrictions don't exist in my world. I've lived for many eras, so I know exactly the shape of my best form. Well, now you also know it."

"Your imagination must have run dry during these eras," Noah mocked. "It's not wise to use a temporary boost against me. You are challenging me in my strongest field."

Dinia smirked coldly. Noah had understood that his current form had a time limit after mere seconds. The former was a scary opponent, and his statement had also been on point. Dinia had basically chosen to fight Noah on his own field.

"Are you scared?" Dinia teased.

"It's not hard to understand what you did," Noah sighed. "Your perfect self is literally perfect. I can predict that all your techniques will be stronger right now. Still, using Heaven and Earth's energy against me is quite dumb."

"This energy is mine," Dinia laughed as he waved his hands to inspect the bright marks that he left on the void. "Besides, you shouldn't underestimate Heaven and Earth when your woman has lost against them."

Noah's eyes inevitably flickered as the memories of the Tribulation against the lizard appeared in his mind. He didn't know whether Dinia was telling the truth, but he didn't seem the type to lie.

"Did you lose your ability to speak?" Dinia chuckled. "To be fair, some advised against attacking that stubborn woman, and I was among them. I know that you like to hide behind a mask of coldness, but you have the heart of a magical beast. Your instincts force you to feel something, and those emotions can be dangerous for Heaven and Earth."

Noah didn't say anything. He limited himself to inspect Dinia as he prepared his next attack. His mind couldn't find weak spots in the cultivator's current form, so he had to create them.

"I see," Dinia laughed again. "You don't want to be funny anymore. It's fine. Words have always been useless after reaching this point."

Noah raised his swords to the sky, and a pillar of dark matter flowed through them. Entire branches of the parasite grew inside that giant structure as his ambition enhanced the most destructive aspects of his world.

"Do you want to end it in a single attack?" Dinia continued to tease. "That's good for me. This form doesn't last as long as your ambition. I'd rather end it in one blow."

Noah continued to remain silent. Snore added its destructive energy to the pillar while Night fused with its structure. Duanlong entered inside his body to prepare for the imminent discharge of energy. Instead, his disposable army rose to fill the entirety of the battlefield. Those puppets felt ready to self-detonate, and their explosion would also engulf Noah from their position.

"Do you want to make a bet?" Dinia asked. "I'll tell you how she died if you win. Still, if I win, I want you t-."

Dinia didn't have the chance to finish his line since the army exploded and made the entire area fall into pure chaos. Noah lowered his blades at that point, and his pillar ended up clashing with a blinding wave of whiteness that pierced the storms of dark energy. Another detonation happened, and no sound followed that event.
Chapter 2080: Trust
Gales of energy raged among the void. The fabric of space couldn't even come close to withstanding the massive amount of power discharged during the last clash, and its shockwaves only stretched the range of that destruction.

Silence filled the area. Nothing moved inside the gales. The waves of energy spread among the void and partially dispersed before a pulling force manifested its presence from the center of that mess.

The gales collapsed and converged toward their center until Noah's figure became visible among that blackness. A dark glow came out of his skin as the ethereal blackness expanded and generated more potential. He had added another feat to his life, and his power grew because of that.

Drawbacks started to fall on his centers of power while he hovered with his eyes closed among the void. His skin began to open, his dantian grew unable to contain its darkness, the black crystal became unstable, and his mind wandered from one unclear thought to another.

The companions experienced similar moments of weakness. They had gone through the two cycles of ambition during the battle, so they had to endure drawbacks. Still, the ethereal blackness quickly filled Noah with power that spread throughout his arsenal.

It didn't take long before Noah opened his eyes. His dark glow dimmed and vanished in a matter of seconds. The environment even seemed to reach a new level of silence when his cold gaze fell on the darkness. The world appeared scared, but those effects quickly vanished as he regained complete control of his power.

The growing potential and the energy absorbed from the environment brought Noah to a higher peak, but he wasn't in the mood to enjoy his improvements. His eyes went on the whiteness in the distance as cold and violent thoughts spread in his mind.

'Did he lie?' Noah wondered. 'He wouldn't have lied just to gain an advantage, right? He must have spoken the truth.'

Noah didn't miss the faint fear that had spread among the world, but he felt temporarily unable to focus on that. He had to think about something else. According to Dinia, Heaven and Earth had killed June.

Memories tried to fill his vision, but his coldness didn't let anything disrupt my concentration. Noah wanted to stare at the sky as if his action could solve his doubts. Of course, the white material didn't reveal anything, but he didn't stop anyway.

'Did they know about the Perfect Circuit already?' Noah asked himself. 'That doesn't sound right. Heaven and Earth would have used it far earlier otherwise.'

That hypothesis led to a simple realization. Heaven and Earth had learnt how to use the Perfect Circuit properly after killing June, which involved an absorption of her law or world. Still, Noah didn't know how to proceed from that.

Technically, something of June was alive if Heaven and Earth had absorbed her law. Noah didn't know how much of her had remained, and he wasn't even sure he could do anything about the situation. However, he couldn't stop thinking about the issue, especially after seeing Great Builder and Supreme Thief's resurrection.

Resurrecting worlds that had managed to remain hidden from Heaven and Earth's system was one thing. It almost felt doable in Noah's mind now that he thought about it. Yet, he didn't know what level June had reached during the years spent among the storms. She could have remained a mere law, reducing her chances of coming back to life.

Moreover, even if June had died after becoming a world, Heaven and Earth had still absorbed her. Noah knew that he would become able to mess with the rulers' system during the last stages of his cultivation journey. Yet, he didn't know what he would be able to retrieve. The remains of a law or a world wouldn't transform his lover, not entirely at least.

Retrieving June's law or her world would give Noah the chance to rebuild her existence. Still, he had seen the limits of his power with Robert, and the issue would be even harsher with June. If Dinia had told the truth, she had lost in her endless pursuit of battles and letting Noah recreate her would only put a permanent limit on her potential.

Noah felt unable to find a way out of that problem. He didn't know enough about the situation to understand how to approach the issue, and his hopes weren't great anyway.

June's defeat was the core part of the problem. Noah knew that she would have fought until the bitter end, which hinted at the almost complete destruction of her existence. The rebuilding would have to be extensive and deep, which could still be fine with other experts. However, June was different. Her existence couldn't accept that kind of help without losing its potential.

'Did you really die?' Noah eventually sighed.

The lack of answers, uncertainties, and general annoyance about the situation made Noah desire to throw himself at the sky and destroy as much as he could. He could sense countless violent thoughts giving him ideas on how to shatter everything Heaven and Earth had created during his breakthrough. He wanted to cause a mess to avenge June or solve his doubts about her state, but he didn't let himself fall prey to those desires.

Noah knew that he could only trust June. They had always known the risks of the cultivation journey. Their old promises had happened for that exact reason. The chances of reaching the peak of the cultivation journey together had always been slim, so they had to take those precautions.

'What now?' Noah wondered as his hand moved among the void.

Nothing happened until Noah summoned the same cold and violent thoughts that had filled his mind during his recovery. The void started to show the faint fear witnessed previously at that point. It seemed on the verge of doing something, but Noah couldn't trigger any reaction.

'Is my world so heavy?' Noah pondered. 'Am I reaching the depths required to affect these aspects of the universe?'

Truth be told, Noah couldn't find answers to those questions either. He had merely gazed at the realms past the ninth rank, so he was unclear about the powers required to make the universe adapt to his existence.

Nevertheless, Noah took that as a good sign. It didn't matter if his path had yet to touch the effects that only the realms past the ninth rank could obtain. The void was reacting to his presence, which was incredible considering his state as a gaseous state existence.

Heaven and Earth slowly rebuilt the area, and Noah didn't stop that process. He let the fabric of space heal and return to its normal whiteness before planting a quasi-living workshop.

His original plan was still in place, but he wanted to accelerate his pace a bit. June's potential death had filled his mind with a bit of anxiety. Noah wanted to become strong enough to carve answers out of the sky or find past companions quickly.

His friends weren't idiots, and the assets left on the black landmass weren't weak. Some of them would have survived the expansion of the weak sky, and Noah wanted to question them. Still, finding them came first, and accelerating would make their meeting happen sooner.

****

Author's notes: First, a special shoutout to Alec_LaFond for the Spacecraft!

Second, I had planned to get back on schedule today, no matter how much sleep I had to lose, but something happened, so I'll be away all morning. I still can't bend time to my will, so I have to cut out something. Normally, I would have needed to write 3 more chapters for Saturday+Sunday, 3 for Monday, and prepare 3 for Tuesday, which would be kind of hard even if I didn't have Chaos' heir. I'm cutting Monday away and sticking to Saturday+Sunday+Tuesday, so you'll get 3 more chapters when I come back and the usual 3 for tomorrow's releases (Chaos will suffer the same loss of course).
Chapter 2081: Encounter
Noah's advance through the higher plane grew faster. He wanted to improve and find old allies quickly. He needed answers about June and talking with someone who had witnessed the expansion of the fake sky couldn't hurt.

The dullness of the journey didn't change, but Noah became able to ignore it. His purpose appeared clearer now, even if it had yet to take a proper form. The desire to do something and grow as an influential power in the universe was a powerful drive that perfectly suited his ambition.

Noah had long since grown tired of the whiteness around him. Even his amazing feats were nothing when he considered the current state of the world. He had done things that regular experts couldn't even dream of achieving, but Heaven and Earth felt unstoppable.

The rulers had suffered countless defeats, but they didn't appear any weaker. Instead, they had been able to improve after experiencing those setbacks. They had never controlled the higher plane so tightly, and they had failed to find their current stability in entire eras.

Noah wanted to do more than cause messes. He desired to be a calamity capable of turning the non-world pale. His sole presence had to become something that prevented Heaven and Earth from progressing, and power was the sole key behind that dream.

Noah's sense of direction improved after planting quasi-living workshops for many years. He had a connection with all of them due to the fake cores in their insides, so he slowly created a mental map of the entire higher plane. He could adjust his path more accurately as time passed, and he even started to eliminate areas as potential destinations due to their lack of lifeforms.

Something in the dullness of his journey eventually changed. Noah was flying as usual when a foreign presence entered the range of his consciousness. He had finally found someone, but he didn't immediately shoot forward at that time.

The matter had been different with the lizards. Noah had sensed them before their instincts could perceive his presence. Moreover, their level was quite low, which had filled him with confidence.

Instead, the presence felt now was powerful, and its level was hard to discern due to the long distance and the sky acting as a natural cover. Also, Noah could sense that the other entity had learnt about his position. The unknown expert had a consciousness able to stretch as far as his mind.

'One of the hidden experts,' Noah quickly concluded before turning toward the source of that foreign consciousness.

Noah didn't immediately advance. He remained still and waited to see what the existence decided to do. In theory, he could consider that presence as a potential ally due to its presence in the weak sky without belonging to Heaven and Earth's system. However, Noah couldn't trust so blindly, especially when it came to beings that had reached the ninth rank.

The presence didn't move, but it intensified its attention on Noah. He eventually decided to make the first move and step forward to see what that consciousness hid.

The weak sky shattered and transformed into waves of energy that converged toward his figure as he advanced. Noah moved slowly but steadily. He showed no hesitation, and the expert's level eventually became clear.

The foreign presence belonged to a cultivator in the liquid stage. The expert gave off a violent feeling hidden behind a thick calmness. It was interesting sensing an unknown world so clearly, and Noah didn't hold back with his inspection.

The expert also studied Noah's influence, and it began to advance once gaining a general idea of his world. It didn't take long before the weak sky shattered to transform two tunnels into a single passage.

The figure of a gorgeous middle-aged woman unfolded in Noah's vision, and his eyes instantly swept her to memorize her features. She was rather tall, with bright grey eyes and hair that carried two very different shades. Some strands were pure white, while others shone with the darkest blackness.

Cultivators could modify their physical appearances relatively easily as long as they didn't affect the actual power of their bodies. Divine experts avoided doing it due to the lack of interest in beauty and their pride in their current form. Significant changes usually happened before that point, so Noah guessed that the woman's hair had some connection with her world.

The duality of her aura also appeared connected to those different shades. Her violence and calmness weren't blending, but they existed in the same world. It felt partially similar to Noah's destruction and creation, even if he had a far greater harmony between those aspects of his world.

"You really were Defying Demon," The woman announced while performing a polite bow. "Forgive me for my initial hesitation. I couldn't be sure about your identity since I've only gazed at you during the battle against that black mass."

"I didn't expect such politeness," Noah said while performing a simple bow. "It's been a while since I had the chance to greet someone on these terms."

"Same goes for me," The woman responded after wearing a confident smile. "I've gotten so rusty that I've even forgotten to mention my name. I'm Maribel."

"Noah Balvan," Noah added to go past his simple title with what appeared to be a potential ally.

"I've heard that name too," Maribel chuckled. "You are a hot topic in the higher plane. Even magical beasts are chanting your name."

"I'm afraid I deserve the praise," Noah claimed.

"You do indeed," Maribel agreed before taking out a large bottle from her storage device. "Do you mind sharing a drink with me? I can't wait to hear your position about Heaven and Earth."

"Are you opposing them?" Noah asked while approaching the woman and creating two chairs, a table, and two cups with his dark matter.

"I guess you can say that," Maribel exclaimed while sitting and pouring the drink. "Being at this level without entering their system is already a form of rebellion. Still, I don't really fight them. I actually came out of my hideout for the first time in countless millennia during your battle against Heaven and Earth."

"That's understandable," Noah said.

"Please," Maribel sighed. "How can my behavior be acceptable with younger experts achieving more than I've even dared to pursue?"

"Each world is different," Noah tried to justify her.

"Indeed," Maribel responded. "I had to remain isolated for a very long time to perfect my power since Heaven and Earth had almost gotten me the last time. Yet, everything changed after the sky expanded."

"Heaven and Earth are preparing for the final battle," Noah announced.

"I know," Maribel stated. "The dragons wouldn't shut about it. I had to accept that I had to join the mess to do my part."

"Did Heaven and Earth deploy a perfect counter for you?" Noah questioned.

"I overcame four of those," Maribel revealed. "I had to hide against the fifth, but I could overcome it now if only Heaven and Earth were to send it."

