Birth of the Demonic Sword

The empowerment given by Supreme Thief went far beyond the simple addition of techniques or memories. Wilfred and Steven had added important pieces to their existences, and they fit so well that they struggled to understand how they had managed to grow so much without them.

The techniques that Wilfred had learnt were only a practical application of a part of the cultivation journey that he had ignored for various reasons. The hybrid wasn't actually stupid, but his innate advantages and character had allowed him to grow without relying on special abilities.

That approach to the cultivation journey had initially been a mere decision that suited his existence. However, it had transformed into a proper limit that had prevented his power from evolving for a long time.

The same went for Steven. His determination was incredible among powerful experts, but it lacked depth compared to the true monsters who really had a chance at putting Heaven and Earth into a tough spot.

The memories of the experts who had suffered due to the rulers added depth to the aspects that Supreme Thief had chosen to empower. Steven's determination inevitably changed after gaining those images and feelings, but the process worked as an evolution.

Steven's law wasn't vague anymore. It had gained a goal that added features and intensity to his determination. He had become sensitive to everything connected to Heaven and Earth, and the sheer power added to the effects of his existence had created a dense aura around his figure.

"You should play with him for a while," Great Builder explained while glancing at the sky past the storms. "Heaven and Earth must be too busy to stop the resurrections, so used him to test your powers and deplete their power."

"In short, have fun," Supreme Thief laughed. "You should focus on your existences anyway since they are still incomplete. You'll die if you don't reach the ninth rank after this battle. You might die even if you overcome the breakthrough actually."

"You are so inspiring," Wilfred sneered.

"I make the best speeches in the entirety of the higher plane," Supreme Thief proudly exclaimed.

Wilfred turned toward Steven, and the latter nodded. The cultivator took a deep breath before stepping forward and closing his eyes. He focused on the distance that separated him from his opponent before disappearing from his spot.

The young-looking cultivator had continued to stare at his opponents in confusion. He still felt stunned about Wilfred's attack, but he believed he could counter it with the right preparations. The battle didn't seem completely impossible, but his astonishment intensified when Steven materialized next to him.

Steven placed a hand on his opponent before the latter could do anything about the situation. A peak rank 8 cultivator was touching a liquid stage expert. The event would typically result in the destruction of the weaker existence, but nothing followed reason in that situation.

A dark aura covered Steven before spreading on the young-looking cultivator. The latter found himself unable to summon his power. The law of a mere peak rank 8 existence was cutting him away from the energy and world that the rulers had given him.

"How are you doing this?" The young-looking cultivator asked as astonishment filled his face.

"You have forced me to become your enemy," Steven explained as his grip on the cultivator's shoulder tightened. "I'm not strong enough to affect Heaven and Earth directly, but the situation is different with you pawns."

Steven's determination seeped inside the cultivator's words and started opening cracks in the many flaws that Heaven and Earth had left in that power. The rulers could only create copies in the end, and Steven's existence targeted the imperfections in those structures with the new ability of his law.

Even Noah couldn't do something so specific and thorough. He innately countered Heaven and Earth, and his destruction allowed him to study their power to enhance his effects, but Steven was different.

Steven's determination forced Heaven and Earth's followers to prove their worth. It acted as a judge for the power that they had gained from the rulers and made their flaws expand until they became weak enough to match the achievements reached on their own.

The liquid stage expert saw his cultivation level fall into the gaseous stage before reaching the very bottom of the ninth rank. He regained access to his power only after that event. It was as if Steven's determination had declared that to be the might that his world could express.

"You can't have power to matters ruled by Heaven and Earth!" The young-looking cultivator shouted as pieces of his existence separated from his figure to give birth to puppets.

"We are cultivators," Steven sighed while placing his hand on the expert's head. "Defying rules is what we do."

Steven's ambition seeped into the fabric of the young-looking cultivator's head and forced it to shatter. The destruction then spread to the rest of his body until nothing remained of that fake world.

The expert died again, but Steven immediately looked at the sky. He knew that Heaven and Earth were about to resurrect him again, and his determination instinctively stretched upward to stop the event. However, he suppressed his power and stepped back to let the rulers complete their process.

"Shall we take turns?" Wilfred asked after flying next to Steven.

"Let's explore the depths of our new laws until Heaven and Earth understand what we are doing," Steven suggested. "Hopefully, we will be rank 9 existences by the end of this battle."

The young-looking cultivator came back to life and tried to escape, but a dark cage materialized around him and spread Steven's heavy influence in its insides. The expert's level fell again, and fear appeared in his eyes when he saw Wilfred approaching him.

"You will never reach the ninth rank like this!" The young-looking cultivator cursed. "Your power doesn't come fro-."

The expert didn't have the chance to complete his line since Wilfred performed a simple martial art that made the entirety of his physical strength converge on a tiny spot. The attack opened a hole in the cultivator's head before discharging the rest of its energy throughout the body.

The pillar arrived once again, and Steven made sure to be next to the cultivator right after he came back to life. He placed a palm on his chest and forced his level to fall before shattering his body with a simple expansion of his determination.

Supreme Thief and Great Builder inspected the scene in silence. Wilfred and Steven had surpassed their previous limits, but the ninth rank struggled to arrive. The two liquid stage experts couldn't affect the process anymore, but they didn't let those potential last actions remain unseen. They would watch Noah's companions until the end.

The young-looking cultivator died countless times. Wilfred and Steven were basically using him as a training dummy, but Heaven and Earth eventually noticed what was happening.

The pillar of light fell only to disperse in the whiteness of the world. The rulers put an end to the endless resurrections and left the two experts without a target.

Wilfred and Steven could only cross their legs and focus on their shattering existences at that point. They had to push their laws to the ninth rank, or they would vanish.