Chapter 1376 1376. March
Noah observed the trails of cultivators climbing the mountain. They were a proper platoon of experts at the bottom of the gaseous stage, and he could count at least forty of them from his position.
"The boss will use the entire power of our guild for this mission," Chief Ash continued to explain. "Divine Demon isn"t an opponent that we can take lightly, and we really care about joining the secret organization."
Noah nodded, but his thoughts lingered on other topics. The fact that Chief Ash"s boss wanted to use the entire guild for Divine Demon confirmed the expert"s strength and made Noah even more curious to meet him.
"I should be able to handle them if Divine Demon takes care of the boss," Noah thought as he planned a possible betrayal.
His excitement rose as the experts climbed and descended from the mountain. That platoon was slowly getting ready to move. It was almost time to meet the ancestor of the Demon Sects.
"You did find him in the end!" A male voice suddenly resounded from one side of the mountain chain and broke the peaceful scene.
Chief Ash"s aura became tense when that voice reached her ears, and Noah miss that detail. He turned in the direction of that sound and saw that another small platoon had arrived at the mountain.
That team had a liquid stage expert in its lead. He was a tall and burly man who wore a ragged robe. His face and short black hair were full of dirt, but his s.h.i.+ning red eyes created a sharp contrast in his appearance.
"Chief Barret from Baycross city!" Chief Ash announced. "Late as usual."
"I didn"t think you would take so long," Chief Barret replied. "The Crystal City rarely fails."
Chief Barret"s gaze moved on Noah after that line. The expert tried to inspect him, but his consciousness destroyed those mental waves before they could even land on his skin.
"He seems strong," Chief Barret concluded as a smile appeared on his face.
Chief Ash turned toward Noah, but he ignored her inquisitive gaze. He wouldn"t reveal anything to those experts since there was a high chance that he would end up betraying them.
A few more platoons led by liquid stage cultivators arrived afterward. Chief Ash"s guild had six experts in the liquid stage, a few hundred in the gaseous stage, and one leader in the solid stage. It was an immense force in Noah"s eyes, but it didn"t matter too much in the higher plane"s political environment.
The six Chiefs held a private meeting before instructing their respective troops and the various gaseous stage cultivators that had descended from the mountain. They were preparing everyone for the mission, and they soon completed their tasks.
Noah sat cross-legged on the rocky ground without interacting with the other experts. Mental waves and curious gazes flew in his direction, but his consciousness protected him from the unwanted a.n.a.lysis.
Grace"s words resounded in his mind when he sensed the more fearful and worried gazes. Those experts appeared concerned about his species, and the most anxious of them even began to discuss the hybrids" weaknesses loudly.
Noah didn"t react to any taunt. He knew how things worked among those troops. The weaker cultivators only wanted to feel powerful while their leader protected them.
Then, after everyone had completed their preparations, a heavy aura descended from the mountain. All the experts in the area stopped chatting and straightened their position to bow toward the figure that had appeared above them.
Noah didn"t bow, and his instincts screamed when he laid his eyes on the man that was descending from the mountain. He was a short man with a kid-like appearance. He had long golden hair and golden eyes, and he wore a black robe that suppressed his bright colors.
The kid"s gaze ran through his troops before landing on Noah. His dense mental waves flew toward him and began to pierce his consciousness, but a layer of dark matter promptly spread inside Noah"s body and hid every detail about his existence.
The solid stage expert didn"t feel scared about the dark matter, but a series of roars filled his mental waves as soon as they touched Noah"s higher energy. Hisses also entered his thoughts and forced him to stop his a.n.a.lysis.
"What a peculiar being," The kid said in an ancient voice that didn"t match his appearance. "Did he really kill Lady Lena from the Crystal City?"
"Yes, sir," Chief Ash said after raising her head. "I"ve seen it with my own eyes. He smashed her head and ate her underlings" dantians."
Noah didn"t reveal any emotion, but coldness began to fill his mind. His instincts told him that something was wrong with that situation. It was as if the guild was ready to betray him at any moment.
"Defying Demon, right?" The kid continued, and Noah limited himself to nod at his question.
"I am Boss Van," The kid said. "Help my guild, and I will reward you with Soul Stones and teachings about the higher stage. Do you think you can handle this mission?"
"Of course," Noah replied as strategies began to ama.s.s in his mind.
Countless plans surged as he inspected the solid stage cultivator. Noah couldn"t understand much from the Boss Van"s aura, but his instincts could give him a vague idea of the expert"s might.
Needless to say, Noah felt almost crushed by Boss Van"s pressure. That expert was too strong. The solid stage seemed to be a realm of its own.
"Good," Boss Van said. "Let"s march then. Divine Demon lives near the border with the Outer Lands. It"s a lawless zone, so don"t hold anything back. I know he won"t."
The troops under him gave voice to a short battle cry before turning toward their destination and begin their march. They ran toward the safe path right after that mountain, and only Boss Van remained in the air to inspect the situation.
Noah didn"t join the troops in the safe path. He marched through the danger zones near that army while he continued to check his power. He even used his Divine Deduction technique to begin other projects.
Boss Van never lost track of him. The solid stage expert"s consciousness could cover entire regions, and Noah made sure to remain inside its range. He didn"t want to make them lose trust in him already.
Noah had never explored the regions between Vagona city and the Outer Lands. They were in the opposite direction of Silkpost city, but they stretched for far longer.
The guild was actively marching toward the edges of the Immortal Lands. The higher plane never stopped expanding, so Noah couldn"t predict how long the journey would be.
The group marched past big and small human settlements. Noah even saw a few solitary palaces that ruled over entire regions.
The human domain was the home of many forces, and most of them had to settle in those peripheral regions since the central ones already featured powerful organizations.
Those lands didn"t even have the restrictions of the other cities. They could feature battles among cultivators who wanted control over those regions. Only the big settlements with multiple rank 8 existences could live in apparent peace.
"We are almost there," Boss Van eventually conveyed through his consciousness.
The troops slowed down their advance at that point and prepared for the battle. They took out various inscribed items and created a battle formation as they waited for their leader"s orders.
Noah didn"t know what they expected him to do in that situation, but Boss Van promptly descended from the sky to solve his doubts.
"Divine Demon is somewhere in the next region," Boss Van said. "Go and bait him out."