"They are busy with the magical beasts now," Noah explained. "I have spotted Tribulations hunting them down."

"Not only magical beasts," Maribel corrected. "I came across a black landmass some time ago. The experts living there seemed connected to you, so I gave them a hand before continuing my exploration of this new world."
Chapter 2082: Trade
"How long ago?" Noah immediately asked, uncaring of revealing his interest in the matter.

"A few millennia, I think," Maribel exclaimed while pointing a finger on her cheek. "They weren't doing bad, but Heaven and Earth seemed quite annoyed about their presence. It wasn't hard to understand why due to their connection to you."

"Can you point me toward their last position?" Noah questioned.

"I can, but I don't think it will help," Maribel announced. "The landmass was moving across the sky. The experts there had a series of interesting formations capable of mining the energy inside the sky."

'Second Prince,' Noah immediately thought before falling silent to lose himself in his plans.

Noah would eventually find his companions since he was basically mapping the entire higher plane. Still, waiting wasn't in his nature, and he couldn't miss the chance to obtain clues.

"The previous position has to do," Noah sighed. "Maybe I'll sense a Tribulation happening on the path."

"Won't your presence there only push Heaven and Earth to deploy even stronger Tribulations?" Maribel wondered.

"They are ignoring me for now," Noah revealed. "Heaven and Earth don't need to kill me to win. Defeating the magical beasts is the main step for their breakthrough to the tenth rank. Everyone else will lose at that point."

"How so?" Maribel questioned. "Is this a secret among hybrids?"

Noah realized that an expert like Maribel might have remained ignorant about Heaven and Earth's requirements or general structure, so he gave her a quick summary. He avoided most details since he didn't fully trust her, but he still explained what the system's rebels should aim to achieve.

"Interesting," Maribel stated. "I have been close to reaching similar conclusions, but I never had the chance to find clues. Also, the focus on the magical beasts might shift due to recent developments. I don't see Heaven and Earth achieving victory after growing past their previous standards."

"A partial victory becomes absolute if it involves the tenth rank," Noah explained. "Heaven and Earth clearly have access to quasi-rank 10 power. Allowing them to take another step in that direction might be enough to put an end to everything."

Maribel quickly gained a clear idea of what Noah was implying. She wasn't stupid. Her journey had simply prevented her from seeking answers from the world for a long time, but she understood everything rather clearly after that update. Maribel remained a rank 9 cultivator with a deep understanding of the world's behavior.

Maribel's time to fall silent arrived. She recognized that the situation was harsher than she had initially believed. Heaven and Earth weren't ready to make the jump toward the tenth rank, but that event remained close, and each Tribulation shortened that distance.

"What can you trade for the location?" Maribel eventually asked.

"I almost thought you would have avoided that part," Noah laughed.

"That was my initial intention," Maribel admitted. "However, it seems that I need all the resources I can get. For what it's worth, I'm sorry to end our meeting like this."

Noah inspected the insides of his separate space. Truth be told, he had long since stopped relying on specific materials. He had only needed energy for a while, so he had stopped accumulating wealth. His immense requirements and constant drawbacks didn't help, which left him with nothing more than obsolete items.

"This is a fake core," Noah eventually stated while revealing his hand and creating one of the items contained inside his quasi-living workshop. "I radiate potential. I'm a natural positive influence for every journey, and this item embodies my nature. I can even adapt it to your world if you give me the chance to study it for a bit."

"Does giving that to others help you?" Maribel asked while wearing a knowing smile.

"Of course," Noah revealed. "That's quite obvious even."

"Won't it cause problems for my journey?" Maribel wondered.

"My existence only gives chances," Noah responded. "It will push you toward the best version of yourself, so you can expect an increase in your requirements."

"That's not ideal," Maribel declared. "Though it is interesting. I believe this fake core can't replicate the effects of your world perfectly."

"I had to tone it down a bit," Noah admitted. "Most cultivators would try to destroy it for its energy otherwise, and I wouldn't blame them for that. Similar items could risk creating flaws in the journeys, which would scare away many potential candidates."

"But your influence is different," Maribel replied while inspecting her right hand. "I can sense my world desiring it."

"The price is set then," Noah exclaimed.

"Definitely," Maribel agreed. "Although, I want the real deal. I don't mind flying you directly to that position and benefiting from your world during the path. Besides, I want to see whether I can earn your trust and learn about the secrets that you have kept for yourself."

"I don't mind that," Noah commented.

"Let's not waste time then," Maribel uttered while standing up.

Noah retracted his dark matter and began to follow the cultivator. Maribel had a similar approach to the long and dull travels across the weak sky. She sat cross-legged and hovered through the whiteness while the violent aspect of her influence dug through the white material.

Maribel didn't have to do much with her influence after teaming up with Noah. He was more than enough for that task, and she wanted to avoid deploying the power of her world since it could affect his growth. She felt that she was gaining a lot, so leaving everything else to her companion didn't sound like a bad idea.

Noah mostly cultivated while paying attention to Maribel. The cultivator minded her behavior constantly and even made sure not to affect his training. She also avoided inspecting the quasi-living workshops that Noah planted from time to time.

Everything could be Heaven and Earth's ploy, but Noah didn't believe that to be the case. The rulers had no reason to send someone to spy on him. They knew exactly what he had discovered across his cultivation journey, so sharing a few more details about the higher plane and the world didn't seem a problem.

Maribel's knowledge wasn't useless either. She didn't live like Noah and his companions, but she was really old, and her different approach to the cultivation journey had allowed her to discover things that Noah didn't have the chance to test.

Her ability to hide among the sky didn't come from her world. She had learnt to predict the position of dead zones among the storms by listening to the intensity of the chaotic laws. Of course, that skill was useless now, but it gave Noah new ideas on his study of the weak sky.

The white material that filled the higher plane was a simple evolution of the storms. It didn't contain the same amount of energy, but its blandness allowed those flying inside it to notice the arrival of foreign powers.

Maribel firmly believed that she could learn about Heaven and Earth's decision to send a Tribulation far before clouds appeared in her surroundings. That changed depending on the situation, but Noah could find some sense in her claims. It was only normal for the weak sky to have similar features to the chaotic laws, and its dullness as a material granted the chance for specific inspections.
Chapter 2083: Instincts
Maribel's understanding came from thousands of years spent among the storms. Noah had lived there for a long time, but he couldn't match the cultivator's expertise in the field.

Noah had tried to inspect the chaotic laws and the weak sky, and he had even found hidden meanings in the former. However, it was nearly impossible to develop an actual method that could make him understand what that energy would generate since Heaven and Earth hid part of their plans.

Formations could help, but Maribel didn't rely on them either. Her ability to understand the environment's purpose came from instincts developed throughout countless years spent living inside Heaven and Earth's world.

Noah's understanding of instincts made him accept that he probably wouldn't be able to reach Maribel's level. He lacked time to develop proper habits, and his connection to the magical beasts' world actually worsened his potential in that field.

Still, Noah felt sure that his anger would be able to compensate for that flaw at some point. He only had to push his world further on the cultivation journey to obtain a similar ability.

Maribel did her best to explain the details behind her experience. Her life had been long and full. She had been a core member of the human society in the Immortal Lands before leaving her force to pursue the higher ranks inside the storms. In Noah's mind, that journey was the standard path that most rank 9 experts crossed.

Noah could see Maribel's value in that background. A normal journey usually led to regular cultivators that Heaven and Earth could suppress easily. Instead, the woman had managed to escape from the rulers' clutches until the last struggle had forced her into long seclusion.

The two began to learn to know each other during the journey across the sky. The long time required to reach the destination gave the two experts many moments when they could share opinions about the world, exchange eventual funny stories, or talk about events that they couldn't know due to the difference in their age.

Noah didn't know a lot about the old human society or the experts that had populated it. Instead, Maribel had missed a lot about recent developments, especially those connected to issues that involved the entire higher plane and the sky.

"There isn't anything," Maribel exclaimed after stopping flying forward. "I'm pretty sure the Tribulation happened here, but I can't sense any trace of the event."

"I can't either," Noah admitted as he tried to find something that could lead him toward the landmass.

The weak sky didn't show anything at all. It didn't even have tunnels connected to the area, which explained how Heaven and Earth had a lot of time to close them.

Maribel wasn't sure about the landmass' general direction. She had glanced at the formations used by the troops living in the area, but she couldn't know whether they had decided to change their path after facing the Tribulation.

Another possibility existed, and Noah couldn't help but consider it after thinking about Dinia's revelations. June and his old friends might have died after they met with Maribel. The timeline was tight, but it was possible that she might have found them right before Heaven and Earth's final attack.

Needless to say, Noah felt annoyed about the situation. He could dive into mindless anger if June and the others were dead, and he could experience deep relief if they were safe. However, that middle ground full of uncertainties was starting to irritate him. The lack of paths that led to answers was even worse.

'Is this a failsafe that Dinia has created in case he died?' Noah began to wonder. 'Did he instill this doubt inside me in the hope of ruining my journey?'

Noah couldn't answer that doubt either, but the guess made sense. The current state of the higher plane was ideal for that kind of mental torture. Still, a big issue remained. Dinia's perfect self wouldn't have prepared for a potential defeat, which removed a lot of hope from Noah's mind.

"Oh," Maribel gasped. "There has been a mess far away from here."

"How can you know?" Noah asked.

"That part of the sky is carrying the aftermath of a battle," Maribel explained.

Noah tried his best to study the spot pointed by Maribel, but his eyes and consciousness didn't see anything. The ethereal blackness helped a little, but it only allowed him to notice faint vibrations in the sky's insides. They also appeared random and without any clear meaning, so he couldn't find proper answers.

"The battle isn't recent," Maribel explained. "It must have happened many centuries ago since these effects are on the verge of vanishing."

"Can you find the source?" Noah questioned.

"Of course," Maribel announced, "But it will only lead us to another abandoned location."

"That's fine enough," Noah responded. "We might find something else there."

Maribel couldn't add anything since Noah expanded the range of his destruction and started affecting even larger parts of the sky. Heaven and Earth didn't seem happy about that dark world showing its power so abruptly, but they didn't send anything after it.

The cultivator resumed leading Noah across the sky. Maribel had to accelerate to remain ahead of her companion, and the journey eventually transformed into a sprint that forced her to deploy a few techniques to keep up.

Noah didn't think much in that situation. He evaluated the possible threats and the chances that Maribel was a spy, but he didn't care about that. Heaven and Earth could set traps for him every day, so changing his position didn't affect their dangerousness as long as he remained inside the weak sky.

The two flew almost at full speed through the weak sky until Maribel stopped again. She had been right. The location was empty, but she could see stronger traces of other Tribulations from there, and they all came from different directions.

"So?" Noah asked when he noticed that Maribel had fallen silent.

"Different Tribulations," Maribel explained, "From different positions. I can't be sure that they have descended for the same target, but it would make sense due to their different intensity."

"Why aren't we moving then?" Noah asked.

"The meanings are resonating among each other," Maribel stated. "I need to go further to find the different sources before picking the weaker tremors."

"Why weaker?" Noah questioned.

"Because the others won't vanish so quickly," Maribel uttered. "We'll have time to readjust our position if we pick the wrong road."

Maribel eventually found what she was looking for and shot forward. Noah followed her, and the two sprinted across the sky, stopping only when the cultivator had to study the area again.

That part of the journey turned out to be messy. Maribel often changed direction to chase leads on the verge of vanishing. She didn't know if their current state depended on the distance from their source, but she couldn't risk losing them forever.

The messy travel culminated into a black spectacle. Noah couldn't help but wear a proud smile when he saw the familiar landmass moving through the sky and creating tunnels that Heaven and Earth fixed quickly. It seemed that the rulers didn't have any problem dealing with the area's influence.

Clouds were surrounding the landmass, and lightning bolts fell on a golden shield that seemed on the verge of breaking. That scene wasn't inspiring, but it only made Noah perform his movement technique to reach the area quickly.

The clouds turned their attention toward Noah when he arrived on the scene, and the same happened for multiple stares coming from the landmass. Still, he didn't reply to those admiring gazes and focused his attention on the Tribulation.

"Leave," Noah growled in a chilling tone that generated dark-red shockwaves. They expanded throughout the Tribulation and destroyed some clouds in the process.

Heaven and Earth's true energy seeped inside the Tribulation and inspected Noah, but they eventually ordered a full retreat. He remained alone in the sky, with Maribel politely waiting in the distance. Multiple figures shot out of the landmass at that point, but Noah couldn't find his lover among them. He couldn't even see the usual lightning bolt that June threw at him whenever he spent too long away.
Chapter 2084: Heartwarming
Familiar faces filled Noah's vision, and a smile inevitably appeared on his face. He saw Flying Demon, Dreaming Demon, Faith, Kirk, Jordan, and many other experts he had left behind countless years ago. He felt as if time was flowing backward to bring him back to a different period when the Immortal Lands were something more than a mere mass of sky.

Still, the heartwarming scene lacked what Noah was looking for. He could sense Daniel and Second Prince somewhere on the landmass, but June was absent, and the same went for some magical beasts or experts that he had learnt to know.

"Did the Foolery die?" Noah asked when he failed to sense his old companion. Members of its species still occupied the black landmass, but he couldn't find their leader.

"Is that pig your first thought during our first meeting in ages?" Flying Demon laughed while shooting forward and slamming his palms on Noah's shoulders.

"I missed you too, old friend," Noah announced, uncaring that Flying Demon seemed unable to hold back his affection.

"The Foolery is fine," Dreaming Demon explained while reaching her lover and pulling him away from Noah. "It left after we hid the landmass among the storms. It seemed that living here had bored it, and part of its species followed along."

"You have all grown bold enough to hide this place in the storms," Noah chuckled. "I'm glad."

"Second Prince proved himself useful," Faith exclaimed while approaching Noah and hugging him tightly. "He claims to have surpassed his father every time he invents something new."

"He doesn't know what his father is up to," Noah whispered while caressing Faith's shoulder after she broke the embrace.

"Are you the reason behind this mess?" Jordan asked while pointing at the weak sky. "We saw your battle when that black thing invaded the higher plane. I wouldn't be surprised if you were behind all of this."

