Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah let his aspects, companion, and centers of power disperse the stress that the procedure had brought. He couldn't wait to study his new abilities and adapt his attacks to the deepening of his existence, but the stability of the palace concerned him. The obelisk and the buildings next to it were rank 9 items, but Noah felt that his battle prowess had stepped forward once again.

Time flowed quickly as everyone inside the palace recovered. Noah focused on his power to let his mind predict what his new understanding could generate, but he didn't test any attack. His existence wanted to own that new understanding properly, and only long periods spent studying himself could provide that.

Noah didn't need to invest too long studying his gains from Shandal's ability, but he couldn't underestimate the changes the other two techniques had brought. They weren't actual modifications, but they required a thorough inspection anyway.

The procedure had affected his pride, greed, hunger, destruction, creation, and overall ambition, which had deepened and gained new powers. They had preserved their nature, but Noah could sense how he was different. The world in his eyes had acquired new meanings, and the same went for his ability to affect it. He could express more, and his actual limits remained unclear while he held back from testing attacks.

The experts eventually started contacting each other and leaving their training hall. Recovering at their level took a long time, but the palace had helped them enormously, finally bringing them back to their peaks.

Noah found himself in one of the large halls inside the palace at some point. His companions had created a circle on the floor after sitting and taking out wine to accompany the meeting. They had a few important topics to discuss, and Noah didn't hesitate to explain his project.

"That's not something that everyone can do," Wilfred explained.

"I understand the potential benefits behind this project," Steven stated, "But mere leftovers won't be enough. We would need to hunt Heaven and Earth's followers to improve significantly."

"That's the plan," Noah responded. "I've thought about it for a long time. We can't improve faster than Heaven and Earth. They will always have counters ready for us. We can avoid it a few times, but I don't think we'll last until the peak of the ninth rank at this pace."

"Remember that it's a deepening, not a change," King Elbas remarked. "It's about embodying the strongest version of ourselves by seizing the experience that our lives couldn't offer."

Noah and King Elbas exchanged a meaningful glance. The cultivator had expressed his doubts during their last meeting, but he now seemed to have changed his mind.

"We are at the edges of the end," Divine Demon commented while staring at the booze in his cup. "I agree with your idea, but I can't use it. My existence doesn't allow it."

"That's not surprising," Noah laughed before turning toward his other companions. "You have aspects that make sense, so we'll eventually meet experts that share understanding in similar fields. I can take it and give it to you, but everything else has to come from your techniques. I can't affect the procedure too much when it has to become part of your existence."

Noah took out something from his mind to prove his point. The azure curiosity taken from Supreme Thief's technique appeared in his palm and attracted his companions' attention. They could see how that energy could instantly bring deep understanding, but they could also sense its source.

King Elbas looked at that understanding for a few seconds before stretching his hand. He and Noah exchanged a nod before passing that azure energy. King Elbas glanced at the azure lump with hesitant eyes once it reached his palm, but he stored it before falling prey to his own curiosity.

"How are we going to attract Heaven and Earth's followers?" Steven asked. "The rulers are bound to understand something at some point."

"With the same method that has brought us at this level," Noah explained. "We come up with crazier plans once the previous ones stop working. I believe we can still exploit the old rulers' magical beasts for now. Once that fails, I'll think about something else."

No one complained about that approach. The experts didn't have many options anyway, so continuing to affect the stormy regions remained the only viable plan. Their only hope was that more tactics would become available after their power increased.

Sword Saint remained silent throughout the entirety of the meeting. His breakthrough had been peculiar, so he knew that he couldn't use that training method. Also, his departure was imminent, so it didn't feel right to affect that meeting.

"Are we ready to depart?" Noah eventually asked, and the unwavering glances of his companions were enough to answer.

The group quickly left the palace. King Elbas contacted the old rulers to gain an idea of the current state of the expansion plan while everyone else turned toward their rank 9 companion.

"This is a goodbye then," Sword Saint announced in front of those smiling faces.

"Don't cut the sky before me," Noah joked.

"Hurry up then," Sword Saint scoffed.

A series of salutes happened, but Sword Saint's figure eventually left the area to return among the storms. The group had lost another powerful asset. Only five of them had remained, and they knew that their numbers would continue to decrease.

"Heaven and Earth are still silent," King Elbas explained after his conversation with the old rulers ended. "Their followers have started to appear in specific areas, but the modified magical beasts have mostly expanded their influence. The plan is going well."

"Is there something special with those locations?" Noah asked.

"They seem to hold chaotic laws that Heaven and Earth want to preserve," King Elbas replied. "Do we destroy them?"

"Yes, let's piss them off," Noah confirmed, and the group didn't hesitate to depart.

The five experts left the palace behind as they entered the storms again to fly toward specific targets. They believed that Heaven and Earth couldn't send proper punishments now, but that wouldn't stop them from messing with their plans.

Noah didn't say anything, but everyone knew that his plan was in motion. The hunt for Heaven and Earth's followers had begun, and the rulers' temporary weakness was a perfect chance for them. They could become stronger before the next Tribulation arrived.

Years had to pass before the group could reach their destination. A peculiar region where the storms blew in a precise path eventually unfolded in their eyes. The chaotic laws seemed in the process of creating a palace of some sort, but Noah and the others didn't bother to inspect it for too long. Their attention was on the flying cockroaches that filled the area with their white radiance.

"The rulers knew you would have come," An ancient male voice resounded in the area as soon as Noah's group left the storms. "Rats always try to attack when the real predators look away."

Four experts in the gaseous stage appeared above the unstable structure made of gales and pointed their confident gazes at the group. Noah and the others didn't show any fear at that sight, but a wave of coldness quickly enveloped their figures. That was only the first of the many battles that they had to win to succeed in their plan.

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Author's notes: I was about to faint on the keyboard, so I decided to sleep. You won't lose any chapter because of that. Two more of Demonic Sword and one of Chaos will come out in the next hours.