Birth of the Demonic Sword

The laws there were too messy. Some of them seemed to belong to Heaven and Earth's system, while others were part of separated existences.

Trying to understand the nature of that hidden opponent from a mere inspection of the mansion was impossible. Noah could point his fingers at the Crystal City, but his ideas remained faint guesses since he didn't even know where that force was.

"Change of plan," Noah announced after the group finished sorting the items and materials in the inventory. "Let's ignore potential battles. Lead us toward branches with an equal share of Heaven and Earth's followers and normal cultivators."

The group set off immediately, and Steven felt forced to lead his companions toward lands they had already crossed. The trip then moved toward unknown regions, and a series of buildings soon appeared when the team approached a large lake.

Noah, Divine Demon, and Sword Saint immediately deployed their abilities to unleash destruction in the area. Still, a series of figures shot out of those buildings before they could launch their attacks.

Two cultivators in the liquid stage and one in the solid stage appeared in the sky and bowed toward Noah's group. He confirmed that their laws didn't carry traces of Heaven and Earth, but their situation seemed quite poor.

The trio carried evident traces of a recent battle. Some of them even had injuries and patches of blood on their robes.

"We know why you are here, Defying Demon," The woman in the solid stage exclaimed. "Someone has warned us about your arrival."

"How did they even know about that?" Noah asked while drawing the Demonic Sword.

"I think it's better if you take a look by yourself," The woman announced before giving a few orders through her inscribed notebook.

A series of inscriptions glowed brightly before going dark. The various buildings lost most of their defenses in a few seconds and allowed Noah to descend toward them without fearing for his life.

Most of his group followed him toward the buildings. Noah didn't know what he was looking for, but everything became clear once he stepped inside one of those structures.

"What has even happened here?" Noah couldn't help but ask when he noticed dozens of corpses filling the floor.

That wasn't everything. The trio led Noah and his team through a few corridors until they reached an area featuring multiple blades stabbed on the floor.

King Elbas' eyes immediately lit up at that sight. The blades didn't have any offensive nature, but they could seal a certain area as long as an expert deployed all of them correctly. Those weapons were isolating a series of shining lines that resembled a teleport.

"I don't recognize these formations," King Elbas exclaimed, "But their aura is still pretty clear. It's definitely something from the sky."

"What has happened here?" Noah asked. "It's my understanding that the Sinnell family has never sided with Heaven and Earth."

"Not completely, at least," The woman replied. "We discovered some time ago that we had different factions inside our organization. We didn't immediately take care of Heaven and Earth's followers since they didn't pose a clear threat to the family, but everything went crazy only a few days ago."

"I bet they came from the floor and announced that we were coming," King Elbas commented while he crouched to inspect the various lines isolated by the swords.

"It was sudden," The woman continued. "These formations appeared past our defenses and let an entire platoon of cultivators inside. That has happened in every building. We still can't figure out how they did it."

"I think you have no chances of finding out through this small sample," King Elbas explained. "I can perform some tests, but I don't know if I can put the innate self-destruction on hold."

"Feel free to play with those lines," The woman announced. "We might have no political relationship with the Legion, but it's clear that we are natural allies now."

"What else happened?" Noah asked.

"We fought back the first wave of invaders," The woman explained. "We have been quite efficient even if many of our companions turned their backs on the Sinnell family."

The cultivator then gestured to the group to follow her. The experts walked through the building until they reached a descending staircase that seemed to lead deep into the faint lights of the underground world.

"The invaders came out shouting your name," The woman said while glancing toward Noah. "I think they did that to scare us, and they definitely obtained some results. Most of the followers in our ranks directly jumped in the teleport when they saw that the battle wasn't going well for them."

"Can you confirm that the Crystal City is playing a part in all of this?" Noah asked.

"I can do better," The woman announced while wearing a cold smile and turning a corner to reveal a series of inscribed cells. "I can let you talk with one of the invaders."

Noah's eyes lit up, and his gaze quickly landed on a chained man inside one of the cells. The cultivator was a mere gaseous stage expert, but his white robe made him become the most exciting part of the last years.

Purple drawings depicted a series of spheres on that white robe, but patches of blood ruined its beauty. The defensive properties of those clothes had also gone silent after the battle. The Sinnell family could suppress his centers of power thoroughly.

"Hello to you," Noah exclaimed as he approached the cell and crouched to stare at the cultivator directly in the eyes.

The man didn't even bother to reply to his gaze. Chains kept his arms raised toward the rocky ceiling, and inscriptions ran through the entire floor.

"I thought we were friends after our history," Noah laughed. "Didn't they tell you that the Crystal City knows me very well? We are basically allies."

"I know what you are, Defying Demon," The man announced in a hoarse voice. "Heaven and Earth have told us a lot about you. Noah Balvan is your real name. Who would have thought that the blight of the Crystal City was a whoreson."

"That's one way to describe me," Noah laughed. "I'm also a monster, a hybrid, probably the most talented existence in the entire Immortal Lands. Just to name a few."

"Don't forget capable of great humbleness," The cultivator scoffed.

"Of course," Noah continued to laugh. "Humility is my best quality."

"You are wasting time if you think that I'll say anything about the Crystal City and Heaven and Earth," The man continued. "You are better off killing me now."

"Not so quickly," Noah said. "I've just met you. I bet that I can get you to talk in a few days. "

"No torture can make me betray the Crystal City," The man snorted. "You can start now. I'll just laugh while you try to inflict punishments meant to break me."

"I think I have a better idea," Noah revealed while wearing a cold smile. "I can take away your precious humanity and transform you into a hybrid."

"The transformation is impossible to complete in mere days," The man announced. "How long will you waste before understanding that the transformation can't exist so freely."

"Don't worry about time," Noah replied as the coldness coming out of his smile intensified. "You are my only connection with the Crystal City. I will do everything in my power to get my answers."