"Heaven and Earth did everything on their own," Noah exclaimed. "I merely caused the battle."

The reunion left everyone ecstatic, and Noah couldn't hide his satisfaction in front of his friends' cultivation level. They were at the peak of the eighth rank, except for Kirk, who was about to approach the solid stage.

'I've been away for a long time,' Noah thought at the sight of those improvements.

The landmass still radiated his potential, but most of those experts didn't share his talent of growth speed. The sole fact that they had reached their current level stated how long Noah had been away.

"Will you stay?" Kirk asked. "Heaven and Earth aren't holding back with their Tribulations. I'm afraid we need your help."

"You don't know your master if you think he'll remain here," Faith sighed. "I've never seen Noah standing still in his entire life. He can join apocalyptic battles, so I wouldn't be surprised if he were to invade the sky."

"I've been there twice already," Noah revealed. "There's no point going a third time until I find something worth stealing."

The revelation left all the experts in the area speechless. Even Maribel couldn't help but glance at Noah after that statement. The sky was Heaven and Earth's most protected environment, but he was claiming to have visited it twice.

"What exactly did you do during these years?" Flying Demon asked.

"I'll tell you more later on," Noah promised. "Prepare a celebration while I pay Daniel a visit. Make sure to welcome Maribel properly."

No one dared to complain about that decision, and Noah soon found himself with Flying Demon and Jordan escorting him toward a tall castle that stood at the very center of the black landmass. The rest of his friends took care of welcoming Maribel and preparing a party worthy of Noah's return.

The landmass appeared healthier than ever. Multiple environments with clear borders filled its immense surface. Each region had vast settlements, different magical plants, and specific species of magical beasts.

The scene felt quite incredible after considering everything that the landmass had to survive. The sole idea that an area so rich in cultivators, magical beasts, magical plants, and hybrids could exist in the current state of the higher plane was astonishing.

The heartwarming and fantastic state of the black landmass didn't make Noah forget the reason behind his presence there. His eyes wandered among the regions under him as a simple question left his mouth. "Is she dead?"

The mood immediately worsened. Flying Demon and Jordan diverted their gazes when they thought about June. Still, Noah required an answer, so Flying Demon eventually spoke. "The Tribulations have started to fall as soon as the sky filled the entire higher plane. One of them has been so harsh that June decided to drag it away. She didn't come back."

"Daniel can give you more details," Jordan continued. "I'm sure you'll have a lot to discuss."

Noah nodded. Those unclear answers remained annoying, but he didn't blame his friends for them. He only wished to understand June's state to decide how to react.

Flying Demon and Jordan led Noah to the base of the structure, and its immense doors opened as soon as they touched the ground. The two remained outside while Noah strode forward without hesitation.

The many luxurious areas that appeared in his view didn't interest him. Noah blinked, and the scene in his vision transformed. His understanding of space and time easily allowed him to perform a teleport and enter the room occupied by a familiar presence.

An empty bright room unfolded in Noah's vision. White light filled every corner of the area, and the complete absence of furniture made it appear as a pure glowing cube.

Noah's arrival immediately darkened the area and revealed its perfect surfaces. He couldn't see any crack or hole in those old materials. Moreover, the complete lack of odors made him feel as if he had landed in the void.

"Do you have any idea of how long it will take to remove your presence from here?" Daniel asked as he interrupted his training and stood up from the center of the room.

"You should greet your leader," Noah joked.

"You didn't bother with that stuff," Daniel reminded. "Besides, I'm the leader now. You have far more important things to do."

"You did a good job here," Noah admitted while his consciousness fell on Daniel's centers of power. "It seems that your new position has also benefited you."

Daniel was at the peak of the eighth rank, but he appeared close to the breakthrough. Noah even guessed that his friend would be able to reach the ninth rank in the next years.

"I've always been better than you at this," Daniel announced. "My approach doesn't leave anyone behind. I'm selfless."

"How did Faith take that?" Noah joked, and Daniel ended up laughing.

"I admit that it's hard," Daniel stated while walking toward Noah. "We are an odd match, but our existences are starting to create problems."

"Having partners in the cultivation journey is hard," Noah sighed. "Our path almost forces us to be alone."

"That's where the beauty lies, isn't it?" Daniel replied before performing a polite bow. "I've missed you, old friend."

"Me too," Noah smiled. "Being here brings back many memories."

"The same happened when I saw you fighting against those giant hands," Daniel admitted. "I could see the lonely kid who waved his swords at worms during that incredible spectacle."

"Not far enough," Noah whispered.

"Sit with me," Daniel requested while showing a complicated smile. "I'll tell you what I know about June."
Chapter 2085: Details
Daniel described the whole story of the black landmass in great detail. The world was mostly empty when Noah had left, but major events had followed his departure.

Daniel and the others had to face many migrating groups of magical beasts that escaped the storms due to their dangerousness. Most of them had been easy to fend off due to the number of assets on the landmass, but others had required proper wars.

The lack of energy inside the world had eventually started to affect the state of the landmass. The constant Tribulation had helped for a while, but Heaven and Earth had stopped sending lightning bolts at some point, forcing Daniel and the others to come up with different solutions.

The storms were the only environment with energy, so the landmass had to approach those areas to seize fuel and other resources. That decision had brought another series of wars, but Daniel and the others had survived them.

The apocalyptic event had forced Daniel to move the landmass inside deep areas of the storms to hide. Luckily for him, Second Prince and the other experts had grown used to the dangerousness of their situation and had developed many useful techniques that helped in their survival.

The life inside the storms had been relatively peaceful. The landmass had remained hidden in an environment full of energy. Hunts still happened from time to time, but most experts preferred to stay in their safe regions to prepare for their next move.

The expansion of the sky had taken the whole landmass by surprise. The defenses couldn't work against that new threat, so the experts had to fend off the sky with their own power while Second Prince invented something new.

In the end, the landmass had developed new formations and techniques that could dig through the sky while seizing its energy. Daniel and the others could live in peace for many years, but Heaven and Earth had eventually launched new Tribulations.

June's story arrived at that point. Daniel described how they had to face an unusually strong Tribulation once, something powerful enough to threaten the stability of their defenses. June drove it away, but no one could find traces of her presence after everything ended.

"We tried to look for her, but the sky made everything too hard," Daniel concluded. "Besides, new Tribulations followed, so we never managed to focus on her for too long."

"You had the landmass to protect," Noah reassured.

"June was stronger than me when she disappeared," Daniel revealed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she used the Tribulation to get near the ninth rank."

That revelation didn't reassure Noah, and Daniel vaguely guessed the reason behind that. Noah had searched for the black landmass, meaning that he had discovered something about June.

"What do you know?" Daniel asked.

"Someone told me that she died," Noah explained.

"Is the source trustworthy?" Daniel questioned.

"Probably," Noah sighed. "Still, there are many versions of death when Heaven and Earth are involved, especially if she hit the ninth rank before dying."

"That's great, right?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Worlds aren't easy to rebuild," Noah explained, "And I would still lose her in the end, at least in most cases."

"Faith told me that you were ready for that since you started going out," Daniel stated.

"Of course," Noah announced. "It's not that. I don't know how to react while everything remains unclear."

"Are we about to face another apocalyptic event?" Daniel joked.

"I will definitely cause a mess if they really killed her," Noah promised while glancing at the ceiling to sense the sky past that. "How could I not?"

The room began to tremble, but Noah promptly suppressed his world. He didn't want to damage anything on the landmass, but his desire to make Heaven and Earth pay naturally triggered his violent thoughts.

"We have survived many Tribulations," Daniel mocked. "I don't want to see the landmass destroyed because of you."

"I will make some improvements before leaving again," Noah chuckled. "I also have to explain more about the ninth rank. You all have fought a lot, but I've seen things that might help. Who knows, you might be able to help in the final battle."

"Focus on yourself," Daniel laughed. "Improve the landmass, make your lessons, and go on your way. Honestly, you are too dangerous for this environment at your level."

"It seems that my old home can't contain me anymore," Noah shook his head.

"It never could," Daniel sighed. "Maybe that's the whole point behind your talent."

"We only have different paths," Noah explained. "I can see it clearly now. Hurrying to reach this level is pointless. Completeness is everything."

"That's easy to say for you," Daniel complained.

"I always felt compelled to reach the higher ranks quickly because of the nature of my existence," Noah explained. "Many experts are like me, and the threat of the final battle doesn't help. However, other paths might simply require more time. Pursue yourself, and a world will eventually form."

Daniel and Noah fell silent for a while only to resume talking about random topics. The two even left the training area to join other old friends and start official celebrations.

A general summoning happened. Cultivators, hybrids, and magical beasts left their regions to gather around the central structure where Daniel lived. Teleports started to shine everywhere, and a crowd quickly formed.

Noah had almost forgotten that he could smile for so long. Only battles and struggles waited for him inside the sky, but the landmass brought something that he didn't feel for a long time.

It was easy to ignore the value of relationships that had lasted for entire millennia. Still, the celebrations made Noah aware of what he had chosen to sacrifice to pursue power. He had lifelong friends that had fought countless battles by his side. Even some of the magical beasts on the scene knew him deeply. He had built many profound connections, but his eyes continued to fall on the sky whenever his mind wandered.

Lying to his nature was impossible, especially in the ninth rank. Noah could enjoy that reunion and even decide to prolong his stay, but his desires remained firm. He was one of the few existences in the entirety of the higher plane to have so many friends. Yet, he remained willing to leave them behind.

Stories, laughs, and even solemn toasts happened during the celebrations. A few fights happened. The rats and the Foolery performed an odd race that entertained the crowd. Everything was perfect, but whiteness continued to shine on the black landmass, and Noah couldn't stand it. During his quieter moments, he desired to dive back into the endless pursuit of power.

The celebrations lasted for entire months. Noah and Maribel's presence on the landmass made Heaven and Earth unwilling to send Tribulations. Daniel and the others experienced a type of peace that the rulers had forced them to forget.

Only a few things managed to sadden Noah during the event. June's absence was something that he couldn't ignore, but other details inevitably appeared in his vision and forced him to acknowledge how long he had spent away.

A wrinkle, a strand of white hair, a mature answer, and other features that differed from Noah's memories told him that some of his friends were slowly growing old. Even those who had reached the peak of the eighth rank showed slight differences from what he recalled.

It could take eras to kill gods of old age, but Noah still noticed those details. A realization inevitably appeared in his mind. He knew that most of his friends wouldn't die of old age, but those details gave him an idea of what it could be to live without them. His next departure would probably be his last, so he did his best to enjoy those happy moments.
Chapter 2086: Improving
"Don't blow up my landmass," Second Prince uttered. "Every formation here is part of a perfect mechanism capable of dealing with rank 9 threats. I had to touch a realm unattainable by mere cultivators to protect everyone during these years."

"Do you realize that I have created the very ground where you are standing?" Noah scoffed. "Also, your father has reached a realm that even I don't understand completely. You have a long way to go."

"What realm?" Second Prince asked.

"I won't tell you," Noah announced. "Don't get me wrong. I would give you the best explanations I'm capable of to help all of you. I simply think that learning about that realm would only distract you."

"You think that I can't achieve the same greatness, right?" Second Prince complained.

"I think that you should reach the ninth rank with what you are," Noah sighed. "Imitating someone would only turn you into an imitation."

"Not even a brief description?" Second Prince continued.

"That's part of the issue," Noah replied. "You don't deserve that power if you can't fathom its existence."

The last line convinced Second Prince to remain silent. Noah wasn't only an important figure in his life. He was also the embodiment of wisdom about the ninth rank in his current state. His feats during the apocalyptic event had earned him the respect of the entirety of the higher plane.

Noah and Second Prince were standing inside an underground chamber connected to multiple structures that reached every corner of the landmass. Second Prince could control and oversee all the formations in the area from there, which made it the perfect place where Noah could decide how to apply improvements.

Of course, Noah was beyond those assets. Second Prince had improved, and his formations seemed to differ from typical inscription methods. They were simple but oddly effective. They appeared able to talk to the very matter they affected, but Noah had a rank 9 mind capable of studying complicated worlds.

Second Prince showed various maps that depicted different features of the landmass. Noah could inspect everything thoroughly and fuse it with the quick study performed when he arrived in the area. Ideas quickly appeared in his mind, but he let them rest for a while to make sure that he found the perfect approach.

The main issue in the improvement came from his power. Noah was too strong for his companions, so his creations would be impossible to handle once he left. That would still be fine for a while, but problems would appear once the Tribulations managed to damage his defenses.

Noah had to create something that his companions could use and fix, which wasn't exactly easy considering the power obtained after his last breakthrough. The quickest approach saw him forcing Second Prince's formations to improve, but that felt far too little when his lifelong friends' safety was involved.

Other lingering worries existed in Noah's mind. He knew the kind of evolution that his ambition enforced on the matter. He didn't want the landmass to turn into a living being in desperate need of energy. Power was necessary, but it had to take a flexible and manageable form.

"Is this the best that your formations can do?" Noah asked.

"Are you trying to offend me?" Second Prince questioned.

"I want to understand how much I can push," Noah explained. "I can't give you weapons that you can't use."

"This is my current limit," Second Prince admitted. "I would never hold back my power when it comes to the safety of the landmass."

Noah nodded before recalculating everything inside his mind. He wouldn't have to hold back too much since Second Prince's formations could reach the ninth rank in terms of power. Still, he would have to make sure that his techniques didn't alter the natural functioning of the other inscriptions.

Potential flowed inside Noah's mind as he teleported out of the underground chamber and left the landmass' range to approach the weak sky. Massive chunks of the white material vanished as he gathered energy for his project. He didn't want to do anything complicated, but he planned to apply it multiple times across the many regions.

The defenses couldn't be too powerful, so Noah decided to create many simple structures that could solve most issues. They would be relatively weak to let Second Prince fix them, but they also needed to have the potential to express more might.

Noah had memorized the locations of the cores of Second Prince's formations. He knew which areas he could affect without disrupting the inscriptions, and he didn't hesitate to visit them.

Black pillars grew from the ground whenever Noah reached one of those spots. The structures didn't have runes or writings. They merely were blocks of a crystal-like material that radiated a dark glow.

