Birth of the Demonic Sword

Thirty-seven reappeared in the library shortly after while bringing the delicacies that he had promised.

A series of long tables floated inside the large room and softly landed in front of the couches where the three heroic cultivators were seated.

Noah and the elders had easily found tomes and scrolls that discussed theories and clues about the Immortal Lands while the automation was away.

The contents of those books had immediately claimed their interest, and they barely noticed that food and sweet wine had been placed in front of them.

Even Noah, who usually didn't care about historical records, was immersed in that knowledge.

It couldn't be helped, even the slight hint that concerned the Immortal Lands was a unique treasure for heroic cultivators.

Beings that strived for the divine would pay a fortune to learn more about it.

It was a simple but innate drive.

Thirty-seven remained silent when he saw that scene.

He considered himself already part of their assets, and he wouldn't do anything that could break their concentration.

Flying Demon was the first to notice the food, and he put aside the scrolls in his hands to dive toward those delicacies.

The elder hadn't seen food for centuries, and its sole sight was enough to make him drool.

Dreaming Demon followed his example, but her gestures were more refined as she reached for one of the plates.

On the other hand, Noah ignored the food in front of him and limited himself to fill one cup with that sweet wine without moving his gaze away from the tome in his hands.

He was reading about the studies of a certain Caleb Pettders, a talented noble of the Utra nation that had lived more than six thousand years ago.

Caleb had been a rank 6 cultivator and the pride of the royal family previously ruling that nation.

However, he ended up ruining his mental sphere when he asked Divine Architect for a favor.

According to the tome, the news that Divine Architect had built a telescope capable of taking glimpses of the Immortal Lands was known by most of the powerhouses living in the old continent.

That feat had been discovered when she moved the Space-lens in the separate dimension.

It was needless to say that the item immediately had become the center of the interests of the powerhouses of that time.

Rank 5 and 6 cultivators searched for her for years, but only Caleb managed to find her with the help of his family's resources.

Divine Architect and Caleb had made a deal at that point, which saw the Pettders family swearing not to blame Divine Architect for any unwanted consequence.

After all, Divine Architect had yet to become divine by that time, and the threat of the ruling family of the Utra nation could still scare her.

In the end, Caleb managed to see the Immortal Lands through the Space-lens, and their sight almost shattered his mental sphere.

The wealth of his family couldn't help him, rank 6 drugs were unobtainable, and no powerhouse would ever be willing to sell them.

The Pettders family could only see its power vanish as other nobles took over its domain.

Caleb had decided to write a book during those events to try to stop the decline of his family.

Still, the loss of their rank 6 existence had affected it too much by then.

Also, Caleb wasn't sane after the blow on his sea of consciousness, and his words didn't make much sense.

Noah had been able to learn about his story only because the tome in his hands gave a brief introduction before transcribing Caleb's words.

The concepts written by Caleb were messy, they didn't make any sense.

Noah had to read the entire book many times and analyze his words through the Divine deduction technique to sort out what could be real and what was only the result of Caleb's madness.

'The words "blinding light" are reoccurring and fit the Divine Architect's representation of the Immortal Lands. He even often mentions that he "saw feelings and watched sounds" when he stared at the higher plane.'

Those lines of thought were the summary of an entire book.

'No wonder he couldn't save his family, his book couldn't be worth much in this state. Seeing feelings and watching sounds is an interesting line though, it might refer to the laws radiated by divine beings.'

Noah took a few sips from his cup as he thought that.

Expressing a law could be done only when a cultivator became law, but there had to be similar features in the heroic ranks.

'I know that expressing the individuality should be one of the last steps in the heroic ranks, and I can already learn part of the laws that I'm absorbing due to my cultivation technique. Yet, there isn't much to gain from this book.'

Noah left the tome on the table and swept the bookcases with his mental energy.

He didn't expect to find many certainties about the Immortal Lands even in that vast library, but small clues and hints were all that heroic cultivators could desire.

The difference between the Mortal Lands and a higher plane was too vast, and even a rank 6 existence couldn't bear its sight.

'The Space-lens was forgotten after the powerhouses understood that it was too dangerous. I guess only Divine Architect knew how to use it properly.'

Noah thought as he took a glance at the massive telescope at the center of the room.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious about that fantastic item.

Thirty-seven had warned them that it had been damaged, but the records confirmed that it had been used at least twice to stare at the Immortal Lands.

There was some missing clue that only Divine Architect could know, and Noah wouldn't try his fortune with something so dangerous.

Weeks passed inside the palace, and Tribulation never failed to arrive on time.

Noah and the Demons relaxed inside the comfortable, safe area at the top of the palace.

They even began to question Thirty-seven about some of the books contained in the library.

The automaton had read all those tomes and scrolls in the thousands of years spent alone in the dimension and claimed to be able to rewrite them.

Yet, the group still decided that it was better to bring them back to the Hive when they felt like leaving.

Some of those scrolls were originals that still carried the intents of their powerful authors, and their value couldn't be compared to regular copies.

The library offered a vast knowledge and safety, but Flying Demon was eager to return to the outside world, and the others in his group had similar feelings.

So, they simply stored all the food, wine, and books inside Noah's space-ring and waited for the arrival of the next Tribulation.

They had already decided that they would run in a straight line toward the exit once the next lightning storm ended.