Chapter 1642 - 1642. Breaks
The exploration ended up proceeding as the experts had predicted.
The group had reached the central part of the dimensional tunnel, and the rank 9 leader was in charge of that area. Multiple attacks featuring that powerful creature followed their advance, and the disposable orbs were their only effective weapon.
The group had experienced warriors. Those experts had lived for a long time and obtained a liquid stage battle prowess after surviving through countless trials and adventures.
However, their mission involved a rank 9 magical beast, and no training could prepare them for that threat. The deadly pressure that reached their mind whenever the leader appeared was an unbearable punishment that they could only endure. They didn"t have better tactics at hand, and that reoccurring danger eventually started to affect their mental state.
The experts had to keep their eyes closed, and their senses shut whenever the leader appeared. Then, they had to activate multiple disposable orbs during that suppression. Moreover, they had to kill multiple rank 8 specimens to keep up with their consumption of materials.
Noah felt lucky that the human organizations didn"t hold back when they chose the members for that mission. Their mental endurance was far above normal cultivators, and that allowed them to persist through that painful journey.
Surviving the leader"s pressure brought benefits to their mind, but the process left them drained. The experts soon stopped speaking to preserve their strength, but their teamwork continued to improve, which allowed them to waste even less of their power.
Noah gained even more recognition during that period. His mind continued to acc.u.mulate stress, but he only limited a short time of his breaks to dispersing it.
He spent most of his time studying the black marks and improving his understanding of the laws of s.p.a.ce used by those magical beasts. The procedure could lead to immense benefits, so his ambition didn"t let him focus on his recovery.
His behavior ended up worrying his friends, but they opted to remain silent. They couldn"t change Noah"s mindset, and they had greater problems at hand.
King Elbas had multiple drugs made specifically for his existence, so he could disperse the stress far better than his companions. Instead, Wilfred, Divine Demon, and the others had to go through long periods of rest to stabilize their minds and return to a decent condition.
The Foolery was faring far worse than them. The creature was only a magical beast, so it could handle mental stress better than its companions. Yet, its instincts had slowly started to show signs of instability, and only Noah could take care of that issue.
The pig had yet to accept Noah as its leader officially, but it listened to his orders. Noah forced the Foolery to remain calm and in control of its instincts during that difficult part of the journey. The creature would have long since gone crazy otherwise.
The group had to spend entire months in that condition. Their mental state continued to deteriorate as they kept overcoming the attacks of the rank 9 leader.
The tension among the experts intensified, but their experience allowed them to remain calm. Noah, King Elbas, and Wilfred even refrained from teasing the other cultivators for fear of triggering their anger.
The faintest trigger could make those experts discharge the tension acc.u.mulated during those months. Everyone opted to remain polite and handle eventual grudges after they crossed that difficult part of their journey.
Luckily for them, the disposable orbs forced their surroundings to remain stable for a long time. They could keep the fabric of the dimensional tunnel reinforced long enough to give the experts a few weeks of rest.
The group wouldn"t have survived for so long without that feature. The experts required those breaks to remain in control of their power. They would have retreated or killed each other already otherwise.
The tension that had forced the experts to go all-out to retain their sanity eventually vanished. All it took was another attack from the s.p.a.ce Hounds. The group saw large areas of the tunnel twisting, but they couldn"t feel the presence of the rank 9 leader.
Pure joy filled those experts at that sight. They didn"t let their feelings take over their normal mental faculties, but part of them had already understood that the worst part of the travel had ended.
The experts overcame that battle and rested in silence before advancing again. The s.p.a.ce Hounds soon attacked them again, but they only felt a second wave of excitement filling their mind.
Even the second attack didn"t feature the rank 9 creature. The experts didn"t dare to relax just yet, but they could start to hope.
The attacks from the s.p.a.ce Hounds grew weaker as the group proceeded through the tunnel. The inscription masters didn"t even need to rely on the disposable orbs anymore. They could face those creatures with their own power and let their corpses acc.u.mulate in their storage items.
The group eventually decided to relax when they saw that the attacks had begun to feature less than five upper tier specimens. It seemed that only weaker platoons occupied those areas of the dimensional tunnel. They had successfully crossed the domain of the rank 9 leader.
"It"s finally over!" Harold shouted once the group took their usual break. "We should spend more time resting now that we are out of the leader"s reach. I know that you like to act tough, but it"s clear that most of us are about to collapse."
"No resting until we are out of this d.a.m.ned place," Noah coldly replied. "We are inside enemy territory. It"s better to take a long break once we approach the exit."
Harold wanted to complain, but he couldn"t find words to do it. Inspecting Noah made him lose any d.e.s.i.r.e to argue.
Noah had never stopped studying the black marks. He was doing the same even during that break. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground while his mental waves inspected a few pieces of silver fur featuring black marks.
"You shouldn"t push yourself so much," Althea complained. "The real mission is on the other side of the Immortal Lands. Preserving our strength before reaching our destination should be mandatory."
"I didn"t survive Heaven and Earth"s tricks by playing it safe," Noah gave another cold reply, and growls fused with his human voice. "You might trust those existences, but they are nothing more than enemies in my eyes. As such, I"ll keep training."
Wilfred and the others in his team shared Althea"s worries. Noah had grown jumpier during that part of the travel. It was clear that his mind still held on to a lot of stress.
Yet, they couldn"t say anything to stop Noah. His stubbornness even surpa.s.sed his greatest qualities. They could only hope that the dimensional tunnel came to an end before his mind shattered.
The dimensional tunnel ended up satisfying their hopes. The group only had to face a few more battles before a white light began to s.h.i.+ne from the distance.
The experts had done nothing more than diving through that structure, so they had never been completely certain about their direction. Still, finding the white light stated that their travel had been a success. They had finally reached the other side of the dimensional tunnel!
"The other side of the Immortal Lands is right ahead," Noah thought while punching one of the rocky walls to create a cave. "I wonder what can even worry Heaven and Earth so much. A trap would explain a lot, but the dimensional tunnel would lose its purpose at that point."
Doubts filled Noah"s mind, but he let them be for now. The answers were finally close, but he had to recover properly before approaching them.
The experts saw Noah"s actions and decided to imitate him. It was finally time to take a long break.