Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah's request didn't only apply to him. Actually, he didn't need Great Builder's items. He would even avoid getting resources if the expert could tell him more about Heaven and Earth's domain.

He had requested everything out of habit, but the pyramid had already given his army a massive amount of wealth. Noah wasn't even sure whether Great Builder had anything left after fighting Radiant Eyes.

The leaders made a list with their requests, and Great Builder only glanced at them before accepting everything. The expert didn't mind them at all. After all, he owed the group his very life.

Great Builder turned out to be completely broke after the battle. The bricks of the pyramid had suffered too much damage, and he had even consumed most of his valuable resources.

Still, the expert was an existence in the ninth rank capable of wonders. Great Builder could give the hybrids something that they had always lacked. He could create a proper stronghold that would seal their ownership over the regions in the Outer Lands.

That suggestion came from Alexander. The expert didn't want anything for himself, so he requested a structure worthy of his organization.

King Elbas, Luke's team, and the experts from the Balrow family joined Noah in his request for knowledge. Wilfred and the other hybrids accepted the new home as their reward, while Divine Demon asked for a conversation with Great Builder.

The magical beasts didn't ask anything, but the leader of the Foolery decided to join Divine Demon and hold a private conversation with Great Builder. No one knew the topics about that interaction, but the duo wore satisfied expressions after the chat ended.

Great Builder took Radiant Eyes corpse but left everything else to his saviors. The battlefield contained countless corpses and broken puppets that the experts could use for multiple projects.

The group then left the area and flew across the human domain to return to the Outer Lands. Great Builder could create a teleport, but the experts preferred to study how the environment had changed during Radiant Eyes' rule.

Destruction spread everywhere. Radiant Eyes had chased the white cultivator across the entire human domain, and she had never spared the few forces that she met.

The human domain was a desolate land now, and only a few packs of magical beasts occupied its surface and underground world. Those areas would soon attract new creatures, but the process might take centuries.

Great Builder continued his description about Heaven and Earth's domain during the travel. Most of his ideas came from vague clues found during his long life, but they sounded pretty accurate when they reached the experts' ears.

The Immortal Lands stood at the center of the domain. The white sky surrounded the higher plane and worked as a filter for the many resources captured during the constant expansion.

Heaven and Earth's aura covered the sky and kept the various lower planes inside a separate space. Their influence also spread in the immense void and searched for new worlds to absorb.

The constant absorption led to a steady expansion. The sky stretched, and the Immortal Lands grew day by day. Heaven and Earth never stopped, but their real motives were unclear.

Reaching the tenth rank was the obvious explanation, but Great Builder believed that there was something else. Such powerful existences couldn't be mere beings that cared only about energy. There had to be more to that immense structure.

Noah felt very interested in the Cities inside the sky. He believed that they contained clues about Heaven and Earth's true nature, but Great Builder often reminded him not to search for them at his current level.

The expert knew a lot about Heaven and Earth's power, but Noah had to admit that the Tribulations had never managed to pose a decent threat to him lately. He didn't want to underestimate those mighty rulers, but his experience forced him to think otherwise.

"Tell me how you died," Noah eventually asked.

Noah couldn't let himself underestimate Heaven and Earth, so he needed an accurate description of their might. Hearing about Great Builder's death could be the key to solve that issue.

"The air became an unbearable poison," Great Builder explained. "I solved that, but I had to face the anger of the ground afterward. Imagine the terrain shattering whenever you try to step on the surface of this world."

"That's not enough to kill you," Noah replied.

"This is what you are experiencing," Great Builder sighed. "The next step will feature constant lightning bolts falling on yourself. Then, you will have the "Breath" of the world against you. I bet you can sense how the whole plane is trying to get rid of your existence."

"You have yet to explain how you died," Noah reminded the expert.

"I'm getting there," Great Builder snorted. "I still remember my death. I was at this level when Heaven and Earth managed to put an end to my life. My law is too strong to die, but I had to lose to acknowledge the might of my opponents."

Noah didn't complain. The expert wanted to take his time to describe that story. It was clear that those memories still hurt his pride.

"I was in the middle of the stormy regions," Great Builder continued. "Heaven and Earth couldn't reach me there, but that didn't apply to their followers. I have seen armies appearing around me. I tried my best, but the world began to suppress my existence, and those troops eventually overwhelmed me."

Noah arched his eyebrows. Great Builder was too strong to die due to a few armies. He was a rank 9 cultivator by that time, so most existences in the world had to lower their head in front of him.

"The armies weren't a problem," Great Builder added. "Imagine having to face three rank 9 cultivators empowered by Heaven and Earth while the whole world tries to suppress you. Those beings went beyond Heaven and Earth's limits. It's hard to put their power into words."

"Limits?" Noah asked.

"Heaven and Earth can make their followers ignore their fairness." Great Builder continued. "They can wield energy that goes beyond the "Breath". Even their laws feel strange."

Great Builder took a few breaks during the travel to stabilize his cultivation level. He had just come back to life. He required those moments to harmonize his existence and make sure that Heaven and Earth didn't keep track of him.

"This is a safe period, but problems will eventually arrive," Great Builder explained. "Heaven and Earth will learn how to exploit your innate flaws after each Tribulation. Your superior body won't help you anymore at some point. Your existence will become your very limit."

"Is that how you died?" Noah eventually asked.

"Yes," Great Builder sighed. "I had so many projects at hand, but the world wasn't ready for that. I didn't think Heaven and Earth would bother to create a punishment that targeted my very existence. I wasn't even arrogant. I didn't think they could do it due to their fairness."

"I guess I'll also face the same Tribulation," Noah continued to ask.

"Undoubtedly," Great Builder explained. "Your existence will become your worse enemy. Broader laws have a better chance to survive, but you shouldn't take that for granted. There is only suffering from now on."

"So be it," Noah sighed.

"This is the path toward the peak," Great Builder explained. "I've seen your centers of power and studied your existence. I can already imagine Heaven and Earth tricking you with a fake understanding of the superior ranks. Beware of what you feel. Don't trust yourself during a Tribulation."