Birth of the Demonic Sword

It turned out that the sky had two different types of cultivators. Heaven and Earth differentiated among existences that they could throw away and others that they had to keep at all costs.

Noah and King Elbas initially found it hard to believe that revelation. They didn't care that the sky sent lightning bolts. It made no sense for Heaven and Earth to have a privileged group of cultivators when they owned those laws.

However, the explanation for that feature turned out to be simpler than they expected. Heaven and Earth weren't omniscient, and they couldn't instantly understand everything about laws. Some existences could escape their immense knowledge.

Noah and King Elbas had seen that many times already. The members of their group were perfect examples of experts that Heaven and Earth couldn't understand. The rulers wanted to absorb them for that very reason, and they were even willing to reserve special treatment for some of them.

The sky feared to ruin some laws. Heaven and Earth tried to get some cultivators to join their system on their own so that they could preserve those existences. Also, according to Sepunia's words, those experts would have a privileged position after ascending to the white layer due to their ability to control those unique true meanings.

Many of those cultivators would turn into nothing more than tools after Heaven and Earth learnt to use their laws properly. Yet, some of them had managed to preserve their privileged position for entire eras, which obviously made them famous inside the sky.

Caesar turned out to be one of those privileged worlds. He had been in the sky before Sepunia, and his name had already been famous during her ascension. Instead, Sepunia had always been nothing more than a tool meant to relieve Heaven and Earth's pressure.

The cultivators that Heaven and Earth treated as mere tools didn't have it too bad, but they weren't entirely free either. Moreover, their situation was unclear, especially with the rulers growing unstable as their victory drew close. Sepunia's desire to leave the sky was a simple act of self-preservation. She felt that she would have more chances to survive on her own since Noah and his team had shown her a different path.

Sepunia was even ready to face the worst possible outcome. She knew that severing herself from Heaven and Earth's system wouldn't grant her the spectacular power that Noah and his friends wielded. She might leave the sky only to die in the first punishment that the rulers sent after her, but that was fine with her. She could accept death as long as it came on her own terms.

Noah started to like the cultivator after the long and dangerous interrogation. Sepunia knew that she had never been anything special among rank 9 cultivators, but she refused to die due to the whims of leaders that couldn't even kill rank 8 experts. Noah could only respect her guts and resolve, but that inevitably forced him to consider everything that could go bad.

First of all, Noah had yet to confirm that Sepunia was telling the truth. Everything could be Heaven and Earth's ploy to plant a spy in his group before the mission in the sky. He couldn't even test her honesty properly. Accepting her into his group was a risk that could cost him a lot.

Another problem was the actual process that would allow Sepunia to leave Heaven and Earth's system. Noah would have to push himself to his limits only to develop an existence that could come close to her current world in terms of power.

That wasn't even the end. Sepunia would lose a lot of her knowledge of the sky once she left Heaven and Earth's system. Noah would need to destroy and rebuild her, so part of her would naturally disappear.

Everything seemed far too complicated. Noah felt stupid for even considering that request, but the issue remained. The sky was too dangerous to refuse almost free help. He had the chance to make that mission easier, but he hesitated to proceed due to all the problems that could appear.

"I'm against this," King Elbas eventually announced. "The stakes are too high right now. We have been confident to enter the sky even before meeting you. Your request won't change that."

"That's an exaggeration," Sepunia giggled, but King Elbas pretended not to hear her.

Noah continued to remain silent. King Elbas was right. The risk was too great, but it could work as a starting point for the future. He could win a lot with that gamble. He could already see hordes of cultivators seeking him after deciding to leave the sky. The process wouldn't only lower Heaven and Earth's power. It would also reduce the number of experts that helped them deal with the constant pressure that afflicted them.

King Elbas appeared willing to help in the matter if Noah decided to help Sepunia, so the choice fell on him. He had to decide how to proceed, but both options had good arguments.

"Why did you even give yourself to Heaven and Earth?" Noah broke his silence with a question.

"It has been such a long time," Sepunia replied in her happy tone. "I'm not sure I can remember every detail."

"You should try since your life depends on that," Noah declared in his chilling tone.

Sepunia's eyes widened. Noah's words meant that he was considering helping her. She didn't expect that to happen. She had imagined a series of tests, more interrogations, trials, and even torture. She couldn't possibly imagine that her story might be enough.

"I can't find a precise number of years," Sepunia exclaimed in a serious tone as she looked at a random spot of the dark world to concentrate. "I'm not sure I can give you a vague number either. Time passes differently while going through the trances. I've lost tens of millennia immersed in Heaven and Earth's mind."

"We don't care about that," King Elbas scolded. "We want to know how did you even end up joining Heaven and Earth."

"Oh, that's easy," Sepunia exclaimed. "I wanted to reach the peak. I struggled to move forward on my own, and I gave in when Heaven and Earth were about to kill me. Nothing special."

"Did you give up your world because you lost?" Noah asked as a frown appeared on his face.

"What was I supposed to do?" Sepunia responded. "It was pointless to die when I had a chance to live."

"Did you think you could make your way into the higher ranks of the sky with your power?" King Elbas questioned.

"My power?" Sepunia uttered before looking at her voluptuous body and understanding what he meant. "That's not really useful at our level, isn't it? How could you even consider that? Don't tell me that I'm your type."

"I don't have a type," King Elbas promptly corrected her.

"Everyone in the sky knows that you have a type," Sepunia commented, "At least had."

"I'll give you what you want if you tell me everything about that," Noah proposed.

"Deal!" Sepunia didn't hesitate to shout.

"Did you really decide to accept a potential spy just to gain more teasing material on me?" King Elbas snorted.

"More teasing material and someone that can tease you," Noah explained as a broad smirk appeared on his face. "It's very different."