The pillars didn't only grow on the surface. They stretched deep into the underground world and created a series of influences that allowed them to affect each other. That was necessary in case Second Prince and the others needed to draw more power from those structures, and it also opened the possibility for final attacks or similar techniques.

Noah didn't even hold back from pouring expressions of his existence in those structures. He didn't want to go all-out since his potential could create problems on inanimate matter, but he also desired to help his companions improve.

Finding balance in the project took a while, and Noah eventually created an array of pillars that required occasional inspections. That wasn't hard for Daniel and the others since the landmass had countless experts, so Noah disregarded the issue.

Noah then proceeded to create special training areas that only his potential could bring to life. He didn't hold back there since the very nature of those structures required to affect the experts cultivating in their insides. Restraining that influence turned out to be annoying, but he eventually succeeded and moved to the next project.

The other side of the landmass featured a series of formations meant to absorb the energy released by the sky. Noah didn't want to go against their nature, so he created stronger versions of the same inscriptions.

His greed was enough to build structures that had the sole purpose of gathering energy. Those pulling forces didn't like to share their gains, but Noah adjusted them accordingly and made them work together with Second Prince's creations.

The last improvement to the landmass involved its drilling properties. Daniel and the others couldn't remain still, so the ability to pierce the sky was mandatory. Second Prince had formations for that, but Noah built entirely new structures made of dark matter that imitated the dark metal's properties.

A series of tests and various explanations on how to use those assets happened after the new defenses went live. Second Prince, Daniel, and all the other higher-ups on the landmass memorized Noah's lessons and tested their effects a few times before gaining some confidence.

The end of those explanations led to more public speeches that Noah held to spread teachings about the cultivation journey. He did his best to remain honest and explain everything he could, but he could see how part of his audience remained oblivious to his teachings.
Chapter 2087: Sprint
The landmass had obtained new defenses, and Noah had held lessons about the ninth rank. Everything his companions could tell him about June was already in his mind, and the party had even ended. He couldn't do anything else for his friends.

Noah checked everything multiple times to make sure that the landmass was perfect, but his hesitation eventually vanished. He could sense how part of him wanted to remain among his friends, but something stronger called him. The sky shone above him, and he couldn't withstand that sight.

"I must leave," Noah announced after summoning his friends.

"We know," Faith laughed. "We have always known."

"Make Heaven and Earth tremble, old friend," Flying Demon stated.

"And don't die in the process," Dreaming Demon added.

"Master, have a good trip," Kirk exclaimed. "We will follow you one day."

"Noah, try to warn us if you are about to destroy the world," Daniel requested. "I still have an organization to protect."

"I'll do my best," Noah chuckled. "Don't remain attached to this place. There is a lot more in the universe, and I know that you have the potential to explore it."

"Don't worry about us," Daniel commented. "Go and follow your path. We have ours to tread."

"This has been really fun," Noah sighed. "Don't you dare to die while I'm gone."

"Leave already," Faith scoffed, even if a wide smile filled her face.

"Goodbye, my friends," Noah announced before turning and leaving toward the sky.

Maribel had remained on the landmass during that period, but she followed Noah toward the sky when he departed. The two flew until they couldn't see the black regions anymore before stopping to exchange a few words.

"How do you feel to be the leader of the last force in the entire higher plane?" Maribel asked.

"It's not the last," Noah contradicted her, "Just the largest. It has the potential to be the strongest if my friends don't leave."

"They will have to leave at some point," Maribel commented.

"Unless I destroy the world first," Noah stated.

"Do you really want to shatter everything?" Maribel asked.

"Heaven and Earth are the world," Noah explained. "Defeating them will destroy everything anyway."

"The end is near then," Maribel sighed.

"It has always been close," Noah revealed. "This has gone past our worlds. We are fighting for our very survival."

"I bet this doesn't change anything for you," Maribel giggled.

"Not at all," Noah replied. "Destroying everything has always been the plan."

"I'll take your fake core now," Maribel eventually said. "We are about to part ways, right?"

"I believe you don't want our worlds to be so close for so long," Noah guessed while taking out a fake core specifically meant for Maribel's world.

"Not only that," Maribel responded while seizing the fake core and storing it through one of her techniques. "You are about to do something crazy, right? I don't want to be around."

"Am I so obvious?" Noah asked.

"No," Maribel replied. "I've just heard many stories while I was on the landmass. You won't stop until you get your answers."

Noah limited himself to smile, and Maribel nodded at that gesture. She turned and approached one side of the weak sky before digging through it with her techniques and disappearing from the area.

Noah heaved a deep sigh after remaining alone. His aura intensified, and the fabric of space bent as the weight of his existence increased.

There has been hesitation inside Noah after his last breakthrough. That feeling was completely normal after waking up in the middle of the weak sky. His realization of Heaven and Earth's evolution didn't help either. He knew that unleashing chaos wasn't ideal, and he even lacked proper targets in the current state of the higher plane.

Nevertheless, Noah wanted answers. He couldn't remain in the dark in front of such intense desire. Only Heaven and Earth had the answers, so he had to attract their attention to obtain them.

'I guess I can ignore everyone and everything for a bit,' Noah thought as his ambition surged and potential flowed inside his centers of power.

The space-time array appeared in his view as a vortex appeared around his figure. The aspects of his world grew stronger as he planned a trajectory. He wanted to complete filling the world with quasi-living workshops as soon as possible to focus on other pressing matters.

'I really hate growing slowly,' Noah laughed in his mind before shooting forward.

The fabric of space shattered, and the sky on his path turned into dust. Everything crumbled whenever he passed. Noah wasn't holding anything back. He sprinted as fast as possible while throwing quasi-living workshops left and right.

The layout of the world quickly expanded in Noah's mind. He had an almost entire map filled with quasi-living workshops, and he had every intention to complete it.

The shattered sky never stopped providing Noah with the energy required by his centers of power to quell the drawbacks. Proper storms followed him due to the pulling forces coming out of his fast figures.

Some packs ended up on his path, but he didn't interact with them. Noah dodged them swiftly and let them admire the spectacle that he was generating.

His sprints opened massive fissures in the fabric of the world and shattered all the sky in the area. Then, storms followed those events and only the energy that escaped from his pulling force fused with the space to seal the cracks.

Needless to say, Noah threw more quasi-living workshops whenever he met someone. He even crossed past a cultivator once, but the two didn't have the time to interact.

Even with that incredible speed, Noah took a long time to cross every corner of the higher plane and plant his quasi-living workshops. He even ended up losing some of them inside the cracks that he created, which forced him to go back on his track to place them again.

Still, the entire higher plane became full of his creations in the end. Noah could even sense fake cores entering other magical beasts or experts. His world expanded as his influence spread, and he stopped to bathe in that sensation.

The long sprint had felt endless, but Noah felt pleased to realize that his centers of power had managed to endure it. His resilience in an environment full of energy could theoretically be endless. Even his ethereal blackness seemed to rejoice when he understood his insane limits.

Noah cultivated in the middle of the shattered space and broken sky. He didn't need energy after dealing with his drawbacks, but he absorbed it almost out of habit. He felt whole with the many quasi-living workshops spread throughout the higher plane.

In theory, Noah could stop traveling now. He could remain in his position and slowly expand his influence while other beings seized his fake cores. That would be the right time to go into seclusion, but he had no intention to let his doubts remain unanswered.

Noah eventually opened his eyes and glanced toward the sky in the distance. He knew exactly where the real white layer stood, and his weight intensified as he began to approach it. He had every intention to cause a mess, but a familiar aura suddenly materialized near him.

"So, you became part of Heaven and Earth," Noah commented while looking at the familiar figure that slowly took form behind him. "I thought you would have become a privileged cultivator, at least."

The light dimmed as facial features and curves that Noah had learnt to love took form among the cracked space. Heaven and Earth's energy filled the area as June appeared in his vision.
Chapter 2088: Useless
"I didn't think Heaven and Earth would have sent you directly to me," Noah commented. "Are they afraid of what I was about to do?"

"Partially," June answered while inspecting her surroundings. "There are other reasons that I'm not allowed to share."

Noah coldly inspected June. She was exactly as he recalled but also different. A tidy white robe had replaced her usually torn clothes, and her hair had also lost its messiness. Her face also carried a calmness that he had never seen on her.

"Are you a copy?" Noah asked. "You aren't my June."

"You are partially correct," June stated. "Heaven and Earth have resorted to something different with my existence. I'm both me and not me. Still, I'm afraid you won't get the chance to understand anything else."

June's cultivation level surged as a white spear appeared in her hands. She was in the gaseous stage of the ninth rank, so her aura couldn't impress Noah. Even his robe made of dark matter remained still when a storm expanded from her figure.

"This can't be your world," Noah stated. "It's not even a copy of your world. This is something that Heaven and Earth have concocted without having any idea of how your power works."

June smirked without saying anything. She raised her spear and shot forward, stabbing it at the center of Noah's chest. Lightning bolts came out from the tip of her weapon after the impact, and an explosion followed.

The world was too frail to withstand that power. More cracks opened until all the area fell prey to the void. The weak sky in the distance tried to send its light, but most of it dispersed among the darkness.

"What are you even doing?" Noah sighed, and his voice dispersed the energy released during the explosion, revealing that the attack didn't affect him in the slightest.

June tried to push her spear into Noah's chest, but her weapon couldn't pierce his skin. She didn't even manage to make him budge, and the lightning bolts that she had released had also been useless.

June was stronger than the average gaseous stage cultivator, but that didn't mean anything in Noah's presence. He was too strong for that level. He was leagues above June.

"Why did they even send you?" Noah asked while grabbing the spear's tip. "I have killed privileged cultivators in the liquid stage before my last breakthrough. What can you do in this state?"

Light pressure from his fingers filled the spear with cracks before shattering it completely. June soon found herself without a weapon, but she didn't give up on her mission. She took a step back, and a stronger aura flowed out of her figure.

Noah sighed again. That scene filled his mind with sadness. He didn't know what had happened inside the weak sky, but that wasn't June. A simple increase in her power after a defeat wasn't enough to describe her ability.

June pointed her hands forward, and lightning bolts ran over her arms as she accumulated power. Her aura continued to intensify until she decided to discharge her energy.

The sparks transformed into white lightning bolts, but they didn't have the chance to shoot forward since Noah's hand appeared on their path. They did their best to pierce his skin, but they could only shatter and vanish when he closed his fingers to grab June's hands.

June tried to pull herself away, but Noah's grasp was impossible to break. He studied her hands, the sensations that they originated, and even their smell. Everything told him that they didn't belong to his lover, but he also felt that June was in front of him.

"Let go!" June shouted as lightning bolts flared out of her figure.

Attacks landed on Noah, but nothing managed to hurt him. June's power continued to increase, and the loud sound of her heartbeat also started to invade the area, but nothing could affect him. He was too strong for her.

Noah pulled June and let go of her hands to grab her head. She continued to struggle, but her efforts were pointless. Meanwhile, Noah's expression grew sadder as he called upon his anger and tried to disperse the effects of Heaven and Earth's power.

Cracks began to open on June's forehead, and energy seeped out of her skin as Noah's anger targeted Heaven and Earth's power. There was a lot that he didn't understand about her situation, but he would do everything in his power to solve his doubts.

June's current power told Noah that she had yet to step on the ninth rank when Heaven and Earth captured her. The worlds given by the rulers were usually good copies that tried to be as identical as possible to the original, but that didn't happen with June. She was similar to her previous self but weak compared to her actual potential.

Another stark difference was the change in her personality. The real June wouldn't care that Noah was far stronger than her. She would still face the battle with a smile on her face. Instead, the current version of her barely showed any emotion.

'What did they do with you?' Noah wondered as he tried to invade June's mind with his mental waves.

His dense mental energy wasn't something that June could stop. His anger opened a path that his mental waves crossed in no time. They entered her mind and started inspecting the memories that filled that ethereal environment.

June's mind mostly contained light. Noah had already seen similar scenes when he inspected cultivators in Heaven and Earth's system. June clearly belonged to the rulers now, but Noah found the complete lack of memories odd. She seemed to have nothing more than that radiance inside her mind.

'Where are her memories?' Noah wondered as he continued that inspection.

Lightning bolts, explosions, and various attacks fell on his figure, but nothing managed to hurt him. Noah remained still, with his eyes closed and his hand sealed on June's face as he continued inspecting her mind.

The complete lack of memories didn't make sense. Noah would have even believed that June's current form belonged to an avatar if his instincts didn't contradict him. She looked like nothing more than a vessel that failed to imitate his lover's power but succeeded in copying part of her essence.

The lack of memories almost made Noah hope that the real June was locked somewhere inside the sky, but orange shades eventually appeared in his vision and killed those thoughts. He could sense traces of his real lover deep inside that whiteness. It seemed that Heaven and Earth's reconstruction had simply been extremely thorough in her case.

Noah moved his mental waves toward the source of that orange radiance slowly. Those shades grew darker as they started to resemble the higher energy that June had created with him a long time ago. He needed to reach the core of that light to see what had remained of his lover, but he didn't want that moment to arrive too soon.

Noah knew the real June. She would prefer him to kill her instead of obtaining a world that didn't have any chance to follow him. Proving that she was gone would force him to destroy that copy, and he didn't want that moment to arrive.

The inspection continued until Noah reached the source of those orange and dark shades. He expected memories, but he felt surprised to see a spherical item that was far denser than the light in the surrounding area. It almost resembled a world, even if it was too little and weak to stand on the ninth rank.
Chapter 2089: Orange and white
The scene didn't make any sense. That orange core seemed something Heaven and Earth would usually shatter to study and replicate since it carried June's true essence. Still, the white light didn't hurt it in the slightest. It only imitated that tiny world without ever affecting its structure.

Noah could finally explain while that version of June didn't resemble her true self. Heaven and Earth didn't have the chance to study her properly, but that only raised new questions.

June had spoken about a different approach, but that didn't explain why Heaven and Earth had chosen that contrived path. They had no reason to leave part of her intact if they had the chance to destroy her. At the same time, it didn't make sense for her to end up or remain in that situation with her core intact.

