Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah and the leaders found a silent agreement, and the four experts could finally reveal what their floating lake hid without fearing repercussions from Heaven and Earth.

The four leaders gave Noah time to handle his injuries before summoning him to a different building. Harold was already with them, but Noah was surprised to find that other cultivators had appeared.

Noah could see experts running through the various structures or occupying certain areas. The leaders didn't hide the power of their force anymore. The other cultivators could come out and resume their usual routine.

The new building was black since the strange black metal covered walls, ceilings, and floors. The experts utilized that structure as a prison, and they didn't hesitate to lead Noah and Harold toward its more protected levels.

Many cells ran through Noah's vision, but only a few of them contained prisoners. All of them had traces of blood and still carried the smell of other experts, but it seemed that the leaders had long since taken care of them.

A series of rank 8 cultivators eventually appeared once the group reached the most protected floors. They were additional guards who ensured that the experts inside those cells couldn't even think about getting out.

"We didn't all decide to remain against Heaven and Earth," Moira explained while showing the various experts trapped inside the cells. "A fierce internal fight happened a few months after we settled in this structure. Our side won, but we spared some of the experts to gather intel."

'This explains why they were aware of our arrival,' Noah thought while inspecting the cultivators inside the cells.

Those experts had suffered severe injuries, and many of them even affected their centers of power. They couldn't express their cultivation level anymore, but the leaders were using inscribed items and drugs to keep them alive.

"Did you discover something interesting?" Noah asked.

"Not really," Moira sighed. "Heaven and Earth are an open book if studied with the right methods, but the sheer amount of information they contain is immense. Obtaining what you want is almost impossible unless they choose to reveal it."

"It has taken us a long time to learn about your arrival," Delbert continued. "Your role is to lead to the final battle for this side of the Immortal Lands. It seems that our current situation would have only led to the Devils' victory, so Heaven and Earth have decided to act."

The surviving forces on the other side of the Immortal Lands would have never gone out of their floating lakes. The outside world was too dangerous, but that approach gave a free victory to the Devils.

Instead, the arrival of Noah's group stirred things up. They could take care of gathering the other forces and create an army capable of opposing the Devils.

Of course, Noah didn't believe that Heaven and Earth's plan ended there. His group only counted thirty experts, and they were nothing more than liquid stage cultivators at best. Such a weak force couldn't affect matters that concerned the whole world.

'What are they even planning?' Noah wondered while the leaders led him outside of the prisons to show him the other buildings.

A vague idea slowly formed in Noah's mind as he reviewed the issue. Heaven and Earth were sloppy, but they remained the most powerful existences in the world.

Mistakes could happen, but Noah didn't believe that Heaven and Earth could mess up when it came to such an important matter. The Devils could take control of the entire plane, so it made no sense that Heaven and Earth didn't give better instructions.

'How powerful is the will of an entire plane?' Noah wondered. 'It might take eras to consume it, especially since it continues to spread. Yet, it must deplete energy to cause the mutations.'

Every power needed fuel. The amount of energy at the disposal of an entire plane was immense, but it wasn't unlimited, especially since it didn't have ways to gather more of it.

The mutations brought the matter under the control of the other world's will, but that didn't increase its energy reserves. Noah even believed that the absorbed plane depleted power to spread and generate Devils.

'Maybe Heaven and Earth only want us to accelerate the inevitable death of the other plane's will,' Noah concluded in his mind. 'They don't want the army to win and clear the Immortal Lands. They only want them to put up a fight.'

That conclusion sounded reasonable, and it even suited Heaven and Earth's methods. Those rulers had never cared about their underlings. They would sacrifice them without giving it a second thought if the action led to positive outcomes.

'How do I use this to my advantage?' Noah wondered without revealing his conclusion to the leaders.

Noah's plan was quite vague. He wanted the Devils to win and take control of the plane, but he didn't have the tools to affect such a vast area. Even the addition of Moira's force wouldn't be enough for the task.

'I need a far bigger army,' Noah concluded in his mind. 'The search for the other floating lakes must continue. Also, I need to complete my project before the final battle starts.'

Exploring was the easy part. Instead, fighting cultivators or entire forces that had decided to join Heaven and Earth's system could be fatal. Otto had demonstrated how unprepared Noah was, and his worries had only intensified after meeting Moira and the others.

Noah knew that he was strong. His battle prowess didn't make any sense. He was the most powerful gaseous stage existence in the world, and that title would remain even after advancing to the next level.

However, Noah was against Heaven and Earth. Those existences could resurrect cultivators at ease and create perfect countermeasures to his law.

All the power in the world couldn't help Noah if Heaven and Earth decided to deploy their best tactics. They would eventually find an offensive that could take care of his law and companions, and Noah wanted to find a solution before it was too late.

Truth be told, Noah had a solution at hand, but pursuing it led to numerous risks. Tainting his existence with the chaotic laws was a gamble that no number of tests seemed able to improve.

Noah's mood darkened as he went over the issue multiple times. The buildings inside the floating lake didn't interest him. He only wanted to obtain the perfect power to counter Heaven and Earth, but that required facing immense risks.

"What's your plan then?" Moira asked after the group finished showing all the buildings.

"We must continue looking for other forces," Noah explained. "We are too weak right now. The other side is gathering an army, so we should do the same. It wouldn't hurt to kill as many Heaven and Earth's followers as possible during the process."

"That's it?" Delbert asked. "This doesn't sound like much."

"I'm working on something that might turn the battle in our favor," Noah revealed. "We don't need to do much to win this fight. We only have to clear a path for the Devils. I wonder if we can enhance their abilities."

"Do you want us to help the monsters that have destroyed our homes and killed many of our friends?" Iris asked.

'I want you to become Devils,' Noah thought, but he kept those words in his mind.

The relationship with the leaders was still fragile, so Noah didn't want to scare them away too soon. Still, he had to set the foundation for that cooperation, especially since he wanted to leave already.