Chapter 1103 - 1103. Transformation
The day of the meeting arrived, and the four powerhouses left their training areas to gather on the corner of the southeastern coast.
The region was still on fire. The flames had never stopped flickering for more than three years, but the four experts knew that King Elbas would make his move soon.
King Elbas didn"t disappoint them. The flames slowly went down, and a shocking scenery filled the vision of the four invited to that event.
A green prairie covered the land, and mid-sized magical beasts of various ranks populated it. Noah recognized them. They were Royal Peac.o.c.ks, and their bright feathers illuminated the area with multicolored light.
Tall trees with large, rainbow-colored leaves and pale-yellow trunks filled the coastline. The marvelous leaves reflected the sunlight and filled the environment with a mystical halo.
A ditch ran from the southern coast and crossed half of the region before ending in a large lake. A series of horse-type magical beasts rested near its waters and stared at the Peac.o.c.ks with a hungry expression.
Those Horses usually fed on other magical beasts, but they didn"t hunt the Peac.o.c.ks in the region. A series of runes flickered on their bodies whenever their instincts tried to take over their actions.
The region had been nothing more than a ma.s.sive fire just a few seconds ago, but now it had turned into a paradisiac land that expressed nothing but peace.
The most striking element in the area was the ma.s.sive castle placed right at the region"s center.
The castle had a rectangular shape and four tall towers at its corners. Golden bricks made its structure, and crystal-like windows filled its walls.
The building improved the image of the scenery further. That land had instantly become the most beautiful place in the new continent, and no one would ever dare to object to that.
"My consciousness can"t go past the gra.s.s," Noah thought as he inspected the area. The beauty of the land couldn"t faze him, especially when he was about to meet the strongest cultivator in those Mortal Lands for the second time.
Noah"s mental waves couldn"t cross the surface. The underground world of the region remained a mystery, which hinted at King Elbas" training area.
Chasing Demon and Great Elder Diana exchanged understanding glances with Noah. They had noticed the same peculiarity, but there wasn"t much they could do about it.
G.o.d"s Left Hand didn"t interact with the trio. The Shandal Empire was outside of the political struggles. Its entire domain was nothing more than a few poor territories. The other organizations were technically enemies. G.o.d"s Left Hand had sealed a pact with the Hive, but that didn"t make her situation better.
The Hive wouldn"t even help the Empire if it was in danger. Some Elders had a connection with the Second Life formation, but that didn"t make the two organizations allies.
The four flew through the region until they reached the castle. Its tall golden door then opened, and the five Princes and Princesses walked out of it to welcome the guests.
"Please," Second Prince announced, "Come inside. Father is waiting for you."
That sight didn"t please the four experts. Their organizations had kept their eyes open in the past years, but they didn"t see the Royals exiting their regions. Yet, there they were, and their luxurious golden robes showed how prepared they were for that event.
That put the guests on the weaker side, but King Elbas was probably enough to do that by himself. The presence of his underlings didn"t change their difference in power.
Noah didn"t bring any special weapon or protection to the event. He had even left Night in its underground area since he didn"t want to see how the Pterodactyl felt about King Elbas.
The other powerhouses had behaved differently. They didn"t wear any form of protection, but their s.p.a.ce-rings were full of disposable inscribed items that could save their lives if the situation evolved poorly.
G.o.d"s Left Hand was the first to descend toward the entrance, and the remaining three followed her after exchanging a glance.
Noah and Second Prince stared at each other during his descent. The red crystal at the center of the Royal"s forehead resembled a third eye that registered and studied his every move.
Still, Noah"s prowess had evolved by leaps and bounds in the past three hundred and fifty years. He wasn"t nearly close to the same opponent that Second Prince had fought with his puppet.
The experts began to walk through the golden corridor after they crossed the castle"s entrance. A Royal escorted each powerhouse, and First Prince walked in front of the group to lead the way.
Noah wasn"t surprised that Second Prince decided to walk next to him. He didn"t bother Noah, but the latter could sense that his mental waves tried to probe his new power.
Of course, Noah"s aura shredded into pieces any form of investigative method. He didn"t even need to focus on countering those faint auras trying to get past his innate defenses.
Second Prince eventually turned to look at Noah when all his investigative methods failed. His expression showed his great surprise at his guest"s improvements, but his arrogant smile remained wide on his face.
Noah didn"t look at him, but his mental waves imitated the Royal"s behavior and inspected his centers of power. Second Prince accepted that challenge and used his defenses to stop Noah"s mental energy. However, a flash of golden light suddenly came out of his body and startled the other experts.
"What is it?" First Prince asked as his eyes moved between his brother and Noah.
The atmosphere became tense as everyone sensed that a fight was about to start, but Second Prince promptly spoke to disperse that tension. "My inscribed item is acting strangely. I"ll get Father to take a look at it later."
Chasing Demon glanced at Noah, who shrugged his shoulders to express his innocence, and the group forgot about that event to continue their march.
Noah and Second Prince were at the back of the group. Most of their interactions went unnoticed since the other powerhouses were busy studying each other.
No one noticed that Noah"s mental waves had cut right through Second Prince"s defenses effortlessly. The abruptness of that event directly destroyed the defensive item that the Royal had used to help him in the task.
"Another puppet," Noah whispered, and Second Prince"s expression froze when he heard those words. His guest had uncovered his secret with a simple glance!
The Royals weren"t the only ones capable of learning from the enemy"s techniques. In the last centuries, Noah had eventually understood why he didn"t notice that his opponent had been a puppet.
The red crystal had mysterious abilities, and one of them allowed Second Prince to alter his aura. That had tricked Noah in the past, but it didn"t manage to do the same now.
Noah"s mental waves had gone directly for the crystal and had seen that body for what it was. The Second Prince next to him was nothing more than a golem created with rank 6 materials.
"Are you even real?" Noah mocked him as the group walked past a series of golden doors. The castle was immense, but First Prince led the group directly into the meeting area.
Second Prince didn"t answer and began to walk faster. The other Royals understood that something had happened and picked up some speed to reach their destination more quickly.
The group eventually reached a corridor without any door that had a garden at its end. Many precious plants grew there, and countless delicate scents created a peculiar smell that accelerated the seas of consciousness" thinking capabilities.
Noah"s mind experienced the same effects of the Divine Deduction technique, even if in a less intense manner. Still, he couldn"t help but feel surprised.
The acceleration of mental faculties happened naturally. It didn"t consume more mental energy, and it didn"t seem to have any adverse effect on the sea of consciousness.
King Elbas welcomed them from the top of a long table featuring ten large armchairs. The meeting could finally begin, but not before the Royals" leader announced the main topic.
"I"ve found something at the center of this plane." King Elbas said before sitting on his armchair.