Birth of the Demonic Sword

The cracks on the cultivator's world expanded as dense energy flowed out of them. Noah absorbed everything flying in his direction, and the pulling force generated by his hunger attracted even the fuel that tried to escape his surroundings.

The Cursed Sword voiced a rare battle cry in the form of a hoarse shout. Noah could feel how his weapon had understood that something had changed in its structure. The blade wasn't only a tool meant to destroy now. It had learnt to thrive in the bloodlust that it generated.

The Cursed Sword had been unwilling to join battles when Noah first obtained it. However, that feeling came from the insanity of its previous wielders. The blade's name even came from that feature. Those who dared to exploit its incredible power ended up falling prey to their bloodlust and dying due to the recklessness that it caused.

Instead, Noah had proven that trend wrong. The Cursed Sword had been with him for many millennia, and it had seen him overcome the harmful effects of the bloodlust time after time. Noah had even made that energy part of his power, and some of his techniques actively used it to work.

The Cursed Sword couldn't help but abandon its scorn toward battles after so long, especially since it had managed to evolve in Noah's hands. It didn't only enhance its wielder's power anymore. The blade now had a proper technique that made use of the same hated energy that had led others to madness.

Noah suffered injuries due to the explosions that the dense energy generated as soon as it left the cultivator's world. Still, his existence also turned part of that power into primary energy before it could detonate, which gave him the chance to absorb it.

His body healed and suffered injuries in a cycle that lasted until the cultivator's world completely crumbled and forced him to summon Night. The Pterodactyl had returned inside his body when he first deployed the dark world, but it had to come out to prevent the massive explosion that the last release of dense energy was about to cause.

Night moved swiftly and severed the energy from the meaning that it carried. That fuel didn't have enough power to oppose the Pterodactyl after Noah had enough time to study his opponent. Black lines appeared among that unstable mass as soon as the companion appeared in the open.

Night's attack transformed the unstable power into a mass of energy that hovered in the sky. The old-looking cultivator's world was no more, so that fuel began to disperse into the world.

The pulling force released by Noah dragged that power into his body, but King Elbas promptly jumped forward to seize his share of the loot. Noah smirked at that scene while King Elbas voiced a loud snort to express his annoyance.

"I knew you would have tried to keep everything for yourself," King Elbas cursed.

"My body acted on its own," Noah laughed. "I have no power over it."

"Don't even try to justify yourself," King Elbas complained. "You are lucky I know you well enough to predict these outcomes."

"I'd say that you are the lucky one," Noah mocked before exploding into a louder laugh.

The energy absorbed from the liquid stage cultivator's world restored his body and took care of the severe drawbacks that the last attacks with the Cursed Sword had caused. That power failed to heal him completely, but his condition improved a lot after the black hole finished taking care of the process. A hideous cut that ran across his entire torso remained, but that was it.

Noah glanced at the Cursed Sword after the usual bickering with King Elbas. The blade was still in the eighth rank, but its aura had slightly changed. Its sharp edge felt dangerous even if he didn't pour energy inside it. The weapon had finally obtained a unique state that made it partially independent from its wielder.

Noah wasn't worried that the blade didn't step into the ninth rank. The last battle had been a success in many fields. He had killed another liquid stage expert, and the Cursed Sword had developed a new technique. Moreover, he had more targets that could make the weapon face the breakthrough, and cutting them down would be easier now.

King Elbas and Noah turned toward the liquid stage woman in the distance after taking care of all the energy released by their previous opponent. The expert had changed spots according to where the cracks spread, but she had remained in the area. She didn't try to run away while the duo had been busy dividing her companion's power.

Noah and King Elbas performed another inspection of the area with their mental waves. The tree didn't even notice that a battle had happened nearby, and no illusions seemed to be in place. The woman wanted something, but the duo didn't know what she could ask them.

Talking with the expert was the only method that could solve those doubts, so the duo flew toward her. Noah and King Elbas instinctively separated to approach her from opposite sides. Their mental waves continued to inspect the area in the meantime, but they continued to find nothing off.

Noah eventually unfolded the dark world to envelop the woman in his technique. She didn't oppose that event. She even let the dark matter suppress part of her power to show her goodwill.

"What are you even up to?" Noah asked while wielding his two blades.

"Careful," King Elbas reminded. "I wouldn't be surprised if she hid a counter created while Heaven and Earth were silent."

"You can relax," The woman giggled. "I wanted to talk with you because I need your help, Defying Demon's help to be precise."

Noah frowned, and the unexpected answer made him inspect the woman again. The aura that surrounded her figure gave her captivating powers, but she founded those effects on her incredible beauty. Her long black hair fluttered softly in the windless area, her green eyes shone brightly, and her tight robe highlighted her voluptuous body.

Only Faith could match the woman's innate beauty, but the latter's cultivation level added something to her appearance. The expert wasn't only stunning. She also radiated a firm aura connected to those features that would make her irresistible to weaker existences.

Noah and King Elbas had lived for many millennia. Mere physical beauty couldn't faze their eyes anymore. They had both outgrown those mortal canons since the laws had changed how they saw the matter as a whole.

"I don't know how I can help you," Noah stated. "I don't know why I should do it either."

"Please, you are trying to reach the sky," The woman responded. "You need a guide, and I can fill that role."

Noah and King Elbas exchanged a glance before moving their eyes back on that mysterious opponent. They didn't feel surprised that Heaven and Earth's followers already knew about their plan. They had talked about it in the open, and Divine Architect would have probably deducted that King Elbas required a piece of the sky on her own anyway. Nothing could remain a secret under the sky.

Still, they couldn't understand why a cultivator belonging to Heaven and Earth's system would try to be their guide. Noah and King Elbas didn't even know if such an existence had enough freedom to help them.

"I'll make it short," The woman broke that silence with her cheerful voice. "I want you to take me out of Heaven and Earth's system. I want the power that you have."