Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah couldn't help but remain speechless at Miss Void's statement. He didn't even hear her last line, but the part where she claimed to be a cultivator with a darkness aptitude caused a mess in his mind.

The inheritances that he had seized since his arrival in the Immortal Lands contained resources and techniques that anyone could learn. The divine cultivators would give more importance to their laws than to their elements. Learning those abilities was only a matter of suitability.

Noah was slightly different in that field. His ambition made him desire everything, and his species allowed him to endure almost any technique. He had yet to find something that he couldn't use. His versatility came from his vast accumulation in the lower plane.

That accumulation had allowed him to shine where everyone else had failed. The impossible requirements set by some inheritances were only hard challenges when he faced them.

Only the Evolution Pit had been rather easy because his black hole made him meet its requirements. Still, his gains there had consisted in a refinement of his fourth center of power. He couldn't seize the entire inheritance.

Yet, everything was different with Miss Void. With his ambition and the same aptitude, Noah could aim to learn her techniques and spells without having to spend years adapting them to his existence.

Another slap landed on his cheek while Noah was deep in his thoughts. Miss Void appeared annoyed that he wasn't paying attention to her, but she refused to speak again. She had already asked for his gratitude.

'Am I even capable of true gratitude toward her?' Noah wondered as he performed a deep bow.

Noah hoped that his gesture would be enough to satisfy the expert. His ability in those types of social interactions had always been lacking. He wouldn't know what to do if that didn't work.

"Hmph," Miss Void snorted before wearing a cold expression. "It seems that you know how to behave when asked politely. Very well. I will tell you the secret of my greatness."

Miss Void crossed her arms and remained still. Noah didn't know what she was thinking, but he didn't dare to interrupt her. It was better to play along when it came to eccentric characters. He had learnt that lesson with Eccentric Thunder.

Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Noah was beginning to think that Miss Void was playing with him, but he continued to wait in silence.

"Well?" Miss Void asked.

'Well what?!' Noah shouted in his mind, but he didn't dare to let his annoyance appear on his face.

"I don't think I understood it," Noah limited himself to reply.

"Of course you didn't," Miss Void said as a broad smile appeared on her face. "That's the whole point of my techniques. They operate inside a separate dimension and manifest only when they reach their target."

Noah's mind went wild again. The secret behind her techniques was so simple that he didn't believe it to be real. After all, separate dimensions were rare, but every cultivator knew about them. If it were so easy to create untraceable abilities through them, everyone would have already done it.

"How can that be possible?" Noah asked. "Do you use a spell to hide the dimension?"

Another slap landed on his cheek after his question, and Noah pretended that the gesture managed to tilt his head.

"No spells, techniques, or inscribed items," Miss Void replied. "The dimension itself is the cloaking ability."

"How?" Noah asked again, and Miss Void nodded when she saw the intense curiosity that had appeared on his face.

"I'm quite sure that only cultivators with a darkness aptitude can use this," Miss Void explained. "Go on. Expand your domain."

Noah quickly executed her order. His aura leaked in the environment as his ambition became more intense. The darkness inside the separate dimension began to expand and shrink as its fabric toughened.

Even in that barren environment, Noah's ambition managed to have some effects. As long as it touched energy, his law could improve it.

"This is your world," Miss Void continued as she opened her palms to draw a sphere in the air. "Inside it, you can generate attacks from any spot. It doesn't matter how far it is. As long as you are in your domain, anything you want will happen."

Noah nodded. That was the basic theory behind the cultivation journey of divine cultivators. They could apply the effects of their individuality on the matter around them. The stronger they were, the bigger their domain would become.

"I have developed a technique founded on this theory," Miss Void explained. "I call it Shadow Domain. It allows me to expand my influence in a dimension that no one can sense and reveal it only after my attacks are already inside my opponents. It's a perfect technique that no one can dodge. Its only flaw is the time required for its expansion."

Miss Void waved her hand at that point and bent forward as an immense pressure landed on his mind. An empty but heavy aura had suddenly appeared in the environment, and his existence could barely withstand it.

"My Shadow Domain has already filled the whole dimension," Miss Void continued. "I can create attacks and materialize them anywhere. You might have a though body, but that innate defense is useless when a blade is already inside you."

Miss Void waved her hand again, and the pressure disappeared. Noah's eyes darted left and right as he tried to find traces of her Shadow Domain, but he couldn't sense anything. His superior awareness felt that something was off, but that wasn't enough to alert his instincts.

'This is incredible!' Noah shouted in his mind.

Noah had initially thought that Miss Void was exaggerating, but that demonstration changed his idea about her. The Shadow Domain was a technique that no one could block. It wasn't as perfect as she said, but it came pretty close to that definition.

"You can move anything between the Shadow Domain and the real world," Miss Void explained. "Your body isn't an exception. Since the technique is quite slow, you will often have to hide until your influence reaches your opponents."

Noah became puzzled at that point. If Miss Void could hide freely inside the Shadow Domain, how did she even die?

"I have probably died because my enemies have learnt about this flaw." Miss Void said after she read the puzzlement on his expression. "They didn't give me the chance to complete my ability, and there is a limit to how long you can stay inside the other dimension."

"How can I learn the Shadow Domain?" Noah asked as his curiosity reached its peak.

Noah believed that there had to be harsh requirements to learn that technique. The main issue was that laws didn't usually create untraceable domains. Miss Void had probably changed the nature of her individuality to give birth to such a technique.

"The "Breath" of the darkness element gathered to open the portable dimension comes from beings that live between worlds," Miss Void said as her smile became humbler. "I've harnessed their ability to cling to the thin layer between dimensions to recreate that place. After I expanded it, I obtained a space where no one can walk. You have to do the same to obtain the Shadow Domain."

"Do I need to experiment on those creatures?" Noah asked.

"No, the technique is complete. You will receive it once you exit this dimension," Miss Void explained. "However, it will activate only with their "Breath". I suggest you learn how to produce it."