Questions filled Noah's mind as the inspection continued. His mental waves slowly moved toward that tiny world to inspect its nature. He couldn't help but feel that June was truly there, but his presence eventually triggered an unexpected reaction.

The tiny world stopped rotating among the orange, dark, and white shades when it noticed the foreign mental waves. Noah felt observed before a surge of energy abruptly filled the area. The event made him smile because he sensed June's presence inside that aura, but his instincts suddenly warned him about an imminent danger.

Noah opened his real eyes only to see orange light flowing out of the cracks that had appeared on June's face. The unstable substance began to flow inside his body, but a lightning bolt landed on his hand before he could empower it.

Noah's eyes widened in amazement when he felt pain. The orange lightning bolt had exploded on his palm and had forced him to release his grasp on June's face. His skin didn't suffer any injury, but a black mark had appeared where the attack had landed.

June retreated. A trail of smoke hid her face, and blood fell from behind it. The lightning bolt had hurt her, but Noah remained in his position to understand what was happening.

June's aura was unstable. It grew stronger, but there seemed to be two different natures in its insides. One belonged to Heaven and Earth, while the other reminded Noah of his lover.

Heaven and Earth's version of June was stronger. It ended up benefitting from that conflict, bringing her overall power near the peak of the gaseous stage. Her heartbeat grew louder, and denser lightning bolts started running over her body.

Noah felt the pulling force caused by the heartbeat falling on his body, but his figure didn't move. June's previous attack had managed to leave a mark on his skin, but that was before the unstable substance. Now, he was near the peak of his physical prowess, so nothing could affect him.

The smoke dispersed after a series of white lightning bolts ran over her face. Noah could see that June's injuries had healed during those seconds, but the corners of her lips had turned upward. Her emotionless state had suffered a hit.

Noah couldn't move his eyes from that faint smile. His gaze remained firm even after June launched a storm of white lightning bolts toward him. The attacks crashed on his figure without inflicting any damage. They didn't hinder him even after he decided to step forward to reach his opponent.

June's face fell prey to his hand again. Noah pulled her closer as his anger surged to open a path toward the insides of her mind, but an orange radiance suddenly started to shine from behind her eyes.

A different lightning bolt with power at the peak of the gaseous stage came out of June's eyes and prevented Noah's inspection. The attack couldn't hinder his body, but his mental waves were too frail to survive that blow.

The lightning bolt engulfed Noah's face without causing any damage. When it dispersed, he revealed a surprised expression originated by the strangeness of the situation. The white attacks clearly belonged to Heaven and Earth's copy, but the orange ones were part of June's real essence.

The issue with the different attacks came with their triggers. June would normally use the white attacks and rely on the orange ones only when Noah threatened to enter her mind.

'What are you trying to protect?' Noah wondered. 'Why are you protecting it from me?'

Noah didn't have answers, but he knew where to find them. Potential filled his mind and gave him enough power to condense a few strands of mental energy that could survive the orange lightning bolts.

June's eyes lit up again, but Noah sent his mental waves forward anyway. The orange lightning bolt didn't destroy them, so he soon found himself among the whiteness inside her mind.

Noah moved forward, uncaring of the whiteness around him. He needed to find the tiny world, but his instincts eventually warned him again. Something powerful was coming, and its nature soon became clear.

A lightning bolt with power in the liquid stage flew among the whiteness and engulfed Noah's mental waves. They would have regularly been able to survive a few seconds in that raging environment, but the attack was far from normal. June's true self used higher energy, so Noah's thoughts shattered in no time.

Noah opened his real eyes only to find himself immersed in orange light. The lightning bolt had engulfed his entire figure, but it remained unable to hurt him while the unstable substance empowered him. However, he began to feel some pressure, and the heartbeat even intensified.

"You can't get rid of me with this power," Noah growled with sounds that June would understand. "Let me in so that I can see what you are hiding."

"I'll get more power then," June said as her smirk widened.

Her aura intensified, and the battle between the two natures happened again. Heaven and Earth seemed to win again, and a series of white lightning bolts in the liquid stage fell on Noah's figure. They didn't hurt him, but an orange light soon replaced them.

The lightning bolt that followed the orange light carried the same properties that had shattered the mental waves. It was also stronger than before, and Noah started to see the limit of his body there. The attack created sparks all over his body. They tried to push him away, and his grasp began to tremble. He could endure much more, but injuries were bound to appear if she kept getting stronger.

Noah could still use his potential to improve his body. That would allow him to reach levels that would challenge June's ability to grow stronger. Yet, he preferred to understand what was happening before making decisions that could lead to adverse consequences.

"What am I even supposed to do here?" Noah asked.

"Fight me," June stated in a tone that felt odd. "That's the only way."

Noah's eyes sharpened. His reptilian pupils moved left and right as they inspected June. He couldn't understand which version of her had voiced that request, but the smirk had grown wider. That alone felt enough as a sign.

"Fine then," Noah said before throwing June downward.

June slammed on the weak sky in the distance. The impact destroyed a large chunk of the white material and made her spit a mouthful of blood. However, her attention couldn't remain on her state since a massive aura had expanded above her. A black crystal sphere had appeared among the void, and an army of six-armed dragons was coming out of it.
Chapter 2090: Weak
Noah knew June's true essence. He had been a core part of its creation. The current situation felt odd, and June's condition appeared evens stranger, but he could sense that part of the real her still existed inside her figure, so he decided to nurture it.

Hundreds of six-armed dragons came out of the dark world to create an army that advanced toward June. The latter was feeling dizzy after the crash, but her eyes lit up when she saw so many opponents in the lower tier flying toward her.

Her body glowed with white light as sparks ran over her body. June's smile broadened as she spread her arms. A satisfied expression fell on her face as her heartbeat resounded throughout the void.

Noah closed his eyes to bathe in those sounds. He recalled that heartbeat, but he could also sense the differences from what he had learnt to love. The noise wasn't muffled, but it still felt hindered by some barrier when it reached his ears.

The pressure that fell on his body was also odd. June's power continued to increase, but it remained strange most of the time. Noah could see her true self only when he pushed her to go beyond her limits.

The dragons struggled to advance under the heavy heartbeat. They tried to move forward, but the rhythmic sound always pushed them back. Moreover, the pressure that the noises applied on their bodies slowly generated cracks that expanded as that offensive continued.

'That's not it,' Noah thought as his ambition surged and a series of fake cores shot out of the dark world.

The dragons' power quickly increased and reached the limits of the lower tier before stepping into the next realm when fake cores fused with their bodies. They became able to ignore the pressure falling on them in that new form, and June soon found herself surrounded.

An explosion happened. White light shot out of June and destroyed the dragons right around her, but more creatures pierced through the radiance and stretched their arms toward her.

June found herself pushed on the weak sky. A dragon pinned her down while other beasts pointed their mouths toward her. Black flames gathered in their throats before a fiery sea filled the area.

Noah didn't feel any pleasure watching the scene, but he didn't dare to divert his eyes. He had to look and study every fluctuation in June's power to see if his approach was working.

An orange color eventually appeared among the black sea, and the thundering noises of deafening lightning bolts filled the void. A blinding hole appeared among the flames, and sparks expanded from that spot.

Many dragons saw their bodies falling apart as attacks landed on their scales. They didn't hesitate to detonate themselves when their destruction became inevitable, and a wave of energy engulfed the area again.

The darkness suppressed the orange glow, but the latter returned stronger than ever when a massive lightning bolt pierced the wave of dense energy. The attack flew toward Noah, but he only needed to wave his hand to destroy it.

June appeared among the void. White and orange sparks came out of her figure and continued to destroy the energy around her. She seemed in a daze as she felt her power growing inside the liquid stage. Cracks even appeared on her body due to the intense energy that filled her insides, but she didn't mind them.

"Why are you holding back?" June whispered, but her voice thundered throughout the void.

"You aren't worthy of my real power," Noah coldly stated.

"That has never stopped you," June stated as she fixed her intense gaze on Noah.

"Indeed," Noah admitted. "Still, the June I remember would have never allowed me to take it easy. I can hold back because you are weak."

June smirked as her power kept growing. The orange shades slowly began to overwhelm the white sparks. A dark halo even began to appear around her figure, but it lasted only a few seconds before vanishing among her glow.

Noah didn't feel threatened in the slightest. June was showing the power of a liquid stage cultivator, but she was weaker than Dinia. She could hurt him, but only if he allowed that.

'This is taking too long,' Noah thought while glancing at the weak sky in the distance.

June mustered her power and accumulated it in her arms. Lightning bolts seeped out of her skin, creating deep injuries due to the massive energy they carried. She could barely sustain her current level, but Noah needed her to express more.

Noah suddenly appeared next to June. She didn't even sense him coming, but her energy managed to transform into a spherical shockwave when she saw a punch flying in her direction.

A white sphere expanded from her figure, but potential flowed inside Noah's body and allowed his punch to pierce the attack. Sparks fell on his arm, but they only left black marks on his skin.

The punch hit June and flung her away. She ended up crashing on the weak sky. One of her arms had disappeared, and blood flowed out of her mouth. She seemed about to die, but her power continued to increase.

"You can't beat me in this form," Noah stated as he flew toward June. "The world that Heaven and Earth have created doesn't suit your power. Even your body rejects it."

Lightning bolts shot out of June's figure, inflicting even more damage on her during the process. The attacks were about to reach the peak of the liquid stage, but Noah only needed to launch slashes with his fingers to destroy them.

June didn't want to give up. She summoned her orange sparks to create a stronger version of the previous attack. The lightning bolts flew forward, but they crumbled when they met Noah's Demonic Sword. He had to wield his weapon, but that didn't bring any satisfaction to June.

"Is that all you can do?" Noah asked after he reached her. "This is far from enough. Maybe you never had any chance to follow me."

June's smirk broadened as her power grew. She was about to step on the solid stage, but the cracks on her body expanded during the process. She wouldn't be able to withstand that enhancement.

"I'm about to explode," June whispered in a tone that made Noah's eyes flicker. "You might want to retreat."

"These might be your final moments," Noah sighed. "I'm not leaving you."

"You are so predictable," June chuckled. "I knew I could count on you."

June's expression twisted in pain after that line. Orange and white sparks pierced her body. Then, an explosion happened, and Noah watched June's body falling apart as a wave of power engulfed him.

The attack pushed Noah away and managed to make a few cuts appear on his skin. Still, they closed in no time without the need for additional energy.

Noah kept his eyes on the mass of energy that had remained in the void. The small orange sphere seen inside June's mind hovered among a raging array of white sparks. They appeared about to fall on that core, but they wanted Heaven and Earth to send reinforcements first.

The weak sky in the distance lit up as lightning bolts flew out of it. Noah saw countless attacks fusing with the white sparks and creating a proper barrage around the orange core.

Noah could affect the process, but he decided to remain still. Something told him that June needed to go through that Tribulation on her own.

****

Author's notes: I'm planning to reset the schedule (for the hundredth time). The usual three chapters will arrive in seventeen and a half hours.
Chapter 2091: Suppression
The Tribulation raged with power while creating a barrage around the orange core. Noah could sense lightning bolts flying toward its insides and converging on June's true self, but similar attacks shot out from the tiny world.

Noah knew that June's future was at stake. He had yet to understand what had happened to her, and his instincts even begged him to help her. However, he stood still and suppressed his desires since his influence would only hurt his lover.

The level of both players had stabilized after June exploded. The barrage of lightning bolts was part of a mere Tribulation in the lower tier, while the tiny world barely touched the peak of the eighth rank.

The event resembled a proper Tribulation meant to stop the ascension of a new rank 9 cultivator, but Noah didn't dare to fuel his hopes. He actually feared what his influence could do if he allowed himself to get emotionally involved in the process.

Noah even had to rely on the dark world to suppress random flares of energy that shot out of his body whenever his instincts stirred a reaction in his power. The issue reached the point when he had to retreat to avoid influencing the process.

Meanwhile, the barrage of lightning bolts and the orange core fought to defeat each other. The battle appeared one-sided, with Heaven and Earth having the upper hand. Yet, both sides began to grow stronger as their conflict continued.

The level of Heaven and Earth's lightning bolts slowly increased. The Tribulation grew inside the lower tier, but something similar happened to the orange core.

The tiny world released energy that Heaven and Earth couldn't match when deploying something at the same level. Peak rank 8 orange lightning bolts could stand their ground against attacks in the lower tier, and that difference only increased as both players improved.

Noah began to understand what had happened to June while inspecting the Tribulation. He had initially thought that Heaven and Earth were trying to destroy the orange core, but the matter turned out to be different after studying the event for a while.

Heaven and Earth were attacking the orange core, but their offensive had a hidden purpose. They didn't want to destroy its structure. They were trying to suppress it and envelop it in their light.

Noah let potential flow inside his mind to enhance his study of the process. Heaven and Earth were imitating the orange core's ability during the Tribulation. However, it was clear that their version of the sky was far inferior to the original.

The suppression tried to build a membrane around the orange core. Noah saw patches of white sparks appearing around the tiny world and draining its power without damaging its structure. Understanding dawned upon him at that point. He wasn't the only one busy studying the event. The rulers also wanted to contain June's true essence to learn how it worked.

'Is this the new approach that June had mentioned?' Noah wondered as everything started to make sense in his mind.

The privileged cultivators were the strongest assets on Heaven and Earth's side, but they didn't belong to their system, not entirely at least. The rulers had to provide resources and benefits to those assets as they studied those unique worlds. In theory, those assets could become a potential weakness.

Moreover, the many benefits seized by the privileged cultivators cost a lot. They didn't only receive materials at the peak of the ninth rank, which were basically priceless in the higher plane. They also gained access to the arrays of laws past the sky.

Heaven and Earth only retained weak control over those assets, but they were basically free to act as they wanted. It felt normal that the rulers wanted to change their approach toward privileged cultivators, and Noah understood that he was witnessing that new process.

June had never created her world. Heaven and Earth had built it before putting her true self inside it. Noah could guess that the weaker version of her power would slowly improve as the rulers learnt more about her true existence. They had created a cage that studied its prisoner and gradually transformed according to what it understood.

