Birth of the Demonic Sword

The group didn't remain among the storms and moved as soon as they seized what they could. The cauldron wasn't the only valuable item. The ghosts' aura that had remained inside that structure and the chaotic laws affected by Heaven and Earth's cry were materials that King Elbas couldn't leave behind.

Moreover, the team had to wait for Steven and Robert to wake up, but that didn't take long. The group departed once they took care of looting and resting, and the old rulers' tracker led them back to the pale-orange city in a matter of years.

The improved Kesier apes let the experts pass without even bothering to check them. The sensors among the buildings were enough to confirm that Heaven and Earth didn't tamper with their existence, so the creatures opened the path for the center of the city right away.

Noah wanted to attend the meeting with the old rulers immediately since he didn't have pressing projects at hand, but the same wasn't valid for some of his companions.

Steven and Robert had yet to recover completely, and their battle against the ghosts had even brought a new understanding over Heaven and Earth's laws and their existence as a whole. Steven had proven his determination and hatred toward the rulers, and Robert could directly improve his true meaning after studying the ghosts so accurately.

Alexander required a unique area for the breakthrough to the ninth rank. Heaven and Earth would probably send a Tribulation to hinder the event, so he had to prepare for the event. He could also use specific buildings inside the city to improve his situation, and he didn't hesitate to request them.

King Elbas had a lot to study after his battle inside Shafu and seizing the cauldron. He had ancient and powerful inscription methods at hand, and he couldn't postpone their inspection for a mere talk that he could already imagine in his mind.

Sword Saint didn't care about talking. He preferred to spend his time in seclusion and review the previous battle to deepen his understanding of the sword path. Everything else in his cultivation journey was simply pointless.

Divine Demon was the same, but he didn't want to spend his time cultivating. The city offered him something far more interesting than training. He could become part of the production of wine made from Kesier runes.

In the end, only Noah and Wilfred ended up attending the meeting with the old rulers. They returned to the orange pit and reached the separate space inside the mineral to arrive inside the white area and talk face to face with a humanoid representation of the old Heaven and Earth.

"The ghosts did leave the areas under our control," The old rulers revealed when Noah suggested that they left the city and caused some mess, "But what you are asking will take some time. Besides, we don't really exist either."

"I thought you would have fixed that by now," Noah scoffed. "What's the point of being able to conquer the world when you have so many restrictions? Why even desiring the plane at all?"

"You can't go against yourself," The old rulers sighed as their orange humanoid figure trembled. "It was the same for us. We wanted the world, so we took it."

"Well, do something with the freedom that we have given you," Noah ordered. "Using the city is nice and everything, but I want to slow down Heaven and Earth. That has always been the main plan."

"We don't need too long," Wilfred added. "One of us is already approaching the ninth rank. It's only a matter of time before we all go through the breakthrough."

"Reaching the ninth rank won't fix your problems," The old rulers explained. "It will only worsen them. It will give Heaven and Earth the chance to use more of their arsenal against you."

"We are already aware of that," Noah snorted. "That's not the point. Facing the breakthrough will enhance our superiority. The growth in the cultivation journey is exponential, so we'll be far stronger in comparison with their methods."

"Is that the confidence that wants us to risk our life in the outside world?" The old rulers chuckled.

"Confidence comes from achievements," Noah replied. "You know how off the charts we are."

"Indeed, you are extraordinary both in numbers and quality of achievements," The rulers stated. "The idea of joining you almost makes us feel something again,"

"They have yet to realize that they are already in," Wilfred sighed while shaking his head. "It takes a while with newbies."

"They always try not to mention the issue," Noah shrugged his shoulders. "It was the same with Elbas. All his arrogance gone to waste in front of a madman and a pig."

"I think I can't get enough of their talks," Wilfred laughed. "I miss the Foolery already."

"It made its choice," Noah smirked. "You can't blame it either. Its singular existence gives hope to its entire species."

"What do you even want us to do in the world?" The old rulers asked, interrupting that change of the topic.

"You know the world better than almost anyone else," Noah announced. "You even know the rulers in ways that we can only hope to understand. I only want you to go outside and cause as much damage as you can. I'll fine with everything as long as you can make Heaven and Earth divert their focus from the dragons and us."

The old Heaven and Earth seemed to consider the matter seriously. Noah's words had been on point in the end. The dragons might be the sworn enemies of the world, but they couldn't be as dangerous as a previous version of the very rulers.

The only issue was with the old rulers' existence. They were almost empty and vague. Their power consisted of knowledge and meaningless energy. They could achieve a lot even in that state, but Noah couldn't even begin to imagine the power that they could wield as actual independent beings.

"I bet you also want us to regain our existence in the meantime," The old rulers commented. "Your greed doesn't fail to appear in your actions."

"We had to reveal our trump cards in the last battle," Noah emphasized. "We didn't only need time to approach the ninth rank. We must also hurry to create new secret techniques that can keep Heaven and Earth surprised."

The old rulers were about to say something, but Noah interrupted them by continuing his explanation. "I know that we can be safe inside the city, but I don't want to remove threats from the world. I wish for more of them to appear, countless even. I don't care about their nature as long as it doesn't let Heaven and Earth's keep their focus on the dragons."

Noah's enthusiasm and confidence in his methods continued to make the old rulers recall part of their old memories. The old Heaven and Earth didn't even know if those visions and the emotions that accompanied them were real parts of their existence or were something entirely new.

The old Heaven and Earth knew about Noah's ability to force everything to evolve, so its state was unclear. However, they didn't hate the idea of developing new features, especially if that could get them out of their awful condition. They would gladly cause a mess if that were the price to pay.

****

Author's notes: The second should take another half an hour to arrive. Anyway, thank you IndraDeus for the magic castle. It's greatly appreciated. I also want to take this chance to thank all of those who send gifts. I can't express lucky I feel to have such a nice reader-base.