The Rise of the Black Plain

While the elders of the Gray Clouds Sect were talking about Minos' unparalleled start as sect master, this emperor was returning to Clouds City.

After leaving the battlefield alongside the level 75 Spiritual Saint and Angelica, he promptly set off toward where his wives and daughter were, interested in returning to the Black Plain.

Minos wanted to use the teleportation posts between the Flaming Empire and the Black Plain to quickly return to Dry City and fight Abe's terrorists again. So after leaving his black hole at one of the Grey Clouds Sect's posts, he wasted no time and left that area without worrying about other things.

Because of this, Angelica could not help but question her nephew while they were moving. "Minos, aren't you afraid of someone doing something with the fusion of your techniques? Is it safe to leave it without special protection in that place?"

Hearing this, the level 75 Spiritual Saint also wanted to hear Minos' motives and carefully looked at this young man.

He felt that the black hole was complicated, but he had no idea if high-level Spiritual Saints would think the same as him. So with how relevant that was, he would worry a lot if he were in Minos' shoes.

'Not only did he leave the thing without protections, he even indicated for our sect members to throw enemies into that thing... What if it gets out of control?' He wondered at that before hearing Minos' reply.

"No. No one will be able to do anything with it." He said confidently.

Minos knew that higher-level cultivators could manipulate or counter-attack his black hole. But that would require Spiritual Sages of the middle part of this stage to emerge to act against that thing.

Since there was no such person on the side of the Saints Killing Sect and few such individuals would cross that border of the empire, he was reassured about that possibility.

"Anyone below the 9th stage who tries to venture with my black hole will only meet their own demise." He told his aunt and that 'bodyguard' that Oswald left to help him. "It cannot absorb people above level 75 at the moment. But if anyone like that dares to challenge it, they will risk losing part of their body and even die."

Minos remembered the story he had heard from people in the Spiritual Church post of the Vogel capital years ago. At that time, a level 73 Spiritual Saint had almost lost his life to a black hole. Such an individual narrowly escaped that thing. Still, he lost his original body, having had to occupy another body and accept the loss of cultivation level he had as a consequence.

That was what could happen to people stronger than the current black hole on the battlefield they were leaving!

That was a mortal threat to people below level 75, a potential danger to those between that level and level 83, and harmless to those stronger.

Hence, even if the master of the Saints Killing Sect tried to play with that thing, even he could lose part of his body!

Knowing this due to that event and his knowledge regarding his fusion of techniques, Minos was reassured about the future of such a weapon.

"Is that true?" That level 75 Spiritual Saint asked, feeling that this was a great exaggeration considering that Minos was still only at level 67 cultivator.

Minos then explained. "It's true. Currently, I wouldn't be able to control all that power as I want to. I would be pretty limited to doing that if you ask me. But he is all that. After all, it is not an extension of my powers but rather a creation that can surpass me."

"In a way, it is like the branches of a sentient plant being. It can 'cultivate' on its own and eventually surpass the cultivation level of its main 'body.'"

"And how can you utilize that?" Angelica asked him.

"By using special mechanisms," Minos said, without going into it too much.

He could do several things with the black hole, even if that region of space overcame him. For example, he could hide inside it or subtly vary the direction of its 'suction.'

That would not be enough to act against a conscious opponent who decided to run away. Still, it was enough to surprise those unaware of the black hole's capacity.

That had been what Minos had done in the northern region against Abe's terrorists when he had almost eliminated that individual.

But beyond that possibility, he could use an array of a higher level than the black hole itself to control it.

Arrays, unlike artifacts made by blacksmiths, had no limits when it came to the cultivation of their users. All that mattered to them was the existence of energy to supply their demands. This energy could be from the environment or, better yet, from spiritual crystals.

In the case at hand, Minos was using high-grade crystals, the ones Henricus Longus had left for him.

Because of this, he could contain the power of these regions of space. Also, he could use them to develop Black Hole Bombs that could be used as mass destruction weapons to kill enemies or to enrich cultivation rooms.

But he would not go into details regarding these secrets with these two people, even considering they were both from his family in this empire.

"In any case, as long as that black hole doesn't exceed the limit of level 79, I will be able to use it to significantly affect that enemy sect." He said to his fellow travelers.

"Isn't that too strong?" The man left by Oswald questioned, feeling this might end up being too strong and get to the point of threatening the existence of these enemies they could not exterminate.

Minos understood this person's questioning and explained. "No. I can subdivide its powers to produce less powerful Black Hole Bombs..."

That was how Minos planned to defeat the Saints Killing Sect!

He wanted to produce some black holes that could absorb even high-level Spiritual Saints, and then he would subdivide them into smaller parts. Then, with those parts, he would form Black Hole Bombs that he would eventually use to hurt the bases of that great organization.

This way, he could fulfill his promise to Oswald and Patience not to destroy that enemy organization, just to wound some of its most important pillars!

With that said, those people stopped questioning Minos and returned their attention to returning to the sect's headquarters safely.

As for Minos, he kept the most important details of his plans in mind but already beginning to think about what to do upon returning to his state.

'I must seek news of Isabelle to find out what she has accomplished with Harold...' He imagined this, considering all the possibilities he was using against Abe's group at the moment.

'If he can help me get in touch with that Spiritual Sage, maybe I can get an opening against that damn thing!'