'My surprise wasn't misplaced then,' Noah concluded. 'It only makes sense for June to have the potential to become a privileged cultivator, but Heaven and Earth had a different approach ready for her.'

Noah still couldn't explain everything. June's true self appeared relatively intact, while her fake version was nowhere near her real power. It seemed that Heaven and Earth didn't learn much about her, which only implied deeper issues that he couldn't answer right now.

The orange core didn't let the white patches remain on its surface for too long. It even let them seep into its structure to absorb part of their power.

June and Heaven and Earth were fighting over each other's resources. The rulers wanted to understand how the orange core worked, while June needed to absorb the white lightning bolts to complete her world.

'Her past technique required Heaven and Earth's sparks,' Noah thought as the battle continued. 'I wonder if she is trying to do something similar.'

That guess led to another idea. If June required Heaven and Earth to reach the ninth rank, there was a high chance that she had put herself in that situation on purpose. Still, that also implied that the previous fight had been part of her plan.

Noah couldn't help but reveal an amused smirk when those thoughts filled his mind. The sole idea that June had created a plan that involved him felt funny beyond reason. He couldn't wait to joke with her about that, but he had to wait for her to overcome the Tribulation first.

The exchange of attacks between June's true self and the Tribulation appeared endless. The orange core and the barrage of lightning bolts enhanced their power on their own, without requiring additional energy. It didn't take long before the white sparks touched the middle tier and continued to grow.

Then, a change happened. The orange core finally stepped into the ninth rank and released a crackling storm that pierced the barrage in multiple spots.

The orange lightning bolts didn't even disperse after the attack. They remained stuck inside the white barrage as sparks spread out of their fabric. The orange shades tried to expand, and the Tribulation didn't seem able to stop them.

Noah could finally realize that the barrage had some inherent flaws. Its ability to enhance its power was imperfect, which led to a consumption of fuel that the orange world didn't suffer. Instead, June's true self could reach higher levels without investing large amounts of energy, giving her better endurance and overall flexibility in using her skill.

Everything started to shatter as the orange core began to stabilize in the ninth rank. The barrage crumbled into pieces with the shape of small sparks that tried to disperse throughout the void. Most of them remained attached to the orange lightning bolts, and Noah let go of the others as he waited for the process to end.

The orange core expanded as it absorbed the energy attached to its lightning bolts. Its color paled before darkening even more than before. The mass of energy slowly morphed into a familiar figure, and Noah could only smile at that sight.

June regained her original form. Her body brimmed with power after her successful breakthrough to the ninth rank, and the desire to fight also intensified. She didn't hesitate to raise her head and point her hand toward Noah before a thick lightning bolt flew out of her palm.
Chapter 2092: Sparring
The lightning bolt wasn't weak according to normal standards. June was only a gaseous stage cultivator, but her lightning bolt could touch the realm occupied by existences in the liquid stage. That was incredibly good, but she fell short compared to Noah and his companions.

Noah dispersed his ambition and let the unstable substance give him the power to endure the blow. The lightning bolt engulfed him and left a few black spots on his body, but he smiled while he remained immersed in that familiar energy.

Noah's doubts vanished at that point. That energy clearly stated that June was back. His many thoughts about Heaven and Earth's new approach to privileged cultivators temporarily vanished as pure happiness filled his mind.

"Did you plan to use me since the beginning?" Noah asked as the lightning bolt dispersed.

"Hey, we were fighting," June snorted. "Attack me or something. I need to stabilize my power."

Noah inspected June as potential flowed in his mind again. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her world. Everything was working perfectly.

"Are you lying to make me fight you?" Noah asked.

"Maybe," June chuckled. "Better not to risk it, right?"

"Do you really want to fight right away instead of making up for the time spent separated?" Noah questioned, even if he knew the answer.

"We can handle that later," June announced before wearing a loving smile. "It's not like we'll split anytime soon anyway."

Noah sighed before wielding the Demonic Sword and letting his potential flow inside his centers of power. The pressure released by his figure intensified, and even the void seemed to bend to his weight.

"That will depend," Noah exclaimed.

"Depend on what?" June asked.

"On whether you can be more than dead weight," Noah stated before slashing forward.

A giant slash came out of the Demonic Sword and flew toward June. Noah didn't use his full power, but his attack remained something that her last lightning bolt couldn't stop.

June's power surged, and a dark-orange light came out of her figure as sparks accumulated in front of her. The slash hit her before she could complete her attack, but the energy accumulated before the impact allowed her to avoid serious injuries.

June flew back as blood flowed out of the large cut that had appeared on her torso. The impact made her slam on the weak sky in the distance and shattered a large chunk of that white material.

"What is it?" Noah asked after appearing in front of June. "Show me that you can follow me."

"Something tells me that I've pissed you off," June smirked as sparks ran under her injury to fix it.

"You have yet to tell me how did you end up in that situation," Noah said in an annoyed tone as he placed his hand on her injury. "Is this the new version of the Perfect Circuit?"

A tremor ran through June when Noah's fingers touched her skin. She could sense everything that had changed inside him during the last period through that simple gesture. Her eyes inevitably fell on his reptilian pupils, but they sharpened before the two could fall prey to a romantic moment.

June grabbed Noah's arm as sparks crackled in her eyes. Her aura suddenly skyrocketed and reached the peak of the liquid stage before a lightning bolt crossed her fingers to fall on his arm.

An immense force entered Noah's body and flung him away. He quickly stopped himself, but his arm now featured a series of black marks. He could also see tiny cracks on his skin, but that sight only made him smile.

"I jump through multiple levels now," June explained as her figure transformed into a blinding dark-orange sphere that flew toward Noah. "I don't need to pass through checkpoints anymore."

The sphere carried the same peak liquid stage power, and Noah prepared to fend it off. However, the aura suddenly jumped into a superior realm again. The pressure that only a solid stage cultivator could generate spread throughout the void right before June could reach Noah.

An explosion happened when June clashed with Noah. Dark-orange light illuminated a vast part of the void, but that glow vanished as soon as a giant black crystal appeared in the area.

"Boring," June sighed when she saw her sparks losing power inside the dark world.

"How did you end up in that situation?" Noah asked while slashing with the Demonic Sword and opening another cut on June's torso.

The attack flung her away, but the dark world forced her to remain inside its crystals. The technique even prevented her from stopping her momentum. She flew until Noah decided to let her slam on a six-armed dragon.

"It's mostly your fault," June revealed as sparks left her body and destroyed the dragon. "I can't find anyone better than you when it comes to my existence. Even Heaven and Earth feel dull after seeing you overcoming them countless times."

"Why did you join the rulers?" Noah questioned while waving the Demonic Sword twice to send a cross-shaped slash.

"I needed to expand my foundation," June explained before slamming her fists on each other and creating a crackling shockwave that dispersed the slashes and part of the dark world with them. "Do you remember Eccentric Thunder's theory, right? I'm not a hybrid, so I have to find ways around the innate weakness of my body. Absorbing Heaven and Earth's power was the only method to make me resistant to higher levels of energy."

"How did I come into play?" Noah asked while appearing in front of her and thrusting his blade forward.

June's hands shot forward and created a crackling barrier that blocked the Demonic Sword before it could reach her skin. She prepared herself to detonate the protection, but black lines suddenly appeared on her sparks before shattering them into waves of energy.

"I couldn't steal Heaven and Earth's power randomly," June explained as she stepped back and placed a hand on her right arm before pointing her fingers toward Noah. "I needed them to create something that suited me, so I allowed them to take me. I even sealed a pact with them so that they could experiment their new approach on my existence."

Noah's instincts screamed in fear when a spear-like lightning bolt shot out of June's fingers. The attack destroyed the dark matter on its path and forced Noah to dodge. He could have blocked it if he had used his full strength, but he didn't want to fight June seriously.

"And me?" Noah repeated.

"I needed you to rekindle my battle intent and force the Tribulation," June explained. "I knew you wouldn't have left me inside Heaven and Earth's system."

"What if I had to kill you?" Noah questioned in an annoyed tone.

"I would have loved my death," June smiled warmly before joining her hands before her chest and creating a crackling sphere. "I knew Heaven and Earth would have sent me toward you to trigger my ability and study it. I simply gambled on my talent."

"I wouldn't have liked killing you," Noah sighed as the dark world dispersed and converged around the Demonic Sword to create a tall pillar.

"I know," June stated, "But I would have lost the chance to see you one last time otherwise."

Noah could only sigh helplessly. The crackling sphere between June's hands was hurting her skin and damaging her body as a whole. That attack seemed to be her current limit, which was fine compared to the rest of his companions. She could fight privileged cultivators in the liquid stage in that state. Dinia would have probably defeated her, but she was there, in the realm of the monsters.

"This is the last attack, right?" Noah asked. "I'm tired of hurting you."

"Sure, last attack," June promised before spreading her arms and expanding her sphere. Noah made the pillar descend after that gesture, and the two attacks crashed on each other.
Chapter 2093: Peace
"You really did a lot of crazy stuff," June commented after adjusting her position in Noah's arms. "The path past the sky sounds interesting."

"You all had it rough too," Noah said while inspecting his lover's body and applying dark matter where it could help. "I almost injured your world. You should take your time to stabilize it properly before going all-out."

"It's fine," June said while stretching herself over Noah's chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I work through battles. Fighting you was quicker."

June was sitting between Noah's legs, with her back on his chest. The two stared deep into each other's eyes when she pulled him from his neck. They were in the middle of the weak sky, inside the dark world. The environment was far from safe, but they felt completely comfortable with their situation.

"Are you sure that I won't create problems for your world?" Noah asked while the two stared at each other. "I probably became necessary for you now."

"Remind me," June mocked as a warm smile appeared on her face, "Where did your creation come from?"

"We are in the ninth rank now," Noah stated. "Things might work differently."

"Noah, you are stronger than me," June said while pulling him closer. "You will do everything in your power to remain the strongest, while I'll use my entire life to defeat you. A part of me might die if I succeed, but you won't let that happen, right?"

"No," Noah promised. "Your pursuit will be eternal."

"I'm fine with that," June sighed. "I have always been fine with that. I can sense it clearly now."

"Indeed," Noah laughed. "It feels stupidly perfect."

"As long as I don't surpass you," June commented.

"As long as you don't fall behind," Noah added.

The two smiled warmly, and their intense stare quickly transformed into a kiss. Heaven and Earth, the weak sky outside the dark world, and all the problems of the higher plane disappeared after that gesture. Noah and June forgot about everything as they lost themselves in sensations that they didn't feel for millennia.

Time passed, but Noah didn't keep track of it. June was in a similar situation. They had just found each other after spending countless lifetimes apart. They could finally stand on the same level of the cultivation journey, right near the end of the path, so neither of them wanted to separate again.

In the end, they found it pointless to even think about separating. The dullness of the weak sky had annoyed Noah ever since his last breakthrough, and the situation would have been worse now that he didn't have any specific project. However, June made those empty moments full of something he had almost forgotten to have.

Noah had already filled the higher plane with his quasi-living workshops. In theory, he only had to wait for his influence to expand to improve and progress through the cultivation journey.

June was different. She had just stepped into the ninth rank, and her experiences in the previous levels of the cultivation journey didn't allow her to develop a complete understanding of the path ahead. Still, her experience as part of Heaven and Earth's system had given her new perspectives, and she had Noah now.

Noah only had to cultivate and expand his influence naturally due to the lack of possible missions that could raise his power quickly. He didn't mind helping June through those phases of the ninth rank. She also didn't take long to figure out how to expand her influence since she had to use her connection with Heaven and Earth for that.

June's world turned out to be quite peculiar. She was similar to Divine Demon due to her connection with the world, but her aspects also made her completely different.

Divine Demon was the favored son of the "Breath". He was the chosen one when it came to that energy. Instead, June had needed Heaven and Earth's sparks to change the nature of her body and allow her to endure the superior power generated by the Perfect Circuit.

In its current form, the Perfect Circuit already had the potential to bring her to heights that even Noah couldn't reach. Yet, her body and her centers of power as a whole couldn't withstand such a massive output of energy. She had modified herself throughout her life, but she remained a cultivator at her core, and that was a limit that no amount of fuel could fix.

Since June's world already had what it needed, she had to improve the sturdiness of her Circuit. Her body, mind, and dantian had to grow strong enough to endure the massive power she could generate with her endless desire for battle, and only Heaven and Earth could provide suitable materials.

In short, June needed to feed on Tribulations just like Noah had fed on energy during most of his life. Each spark that fused with her body increased her affinity with her lightning bolts and allowed her to endure even more power.

Of course, the weak sky created an issue that Noah and June struggled to solve. He had his anger, and she had sharp senses when it came to Heaven and Earth's lightning bolts, but they couldn't use their abilities properly in that environment.

Maribel could sense and predict the arrival of Tribulations due to her experience with Heaven and Earth, but June and Noah weren't even close to her level. They simply lacked the countless years she had spent in that white environment.

The only solution to the issue was traveling and hoping to find Tribulations along the way. The fact that Noah and June were together removed most of the dullness of the exploration, and their senses were quite incredible when they joined forces. Lightning bolts appeared on their paths from time to time, and June never hesitated to absorb them.

Noah obviously thought about the orange city during the travel. The old rulers probably had access to primordial versions of the lightning bolts, which might help June a lot. He even mentioned the issue to her, but finding the actual location of those structures turned out to be impossible. Even his attempts to contact the old Heaven and Earth ended up failing.

June didn't mind missing out on the orange city. She preferred to deal with the Tribulations on her own to give more value to her growth. She accepted that the old rulers could help, but she guessed that approaching them later-on on her path would be for the best.

Hence, Noah and June traveled together, searching for Tribulations and discussing ways to quicken their growth. Their pace was relatively slow since they decided to take many moments for themselves, but that didn't prevent them from meeting multiple packs of magical beasts that Heaven and Earth were trying to hunt down.

Noah never missed the chance to use those meetings to plant fake cores in those creatures. Some magical beasts would even decide to travel with the couple for a while before going on their way.

