Chapter 1702 - 1702. Enemies
The entirety of the army ended up following Noah. The group counted more than a hundred rank 8 experts and thousands of cultivators in the seventh rank. It was a ma.s.sive force that even the strongest organizations couldn"t match, especially due to the powerful leaders in charge.
Still, even that ma.s.sive army was nothing compared to the forces battling among the s.h.i.+ning regions. A single rank 9 existence could lay waste to Noah"s group, and the s.h.i.+ning battlefield had three of them.
"Follow me!" Noah roared. "Don"t approach the battlefield. Go around it. Ignore the external pressure. Strive forward without hesitating."
Noah roared orders that both humans and hybrids could understand. Moira and the other liquid stage cultivators could translate the meaning behind his cries without external help, and the pride that surrounded the army quickly intensified.
Everyone knew how crazy that plan was, but Noah"s ambition rea.s.sured them. It didn"t only improve their morale. Everything felt possible with Noah as a leader.
The experts" aura came out on their own. They fused with Noah"s ambition and began to gain features that only Devils could have. That was only a temporary transformation, but it still surprised the various cultivators paying attention to the scene.
Noah saw that ability as proof that the leaders.h.i.+p features of his law had intensified. He could immediately connect them to his improved pride, but he didn"t linger on those thoughts in that situation.
A faint idea had appeared in his mind. Noah had technically evolved past the immense anger carried by the other world"s will. He had absorbed that power and developed the ability to spread it. He could consider himself as the heir of one of Heaven and Earth"s greatest enemies.
A faint pressure eventually landed on his mind. The experts inside the battlefield had noticed that his army was moving toward the dimensional tunnel. Still, they didn"t do anything to stop them.
"When will they act?" Noah wondered while continuing to roar orders.
Noah could understand that the troops from the sky couldn"t divert their attention, but the situation didn"t make sense anyway.
The army continued to move forward, flying across the regions as it avoided the radiance spread by the battlefield. Noah and the others weren"t bothering to transform the world anymore. They had to use every second for their escape.
The black shades among the s.h.i.+ning battlefield spread and shrunk. It seemed that the human army had begun to fight back and that only forced Noah"s group to hurry.
They spent days, weeks, and months flying without breaks. Their anxiety intensified whenever they saw the black shades shrinking, and that feeling reached its peak once they crossed the battlefield.
The group only had less than a year of travel in front of them at that point. The dimensional tunnel was in one of the peaceful regions past the first floating lake, but they could reach it safely if they put enough distance from the battlefield.
Of course, the situation didn"t go as the group hoped. A white flare shot out of the s.h.i.+ning battlefield after the army crossed it. The blinding ray of light illuminated the region in front of Noah"s team and teleported an entire platoon into the area.
"That"s all?" Noah asked when he inspected his opponents.
Noah recognized Althea and many of the cultivators from the other side of the Immortal Lands. A few experts wearing white robes stood next to them, and many weaker troops floated behind them.
"Your arrogance won"t help you," Althea announced, but Noah didn"t have time to waste in pointless conversations.
Roots and dark matter acc.u.mulated in his hands before taking the shape of two blades. The Demonic Sword roared as it appeared in the open, and Noah didn"t hesitate to wave it toward the newly arrived army.
Althea"s eyes widened at the sight of the immense singularity. Noah"s sharp but invisible energy threatened to cover the entire region, but a white figure promptly stepped forward to face the attack.
The singularity began to shrink. Noah"s energy had initially covered the entire region, but it began to converge toward the white figure after its arrival. Its sharp power also started to vanish until it eventually disappeared.
"They aren"t complete incompetents then," Noah thought while inspecting his opponent.
The white figure belonged to a woman in the solid stage. She appeared old, but her azure eyes brimmed with life. Her grey hair fluttered in the wind, and her long sleeves hid items that Noah didn"t manage to identify.
"She didn"t take care of my attack with her law," Noah concluded after that quick inspection. "I didn"t use the cursed sword, but I didn"t sense her aura either."
"Noah Balvan," The old woman shouted when she sensed his eyes on her figure. "Heaven and Earth have told me a lot about you. To think that such a small ant could cause so many problems."
"I like this!" Noah laughed while stepping toward the enemy army. "I bet that you have this really complicated strategy to defeat me. Come on. Show me what Heaven and Earth have learnt about my power in these millennia."
The experts behind Noah followed him. The enemy army was blocking their path toward the dimensional tunnel, so they remained stuck near the s.h.i.+ning battlefield.
Even Moira and the other experts who still had doubts about the mission understood that they had to take care of those opponents. Hesitation and worry couldn"t affect that part of the mission.
"I must admit that we didn"t expect you to obtain the Devils" power," The old woman said.
"Oh no!" Noah continued to laugh. "I"m one step ahead again. Don"t worry. I"m sure you"ll get me next time."
"How do you dare to talk to Lady Phyllis like thi-," One of the cultivators behind the woman shouted, but Lady Phyllis raised a hand to interrupt him.
"He is trying to taunt us," Lady Phyllis explained. "This demon has no regard for the world or Heaven and Earth. He aims to destroy the entire higher plane to complete his path, and the Devils" power has added another important piece to his journey."
"Give us the order," The man behind her said while most of the platoon bowed and waited for her directives.
"Lord Augustus is busy with the magical beasts," Lady Phyllis explained while shooting a cold glance toward Noah. "It"s up to us to take care of this threat and kill the existences tainted by his cursed law. Mind you. Heaven and Earth are watching."
Althea and the cultivators who had come from the other side of the Immortal Lands wore a determined expression. It seemed that the battle would have a significant impact on their life.
"What am I missing?" Noah whispered to an expert behind him.
"This shouldn"t be the real plan," Robert explained. "I bet Heaven and Earth are using us to get rid of their weaker troops. The real threat should still be in the dimensional tunnel."
The enemy army featured four solid stage cultivators and many weaker troops. They were theoretically stronger than Noah"s team, but his influence would force his opponents to rely on weaker laws.
That put both armies on the same level of power. Noah couldn"t see that as a disadvantage since he had nothing to overcome in that situation. It seemed a simple battle between two equal forces.
"Do we just kill them and move ahead?" Noah asked.
"That"s our only option," Robert replied.
"Did we ever use a different approach?" King Elbas snorted while joining the conversation.
"Does he always complain?" The Foolery asked.
"Did you just notice that?" Divine Demon commented.
Noah ignored the bickering that had started behind him and shot ahead. He still had doubts, but he only had one way to uncover Heaven and Earth"s plan. Something had to happen if he killed every member of the enemy army.