Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah's old companions were there, in the Crystal City. They were all rank 7 cultivators in the gaseous stage, but their condition appeared relatively poor.

Injuries filled their bodies. Their complexion was pale, and even their auras didn't manage to spread far. They didn't show signs of torture. It seemed that they had just gone through a long and harsh battle.

"They are your friends, right?" Miss Canson said as she straightened her position and neared her mother's throne. "The Crystal City despises magical beasts and hybrids, but they are useful for certain entertainments."

Noah ignored her. His whole attention remained on his five friends, and his emotions couldn't help but burst out of his figure as memories filled his mind.

He had shared most of his life in the lower plane with those five cultivators. Two of them were good friends that Noah had saved from certain death. Faith and Daniel had followed him since forever, and June was his longed lover.

Noah couldn't express how he felt. The Crystal City had managed to surprise him. That force had his companions, and it was now using them to punish him.

"Shandal," Noah said as low growls escaped his mouth, "Is this what you have worked for fifty thousand years? I thought you wanted to defy Heaven and Earth."

"I can't defy Heaven and Earth at my level," Shandal replied as the shame in his expression intensified. "My cultivation level had the priority. Also, I didn't expect the secret organization to help the Crystal City."

"The secret organization?" Noah asked.

Noah had initially thought that Shandal worked for the Crystal City, but it seemed that his allies were part of the secret organization. His eyes went on the second rank 8 cultivator at that point. That expert was the only figure that Noah couldn't identify.

"Don't act so surprised," The rank 8 expert said as a slight smirk appeared on his face. "Did you really think that you could place a spy among us? We might not be as united as the other organizations, but we know how to find traitors better than anyone else."

The man glanced toward Madame Canson, and she nodded toward her daughter. Miss Canson then pointed at one of the doors in the hall, and two cultivators came out of it.

One of the cultivators was God's Right Hand. Pride filled his expression, and his liquid stage aura spread through the hall. The expert was dragging a poor-looking liquid stage expert who had clearly been through many tortures.

Noah recognized the other cultivator. He didn't have any hair left, he had lost one of his eyes, and part of the skin on his face had disappeared. No aura came out of him, and his hands lacked a few fingers.

Fergie was almost unrecognizable, but Noah managed to see past his injuries. The expert's face lacked any expression. He barely appeared to be alive at all.

"The technique you used to control him is quite peculiar," The rank 8 expert continued, "But he continued to keep you a secret even after it ran out. How did you even obtain such loyalty? We have tortured him for years, but he never mentioned your name. Luckily, connecting the dots has been easy after we talked with Madame Canson."

"Luke," Madame Canson said, "Do not say my name so casually. You are only the leader of a cell in an organization that doesn't dare to work in the open. Remember who allows you all to exist."

"Right," Luke replied. "I forgot about your temper. Please, accept my apologies."

The two rank 8 auras suddenly intensified. A clash between influences happened in the hall and flung away all the experts gathered around the thrones.

Only Noah could avoid facing those auras since the quasi-rank 8 item absorbed part of their power. Still, that influence managed to make him slam on the invisible walls of his prison.

The two experts eventually withdrew their auras and began to ignore each other. The other cultivators went back to their position, and some of them descended in the garden to activate hidden mechanisms.

"You wanted to know the secret behind my power," Miss Nine suddenly said as she neared the sphere and opened her robe.

Noah glanced at her bare chest and saw that a purple crystal had fused with her skin. Rank 8 power flowed out of that material and spread through her body, improving her overall prowess.

"Madame Canson can empower all of us," Miss Nine continued. "She has done the same to that failure of a god. You couldn't beat me. You will have no chance with her."

Madame Canson didn't seem concerned that her underling was revealing the nature of her power. The other experts in the hall even nodded at those lines.

Noah understood what was happening. His punishment had already begun. Those fanatics wanted to make him lose hope before the show started.

"I can let your woman survive if you beg me," Ethan said as he also neared the sphere. "She would have to satisfy my guards every day, but I give you my word that I won't kill her."

Noah glanced toward Shandal. His face showed no emotions, and the sphere blocked his influence. Still, the expert could almost sense the pure anger radiated by his reptilian pupils.

"Don't blame him," Miss Canson said as she stepped forward. "Blame yourself. You have offended too many organizations without having enough power to defend your friends. This isn't the lower plane. You are nothing more than a promising asset here."

The landing zones were Noah's miscalculation. He didn't expect Shandal's betrayal, so he didn't think that they would be a problem for June and the others. He believed that they could swear the oath and fly away.

Roars began to echo through the area at that point. Massive shapes appeared in the garden. They were magical beasts in the lower and middle tier. That was the treatment that the Crystal City had given to June and the others during their imprisonment.

"Your law forces anything around you to improve," Luke said as he scratched his head. "You and Madame Canson are actually similar. That Fergie has improved faster than ever while he was under your control. It's a pity that he didn't improve quickly enough."

The experts in the hall sat on the floor and began to watch the magical beasts advancing through the garden. The creatures could sense June's group, so they quickly ran in their direction.

Noah moved his attention to his separate space. The new Demonic Form was almost ready, and his mind had long since stopped hurting. He had returned to his peak, and the spell only needed a few minutes to stabilize.

He was almost ready to fight, but his current situation made him hesitate. Noah had a slim chance to escape on his own, but he couldn't save his companions. It was simply impossible to do that with two rank 8 cultivators controlling the area.

Noah had to leave his companions there. He had no other option but to attempt a miraculous escape and abandon his lifelong friends. The Crystal City had prepared a trap that he couldn't completely overcome.