Everything went well, and Noah and June improved without needing to separate. It felt incredible to have finally reached that point in their journey, and they never failed to enjoy their happiness while years flowed by.
Chapter 2094: Message
The search for Tribulations brought Noah and June through every corner of the higher plane multiple times. They fought many punishments sent by Heaven and Earth during their travel, and they also met multiple packs of magical beasts that Noah didn't hesitate to arm with specific fake cores.

Strangely enough, the duo didn't find cultivators or hybrids. Noah guessed that most of them had decided to seclude themselves while they waited for something major to happen in the higher plane. After all, that was a good plan when considering the current state of the world.

Noah wasn't doing anything different. He traveled, but he didn't dive into any crazy quest that could increase his level quickly. The weak sky gave him energy, and the fake cores built for the magical beasts quickened the expansion of his world. Yet, he was growing slowly, and June allowed him not to mind that pace.

Noah thought about the issue from time to time. He found it funny that he had to reach the peak of the cultivation journey before accepting to improve slowly. The environment favored that approach, but he had never been the type to seclude himself in those methods.

Of course, Noah didn't ignore June's importance in the matter. She was the main reason behind his acceptance. The time spent traveling the sky with her didn't feel lost. He still felt the need to accelerate his growth, but the lack of options and the travels appeased that desire.

June also improved slowly. Absorbing Tribulations meant for the magical beasts were her version of seclusion. She shared Noah's desire to quicken her growth, but she had to accept that the current environment didn't give many options.

Heaven and Earth's almost complete control was the main issue in that environment. The sky was the only place that could offer more, but going there without a precise target and a plan made no sense. The area contained stronger cultivators and better materials, but the gains for Noah and June would remain limited even if they succeeded in an eventual mission.

The weak sky prevented Noah and June from finding specific battles or other problems that could quicken their growth, so they abandoned their hopes for now. They were ready to jump into a mess as soon as they noticed something, but they didn't despair during those empty and peaceful moments together.

"Is there someone nearby?" June asked while lazily floating next to Noah.

"You know it gets hard to sense my seeds after they fuse with different existences," Noah explained.

"And we have yet to learn how to read the sky," June sighed. "We haven't seen a Tribulation in a long time, and the same goes for the magical beasts."

"Maybe they have started to adapt their behavior to the environment," Noah guessed. "It makes sense to opt for a stable lair since Heaven and Earth keep fixing the sky."

"Think about it," June exclaimed. "Imagine all the rank 8 and 9 existences in the higher plane currently destroying the sky. Then, add the Tribulations and the projects happening inside the white world. Heaven and Earth must be wasting a lot of energy."

"That's probably their plan," Noah commented. "The rulers are buying time while throwing away energy that they don't need. They can reach a new harmony while forcing all of us to slow down. It's actually pretty smart."

"So what?" June scoffed. "Do we invade the sky and cause a mess to hinder their plans?"

"That would make us stronger," Noah explained, "Which will move the world's fairness in Heaven and Earth's favor. It's honestly a dead end to think about viable solutions."

"How troublesome," June voiced in an annoyed tone. "I guess we are doing fine. I've gotten far stronger in these years, and I don't even want to talk about you."

"You are just jealous," Noah laughed.

The ninth rank was immense, but Noah and June had traveled for a long time. Moreover, Noah had also been able to wield rank 9 power far before reaching that level. Lately, he had become able to feel his world stretching toward a superior realm. He couldn't see it clearly, but he knew that he was getting there.

June was one step right before that. She wasn't new to the ninth rank anymore, but she had yet to reach the point when she could feel the liquid stage.

"Oh, there is something ahead," June eventually announced.

"I can sense it too," Noah said as a familiar mass of energy entered the range of his consciousness.

Noah and June had been in that situation countless times already. They dropped their lazy hovering across the weak sky and shot forward. Noah's aura opened a path as the two relied on their movement techniques to reach their target in no time.

A familiar scene unfolded in their view. Dark clouds created a cage around a relatively vast pack of magical beasts. Those creatures resembled ferrets, but they had metal tails, long claws, and four sharp fangs that came out of their mouths.

The Tribulation launched lightning bolts that made June's eyes lit up. The pack of ferrets was relatively strong. It even featured a specimen in the middle tier, so Heaven and Earth had sent something capable of suppressing those creatures.

That only benefited June since her improvements depended on the power of the Tribulation. She shot forward and pierced the array of clouds before unfolding her aura and attracting all the lightning bolts in the area.

Heaven and Earth's lightning bolt felt a natural attraction toward June's body. They were her main fuel and nutrient since they allowed her to make her center of power able to endure higher amounts of energy.

The lightning bolts began to fall on June, and she laughed as injuries opened on her body. Her flesh burnt and broke, but she didn't seem to mind those events.

Noah remained outside the barrage of clouds, but nothing escaped his eyes. He had seen that scene countless times already, and he inevitably approved those gruesome methods. He had founded his entire cultivation journey in similar approaches.

The Tribulation sent lightning bolts until Heaven and Earth's true aura seeped into the clouds and inspected the situation. Everything began to disperse after the rulers understood that sending more power to their punishment was useless. June voiced a few taunts and curses as the crackling gas vanished, but nothing she said made that event last longer.

The injuries on June's body healed in the seconds that followed the dispersion of the Tribulation. Her body improved and generated new flesh that replaced the missing pieces and charred spots. Sparks also came out of her skin to fill the holes in her robes.

Noah and June had dealt with another Tribulation, so the time to leave had almost arrived. Noah only had to do something before that.

"I see that one of you has taken my fake cores," Noah announced as his pride unfolded in the area and suppressed the ferrets. "I can make better versions for all of you. Stay still for a bit."

Noah made his consciousness converge on the pack, but the middle tier specimen dooked something that made him halt the process. "You are Defying Demon, right? The dragons have told us to spread a message in the hope of reaching you. They need your help."
Chapter 2095: Search
'Help?' Noah thought as a bit of surprise filled his mind. 'From me?'

"Which dragons?" Noah growled to make sure that the ferrets really meant the four upper tier specimens.

The middle tier ferret dooked a few times to describe the dragons' appearance and levels. Noah's doubts vanished after that explanation. The ferret depicted the four upper tier specimens clearly and in great detail. It had actually met the leaders of the magical beasts' side.

"Noah?" June called, but Noah didn't say anything as he fell deep into his thoughts.

Noah and June had spent a long time traveling through the weak sky. He didn't even dare to count the years that had passed since their reunion. Yet, that still felt too soon. The final battle couldn't begin without causing massive changes in the world.

'Is this a trap?' Noah wondered. 'No, impossible. I would have felt it. Also, Heaven and Earth don't deal with the magical beasts.'

Confirming that the ferret's words were valid turned out to be almost immediate. However, there was a pressing issue that left Noah doubtful about the nature of the crisis. He was strong, incredibly strong for his level, but the dragons' side had four upper tier specimens. Even he would struggle to match something so powerful.

'Why did they ask for me even?' Noah wondered. 'This doesn't make any sense.'

"Can you lead us there?" Noah eventually asked.

"A long time has already passed," The middle tier ferret explained.

The timeline vaguely made sense. Noah and June had gone a long time without meeting anyone, so the dragons had the chance to send a message in that period.

"How am I supposed to find them without directions?" Noah questioned, but the ferret didn't know what to answer.

"Noah?" June repeated since she sensed the gravity of the situation.

"We must find the dragons," Noah quickly summarized.

"How?" June asked. She knew how difficult it was to find someone in that environment. There was almost no one who could have a complete understanding of the area.

Noah inevitably thought about the orange city. King Elbas might have developed something useful, but Noah didn't know how to find him. Instead, the orange city sent hidden messages from time to time, and he had already learnt how to hear them.

'The orange city again,' Noah sighed as he made his consciousness converge on the ferrets.

His mind studied the magical beasts' bodies and their uniqueness before developing fake cores that suited them perfectly. The seeds flew in front of the creatures, and a simple glare from his side was enough to make them eat them.

"I guess it's time to taste their lightning bolts," June announced as a smirk appeared on her face.

Noah shook his head at the sight of his smiling lover. June knew basically everything that he had seen during his travels. She could connect his expression with a possible solution, which led her to think about the orange city.

"You can go," Noah casually growled as dark matter covered his figure.

Noah hadn't heard the orange city's messages for a long time, and his dark matter didn't improve the issue. Still, he only needed to glance at June to make her understand that they had to travel in the hope of picking up something coming from the old rulers.

The two resumed their travels but at a far faster pace than before. Noah and June had something that resembled a mission now, and they couldn't wait to join it.

Noah couldn't sense anything even after years passed. The constant flight found a short break when the two encountered another pack of magical beasts assaulted by Tribulations. June dealt with the lightning bolts, and Noah created the fake cores, but the following investigation didn't lead anywhere. Those creatures didn't know anything about the message from the dragons.

Doubts inevitably appeared in Noah and June's minds, but they became complicated when they met another pack of magical beasts. The latter had heard the message, but they didn't say anything about the dragons' current position.

Similar scenes happened in the following years. Noah and June flew at high speed and questioned every magical beast they found. Some knew about the message, while others were completely unaware of the matter. The weak sky could explain that oddity, but Noah and June still believed that something was off.

A change happened when Noah finally sensed something through the layer of dark matter over his figure. A faint voice tried to reach his ears, but everything remained too unclear to understand the contents of the message or its source.

"They changed the structure of their hidden communications," Noah concluded after inspecting the voice for a while.

Noah and June stopped flying after that realization. They waited for him to modify the membrane of dark matter and make it able to hear those messages clearly. The process took a while since the old rulers seemed to have gone all-out with that new approach, but he eventually succeeded.

The message was nothing more than a summoning. The old rulers were trying to call all the improved magical beasts dispersed among the weak sky. Still, that was enough for Noah. He could find the source of the voice now, and he didn't hesitate to lead the way.

Noah and June flew even faster than before now that they had a target. They prepared questions and escape plans during the travel since they didn't know what expected them in the orange city and with the dragons. The unknown reason behind that request for help worried the two, but they moved forward anyway.

The answers arrived even before reaching the orange city. Noah and June saw a vast empty area unfolding in their vision after he felt close to the source of the message. The weak sky had shattered there, but the fabric of space still resisted the various shockwaves that tried to destabilize it.

An orange glow shone from a distant spot of the empty area, but the scene unfolding at its center soon claimed Noah and June's complete attention. They could see the four upper tier dragons there, but they were busy fighting each other.

The death dragon was at the center of a joint assault from its three companions. The latter weren't using deadly force, but they still launched powerful attacks meant to suppress the creature.

Meanwhile, the death dragon was going all-out. Its black flames killed everything in its surroundings, and its speed wasn't something that its companions could match. Cracks in the fabric of space expanded as the creature flew everywhere, making it impossible for the other upper tier specimens to corner it.

"Were they always like this?" June couldn't help but ask in front of that majestic display of power.

"Something is wrong," Noah commented. "They would never fight each other before the final battle. All of them hold the time dragon in too high regard to fight it willingly."

"Defying Demon!" The time dragon roared when it noticed the two figures that had appeared in the distance. "Come and help us. I'm afraid my companion has reached its limits."

"I don't think you can join this," Noah stated. "You know, dragon stuff."

"That's a pity," June voiced while a wide smile appeared on her face. "I would have loved to join the fight."

"Maybe another time," Noah chuckled before shooting forward and appearing in the dragons' range.

"Quick," The time dragon didn't hesitate to add after Noah arrived on the scene. "Heaven and Earth have tricked it. We must bring it back to its senses."
Chapter 2096: Temptation
"Tricked how?" Noah asked as he approached the battlefield. "How can Heaven and Earth even trick one of you?"

"We'll explain later," The time dragon announced through a roar. "Help us suppress it."

Noah still didn't understand why the dragons had requested specifically for him, but he didn't voice questions now that the crisis was still ongoing. The dark matter created temporary black vessels that the unstable substance didn't hesitate to fill, and the ethereal blackness sent potential to push his physical strength beyond its normal limits.

His opponent was an upper tier magical beast that inherited meanings connected to death from the very world. Noah instinctively felt that he couldn't match the dragon, so he pushed his everything into something that could allow him to survive the battle.

The death dragon had filled the area with black flames that radiated an ominous aura. Noah's instincts screamed in fear whenever he glanced at that terrifying fire, but that didn't stop his charge.

The space-time array replaced the world in his vision as he stepped forward. Noah reappeared on the death dragon's neck and delivered a punch that his opponent couldn't avoid.

The fist hit the scaled neck and flung the dragon downward. However, the creature promptly spread its wings and interrupted its descending momentum. Then, it raised its head to engulf Noah's position with its terrifying flames.

Noah prepared himself to dodge, but the flames slowed down their advance before they could reach him. He didn't need to deploy his best movement technique anymore, so he sprinted downward while dodging the black sea.

Noah landed on the death dragon again, but disbelief soon filled his mind. He recalled the spot where his punch had fallen. He could even notice a few cracks on that spot, but that was it. The peak of his physical strength had been unable to inflict severe damage.

The disappointing sight didn't stop Noah. Another punch fell on the death dragon and flung it further below. The attack even opened a crack in the fabric of space due to its sheer violence, but the creature's scales remained mostly intact.

The death dragon appeared livid. Flames came out of its mouth as it stopped its descent, and a dark aura seeped out of its scales. The fabric of space trembled under the pressure of that suffocating power, but it managed to remain intact.

'How can the world remain in one piece against such immense power?' Noah wondered before deciding to let his potential fill his mind.

The dynamics of the area became clear as his mind surpassed its natural level. Noah could quickly understand why the dragon didn't create fissures in the fabric of space. Its power was an expression of the previous world, so the space-time array could endure it.

Instead, Noah's destruction was different. His power had connections with the world, but he wielded it through his ethereal blackness. He wasn't part of the higher plane, which was why he could destroy it so easily.

"I might have to hurt it for real if I fight seriously," Noah eventually growled as he retreated to avoid the incoming dark aura.

"Do not worry about that," The time dragon roared. "We aren't so weak."

"I know," Noah sighed before continuing the rest of the line in his mind. 'That wasn't the point.'

The Demonic Sword and the Cursed Sword appeared in Noah's hands. Night, Duanlong, and the parasite also came out and started to release their power. The Pterodactyl vanished in the world, a pulling force came out of his figure, and roots wrapped themselves over the dark matter that had covered the two blades.

