Birth of the Demonic Sword

Second Prince had created another golden net. He also appeared to have improved the structure of that formation since it now had more lines and nodes.

'How long have I slept?' Noah wondered as he inspected the world.

The continent didn't go through many changes during his sleep. The frozen lands had enlarged a bit, but they had yet to cover the whole landmass.

Moreover, the number of weaker specimens didn't increase by much. A few rank 4 Eternal Snakes had appeared among the packs, but the number of new creatures in the human ranks told Noah that he had been asleep for less than eighty years.

His math wasn't perfect, but he felt sure that the real answer was close to his guess. His expertise in the magical beasts' field wasn't only for show in the end.

The presence of the golden net was a gift that Noah intended to use to its fullest. He had the chance to go all-out again, and he had just gone past an important breakthrough.

That gift couldn't have come at a better time. Noah now had the chance to test his new power and kill many rank 6 Snakes in the process. The quantity would depend on whether he could escape the anger of the quasi-rank 7 leader.

Noah performed a thorough analysis of the continent before finding a spot high in the sky where he could let his ambition run freely. He was about to enter the domain of a quasi-rank 7 creature, so he had to push his centers of power far beyond their limits to ensure his survival.

His cultivation level increased. Noah's empowerment would start from the solid stage now, so his ambition could raise his power more smoothly than before.

Lumps of darkness appeared around Noah as his ambition filled the sky. His individuality also affected the golden net, and black lines appeared on its structure as its nodes enlarged.

Of course, Noah could choose to consider the golden net as an enemy and deny it of that empowerment. Still, the appearance of Second Prince's formation was the best thing that could happen to him in that situation, and he didn't mind letting his ambition improve it.

Noah's body also improved. It grew inside the upper tier and reached levels that it would typically take centuries to touch.

Even his mind went through a similar process, but Noah couldn't quantify how far he was from the divine ranks once it stopped. The empowerment that he obtained through his ambition didn't reflect the actual growth of his existence, so he couldn't understand where his breakthrough stood.

Overall, Noah became a powerhouse near the peak of the sixth rank after his ambition finished elevating his might. He didn't know how strong he had become after that process, but he was about to find that out.

Only five large packs remained on the continent. The five peak rank 6 Snakes were their leaders, and they counted a dozen underlings each. They also had countless creatures in the human ranks under their rule, but Noah didn't waste time considering them.

The quasi-rank 7 Snake was alone at the center of the landmass. Its home was in the territories where the divine silver liquid had fallen. The creature could enjoy an environment that resembled the Immortal Lands there, and it didn't allow anyone near it.

The leader wanted the precious energy contained in those frozen regions all for itself. It wasn't willing to share it with anyone, even if that could bring him valuable food in the future. Magical beasts usually preferred immediate gains, and Noah could understand that mindset.

'I wonder how many of them can I kill before it forces me to escape,' Noah questioned himself as he prepared a strategy.

The main issue about the five packs was the ice where they lived. Those frozen lands worked as an extension of the leader's mind and would notify it once Noah attacked.

'My only option is to be quick and relentless,' Noah concluded as a cold smile appeared on his face.

The Demonic Sword flew out of his space-ring and landed on his hand as Noah crouched in the air. His legs bent as he turned toward one of the packs, and a human-shaped crack replaced his figure as he sprinted.

The Eternal Snakes on the landmass ignored that an enemy had observed their arrangement from a spot that their awareness couldn't reach. Still, their instincts warned them about an imminent danger after Noah sprinted.

Yet, it was already too late to stop Noah. They didn't even have the time to raise their heads to the sky that one of the frozen regions exploded into a storm of ice shards and black smoke.

Noah came out of his dimension to land on the head of one of the peak rank 6 Snakes. His momentum was so intense that he ended up destroying a large chunk of the region after he pierced the creature.

The peak rank 6 Snake suddenly found that a large hole had appeared at the center of its head, and its vision went dark as life abandoned its body.

'I didn't expect this,' Noah thought as he stored the corpse while inspecting the destruction that his landing had caused. 'I didn't want the whole world to learn about my attack.'

Noah didn't know the extent of his new level, so he had decided to go all-out as long as the golden net continued to remain in one piece. Yet, he didn't expect that his simple landing would have destroyed a good part of that region.

'Now that I think about it,' Noah realized, 'It would have been strange if I did less than this. I'm currently near the peak of the sixth rank. I'm supposed to destroy entire regions with my attacks.'

Noah didn't stop moving while those considerations filled his mind. Killing only one peak rank 6 specimen wasn't nearly enough in that situation.

The underlings in that pack roared when they saw that their leader had died, but black lines suddenly appeared at the center of their mouths and cut their heads in half.

Noah had swung his blade while focusing on the sharpness radiated by his existence. That gesture had created a series of thick lines on the opponents in the range of his consciousness.

Eight rank 6 Eternal Snakes died in the attack. Noah had only needed an instant to kill them. There were even a few creatures in the upper tier among them. Still, that didn't make any difference for him.

Noah could sense that the specimens on the borders of the region had managed to escape his attack. They had also begun to flee toward the quasi-rank 7 leader, but he didn't have time to intercept them.

The leader would sense Noah's presence anyway. He would rather move toward the next pack than try to avoid the inevitable.

As he had predicted, a deafening roar echoed through the sky before the escaping Snakes could even enter the leader's lair. The continent shook, and the golden net began to tremble under the might released by that cry.

The quasi-rank 7 Snake had awakened, and it knew where Noah was. A dangerous sensation appeared in his mind when he sensed a pair of intense reptilian eyes landing on his back.

Noah knew that the leader had set its eyes on him, but that sensation vanished when he entered his dimension. He didn't even pick the other corpses since he couldn't afford to waste precious seconds.