"My child, don't absorb its energy," The life dragon warned before Duanlong could affect the fuel inside the death dragon. "Heaven and Earth have tainted it. We need to force its dispersion."

Noah felt tempted to test the effects of the tainted energy on himself, but he eventually decided to listen to the life dragon's advice. Duanlong returned in the depts of the separate space and withdrew its power.

"What does that aura do?" Noah asked as a high-pitched noise came out of the Cursed Sword.

"It kills, obviously," The life dragon explained. "Still, I can create an opening. I find it hard to hurt my kind, but I can counter that aura."

"What about you?" Noah asked while glancing at the time dragon.

"Do you want to force me to fight seriously against my kind?" The time dragon asked.

"Fine, I'll handle the offensive," Noah stated as his ambition surged. "Support me."

The ethereal blackness sent potential to his dantian and black crystal, empowering his four centers of power at the same time. His companions also helped with their ambition, which brought him to his very peak.

Noah felt stronger than ever, but he didn't let those sensations cloud his mind. His opponent remained an upper tier specimen that had lived for countless years. That was his first real fight against a being that stood at the peak of the cultivation journey.

The death dragon sensed the presence of a real threat. It raised its head and stared coldly at Noah as its aura began to converge toward him. Yet, the life dragon promptly intervened with a pillar of white flames that destroyed the incoming attack.

Noah could shoot forward freely. He reached the death dragon's back in no time, but his instincts screamed in fear when he was about to land on the black scales. A terrifying membrane had appeared around the creature's figure, and something told him that he didn't have to touch it.

That wasn't enough to stop Noah's offensive. He stopped, but his blades continued to descend. The Cursed Sword went silent as it unleashed the entirety of its bloodlust, the Demonic Sword roared, and dark shades accompanied the giant slash that came out of the blades.

Bloodlust and corrosiveness fused with Noah's destruction to create a threatening attack that even solid stage cultivators would have to take seriously. A tinge of fear became clear in the death dragon's aura, but its movements slowed down before it could even begin to dodge.

The slash crashed at the center of the dragon's back, and strange events happened when it touched the dragon's defensive membrane. The two techniques shared part of their meanings. Their destruction fused and transformed into something that both Noah and the upper tier couldn't control.

An explosion happened, but Noah didn't have the chance to inspect it since he had to focus on his escape. He activated his movement technique to shoot higher in the sky, and the crack that opened on his trail absorbed part of the destructive energy released during the clash.

The death dragon didn't have the chance to dodge. The explosion had happened on its back, and the time dragon was still restraining its movements. The blast ended up shattering most of the scales on its back, leaving it with most of its insides in the open.

Noah didn't hesitate to study what remained of the new form of destruction generated during the clash. He had never seen anything so strong, and his desire to improve made him attracted to that force.

"Don't let it tempt you," The time dragon warned when it noticed Noah's mood. "There is power in fusing existences with the worlds, but you have seen how it ends."

****

Author's notes: I know that I am one day behind. I'll do my best to recover those missing chapters, but I can't make promises.
Chapter 2097: Tree
Noah understood how something as strong as Heaven and Earth could decide to take that risky path. The destruction generated by the fusion of two different systems was incredible. It carried a type of power that both cultivators and worlds couldn't wield on their own.

The theory behind that might was quite simple. King Elbas had gotten his hands on a superior power by gaining access to the strongest type of energy in the cultivators' system. Something similar could happen when fusing fuels from two different systems, but the reaction would be far stronger in that case.

Of course, Noah also noticed the problems with that approach. He had Heaven and Earth as a living example of the drawbacks of that path. Yet, he had now seen with his own eyes what happened when fuels from two different systems had the chance to fuse without anything that controlled them.

The reaction was quite explosive and reminded Noah about the unstable substance. The latter worked through the same theory, and its effects were incredible, so it was only normal for something stronger to happen when using far different fuels.

As appealing as that project was, Noah didn't know how much it suited his path. He pursued power with every inch of his existence, but he also had limits given by his character. Diving into the world's system only to gain access to a different type of energy sounded tempting, but it would also ask him to stick to specific duties.

Heaven and Earth had to manage the entirety of the higher plane, abide by the world's fairness, and fight against the drawbacks that their state sent against them. The last part wasn't too much of a problem for Noah, but the other aspects of that path created issues that he didn't know how to solve.

Truth be told, there wasn't a solution to the issue. Heaven and Earth had managed to contain the explosive reactions of their path, but they had ended up as an unstable mess made of countless laws in the process. Also, they couldn't avoid the obligations that came from their position as leaders of the world.

Noah couldn't find anything better during the instant spent thinking about the issue. He could fix one of the problems, but not all of them. Also, the solution would even be incomplete since it would bring new drawbacks of its own.

The innate temptation generated by the sight of a superior form of power and Noah's natural weakness toward those scenes made him come up with entire plans in the span of mere seconds. He could start a project right away. He could see himself reaching the void to fuse with some Mortal Lands before growing through that different path, but he eventually managed to suppress those thoughts.

'My greed sure is dangerous,' Noah commented in his mind as his focus returned on the battlefield.

The death dragon was slowly recovering from the large injury suffered after the last clash. It remained still as blood stopped flowing out of the giant hole on its back. It would take it a while to regrow skin and scales, but that didn't seem to be its priority now.

The death dragon coughed while spitting black flames that released strange noises when they dispersed through the world. They resembled dying screams coming from inhuman creatures that didn't belong to any dragon species.

The upper tier specimen continued to spit flames until it puked a torrent of gray energy that fused with the world as soon as it touched the whiteness in the area. Everything happened so quickly that Noah didn't have the time to study that substance. Even the time dragon seemed unable to slow down the dispersion.

"What did it eat?" Noah asked through a growl while the death dragon remained busy puking out that strange material.

"We need something better than this sky," The time dragon explained through a low growl. "After millennia spent traveling through this environment, we found a resource that seemed able to satisfy our hunger, but it turned out to be a trap planted by Heaven and Earth."

"How did they even trick you?" Noah asked.

"I don't know," The time dragon sighed as a tinge of shame appeared in its human voice. "Heaven and Earth have learnt how to trick my senses."

"You have fought the rulers for too long," Noah commented.

"Indeed," The time dragon admitted before glancing in the sky past the weak whiteness. "It's almost our time."

"Don't you dare to die too soon," Noah said in a cold tone. "I need you to keep the rulers away until I become strong enough to defeat them."

"That's the plan," The time dragon laughed through an emotionless cry.

"Don't mock me," Noah stated. "You didn't live for so long to end up dead."

"I lived for so long to win," The time dragon replied. "I will bet everything on you if it comes to that."

"What about your kind?" Noah asked.

"You are my kind," The time dragon announced before moving its focus on the death dragon.

The death dragon had finished puking out the grey substance. Its injuries began to heal as it inspected its surroundings. It was clearly confused, but its aggression slowly waned as it recalled what had happened.

"We need to pay them back," The death dragon said through a chilling roar.

"I do agree," The life dragon added. "Heaven and Earth are gaining ground, and magical beasts are dying all around the higher plane. They are getting ready for the final attack, and we can't let them be like this."

The space dragon voiced a simple roar to approve that idea, and the three upper tier specimens eventually glanced at the time dragon. They stared at their leader and waited for its announcement.

"A fight it is," The time dragon eventually exclaimed. "We do need to slow down Heaven and Earth. Though we need to regroup with our kind, and I believe that our old enemies will want to join this."

Noah turned toward the orange glow in the distance with the four dragons. The old rulers didn't answer to that gesture, but they didn't escape either. They appeared ready to negotiate an alliance.

"What about you, Defying Demon?" The time dragon asked.

"I'm in," Noah said before moving his palm to his side, "And so is she."

A lightning bolt fell on Noah's palm, and June appeared after the orange glow dispersed. She was holding his hand, and she didn't hesitate to throw herself on him to sit on his lap.

"Can you even find the other dragons from here?" Noah asked. "I have traveled for a long time, but I never met them."

"We know how to find them," The time dragon revealed. "They are somewhere safe."

"Let's go then," Noah declared as battle intent came out from him and June. "I was getting bored of this safety."

"The battle will be harder than you can imagine," The time dragon teased.

"What do we have to fight?" Noah asked.

"It's a tree," The time dragon explained. "A tempting tree masked as a flaw in Heaven and Earth's system."

****

Author's notes: I won't be home for the rest of the night, and I'll probably crash for a while once I manage to get back home, so I'll finish the other 2 chapters when I wake up.
Chapter 2098: Assault
'A tree?' Noah wondered. He had destroyed something similar with King Elbas, but he didn't know whether the two shared some connection.

"We have to get the rest of our pack first," The time dragons stated, and its companions gathered around it.

The space dragon and the time dragon released their auras and locked the environment into a technique that teleported everyone away. The scenery in Noah's vision changed in less than a second. A grey spectacle unfolded in his eyes, and a series of roars quickly reached his ears.

The area featured a series of tunnels and caves dug directly into the weak sky. Still, the fabric of the environment had gone through a transformation that had forced Heaven and Earth's influence out. The dragons that filled the lair had tainted their surroundings with a power that canceled the rulers' aura.

The time dragon roared, and the dragons in the caves came out to gather in front of their leaders. Hundreds of specimens in the divine ranks destroyed their own lair to create enough room for their assembly. It didn't take long before an army took form and waited for the upper tier creatures' orders.

The space dragons made a speech through roars that June couldn't understand. Its cries didn't carry any human meaning. They expressed battle intent and a deep desire to fight against Heaven and Earth.

The other dragons echoed those roars once the speech was over, and the space-time array in the area froze as the two upper tier specimens activated their joint ability. The scenery transformed again, and Noah could soon see the real sky expanding in his view.

The area was devoid of the weak sky, but Noah could quickly find the reason behind that strange feature. Giant roots came out of the real sky and absorbed the energy from the environment. The base of a grey trunk was also vaguely visible on the other side of the white layer.

'No wonder the dragons thought that this magical plant went against Heaven and Earth,' Noah commented in his mind as he studied the tree. 'This thing is piercing the sky to grow.'

The tree was immense, but most of its body was inside the sky. Only its roots spread inside the higher plane, and the faint silhouette of its giant trunk vanished inside the whiteness. As for its crown, Noah couldn't even search for it from his position.

His hunger intensified on its own in front of that scene. Noah could sense the immense amount of energy contained inside the tree. Multiple pulling forces came out from each root and threatened to shatter the fabric of space as they slowly stretched deeper into the higher plain. The plant was still growing, and the world was suffering due to its aggressive search for nutrients.

"How long did it take to make you go crazy?" Noah asked while turning toward the death dragon.

"I ate a whole root," The death dragon explained through roars, "But I bet that a single bite has enough power to infect you."

"We destroy the tree then," Noah stated.

"Of course," The death dragon grinned. "Yet, we'll take it out first."

"Do you plan on digging the sky?" Noah asked while showing his palm and releasing a special dark matter that resembled the dark metal.

The death dragon scoffed before turning toward its companions. The space and time dragons had already closed their eyes, and their auras were expanding in the environment. Their influence stopped right before the sky, but it still enveloped all the roots inside the higher plane.

Then, something suddenly changed. The roots disappeared, revealing a giant hole inside the very fabric of the sky. A proper tunnel had taken form after the tree vanished, but a threatening aura quickly spread in the area and claimed everyone's attention.

Noah, June, and the dragons glanced under them. The tree had reappeared far away, at the empty area's edges, and its roots had already stretched toward the weak sky. However, its grey leaves darkened while covering the entire plant with a deadly aura that managed to alert everyone's survival instincts.

The tree was a magical plant in the upper tier. Its power was immense, and its might seemed to be on par with the leaders of the dragon species. Noah even believed that it surpassed their pressure at times.

Noah promptly wielded his swords, and similar scenes appeared among the army. Everyone prepared for the imminent clash, but they waited for the space dragon to give the order.

The tree's crown expanded as the plant stretched its branches in the area. The grey leaves also grew and began to release a dark aura. The entity appeared as a natural enemy of Heaven and Earth, but something in its influence made Noah angry. He couldn't find the exact reason behind that reaction, but he could sense that his feelings came from his hatred of the rulers.

Each leaf began to radiate a pulling force that fused with the similar abilities expressed by the branches and roots. The fabric of space began to shatter as the tree started to absorb energy from its surroundings. The weak sky didn't last long, and the same went for the whiteness around it.

"The rank 7 specimens must remain behind," Noah ordered through a growl. "The same goes for those under the upper tier of the eighth rank."

The four leaders didn't mind that Noah had taken the liberty of giving orders, and the same went for their underlings. The weaker dragons accepted his authority and retreated as flames gathered in their mouths. They wouldn't shoot forward, but they would still support their companions from a distance.

The pulling forces were too strong for the weaker dragons. The tree would drain them alive in a matter of seconds, and even Noah didn't feel safe advancing without adding a layer of protection around his figure. His fiendish armor appeared, and his gaze soon fell on June.

"Do you want the armor?" Noah asked.

"Don't insult me," June grinned. "I want to see if it can absorb everything I have."

Noah laughed and turned back toward the tree. His ambition started to empower everything he had as the unstable substance filled his insides. He reached his peak in an instant, and the same went for his companions.

Then, the time dragon voiced a loud roar, and the assault team shot forward. The dragons that had decided to remain behind launched pillars of flames that fused into a multicolored attack. The environment took fire as the many innate abilities slammed on the multiple pulling forces and tried to make their way toward the tree.

The flames never managed to touch the tree. Even the leaves escaped that fiery sea due to the many pulling forces around the plant. The attacks transformed into rivers that flowed left and right as different powers tried to absorb them.

The space dragon roared when the main group was about to reach the fiery rivers. The pulling forces suddenly vanished and let the flames slam on the tree. Noah and the others could also approach the giant magical plant without crossing their allies' attacks, and a series of techniques quickly came out of their figures.

****

Author's notes: My mind has been in a bad spot in the past days. I'm better now. Thank you for your patience.

I will write another chapter for Demonic Sword before moving to Chaos and starting the schedule again.