Chapter 1723 - 1723. Tradition
The experts who had known Noah for a long time turned toward him. They could immediately guess Lightning Demon"s ident.i.ty. June was the only notable battle maniac with a lightning apt.i.tude.
"Let"s go," Noah ordered before any of them could crack jokes.
The experts followed Noah, but whispers and mental messages flew among them. Everyone learnt about his relations.h.i.+p with June in less than a day, and surprise inevitably filled the cultivators from the other world.
It was rare for experts at that level to have relationsh.i.p.s. Noah and June were an exception that had survived through many long separations and struggles.
"She will definitely attack me," Noah sighed in his mind while flying across the empty regions.
The Immortal Lands continued to remain empty. It seemed that the Legion was scaring away every magical beast. Only a few scarce magical plants had started to reappear after the battles, but they didn"t make the scenery any more alive.
Immense fields made of blue bushes eventually unfolded in the group"s vision. The Foolery could immediately smell the familiar scent of its species in the area, and excited squeals started to come out of its mouth.
"I wonder if they"ll recognize me," The Foolery wondered when it noticed that smell. "I"ve changed so much."
King Elbas and Wilfred turned toward the pig before putting the matter aside. They didn"t want to spend the last period of travel bickering.
Powerful traces of life began to appear once the group flew for months above blue regions. Noah and the others found a pack of Foolery resting among their bushes, and happy squeals resounded from those specimens when they recognized their companions.
The evolved Foolery couldn"t contain itself and shot toward its peers. The creature raised its head toward the sky as soon as its descent toward the ground began. It was unable to contain its pride in front of its old species.
"What"s your task?" Noah asked after descending toward the pack that had gathered around their leader.
"We take care of filling the regions with our bushes," One of the rank 8 Foolery among the pack replied through squeals. "We plan to cover the entire domain of the Legion with our ability."
"How do you even plan on fending off the magical beasts?" Noah continued with his questions.
"The golden guy used strange techniques to seal the borders," The pig replied. "The defenses should keep most predators away."
"Second Prince is making himself useful," Noah concluded in his mind before leaving the area.
The Foolery decided to remain behind, and King Elbas handed it a special type of inscribed notebook that the creature could use even without having great control over its mind. The pig was a core part of Noah"s team now, so they had to be able to contact it in case of need.
Noah recognized some of his old underlings from the journey through the magical beasts" domain. Many of those specimens had reached the eighth rank during those years. Living among the blue bushes was extremely beneficial and could push everyone to improve.
"I"ll take care of this," Fergie announced before stepping downward and meeting all the excited specimens that had flown in the sky to meet Noah.
Noah let Fergie go while continuing to fly forward. A series of buildings eventually appeared among that blue landscape and announced the presence of humans. Familiar auras expanded from those buildings and touched the group"s consciousnesses before joy flowed in their fabric.
Pearl and other familiar faces came out of the buildings. Some hybrids were among them, but most of the weaker members of the Balrow family weren"t there.
"You are finally back," Pearl announced when she saw the group. "A lot has changed here while you were on the other side of the Immortal Lands."
"The soldiers have already explained a lot," Noah said while turning toward the faint castle in the distance. "How is June?"
Pearl"s expression froze when she heard June"s name. Her cultivation level was still in the gaseous stage of the eighth rank, but she trembled in fear at the sole thought of Noah"s woman.
That reaction was quite peculiar, and the other experts didn"t miss it. King Elbas even asked a question that made Pearl even more scared. "Is she the reason behind your current location?"
"She likes to challenge us from time to time," Pearl revealed. "Don"t get me wrong. She has been a good leader during the expansion, but she isn"t the best during peaceful periods. Rumors have her trying to gather an army and invade the magical beasts" domain."
"I need to reach her quickly," Noah announced before shooting toward the castle.
The other members of his group decided to remain behind. The cultivators from the other side of the Immortal Lands wanted to follow Noah, but Divine Demon promptly stopped them.
Divine Demon was wearing one of his rare serious expressions, so the experts decided to trust him right away. The group let Noah have his private reunion with his lover.
Noah was almost on top of the castle when a ma.s.sive dark lightning bolt fell from the sky and enveloped his figure. The power contained in the attack was decent, but it couldn"t even come close to affecting his body.
"Did she reach the peak of the gaseous stage?" Noah wondered as he inspected the lightning bolt before coming out of its sparks.
"That wasn"t bad," Noah mocked from outside the castle, but an even bigger lightning bolt fell from the sky at that point.
The second lightning bolt carried far more power than the first. It began to border the edges of the liquid stage, but Noah could continue to endure the attack with his b.a.r.e skin.
"Not yet," Noah continued to mock June while walking toward the castle.
A third lightning bolt descended, but its power suddenly condensed back in its previous spot at the sound of a heartbeat. Noah felt a heavy pressure falling on his body, but his flesh fended off every negative effect.
The heartbeat returned, and the lightning bolt resumed its descent. However, it carried far more power now. It was the attack of a proper liquid stage existence.
Of course, that alone meant nothing for Noah. He limited himself to walk through the attack that tried to pierce his incredible body. The powerful sparks couldn"t do anything against his skin, and his figure eventually left the range of the ability.
"We don"t have to do this every time," Noah laughed, but a third heartbeat resounded in the area and forced the environment to stop.
The blue bushes stopped fluttering in the wind, the lines that ran on the outsides of the castle didn"t move anymore, and the air grew stale under that influence.
Only Noah continued to walk among that stillness. Then, a fourth heartbeat resounded, and a lightning bolt suddenly appeared around him.
The attack was already falling by the time he noticed the event. Noah could endure the lightning bolt with his skin, but he wanted to show off a bit and stop that annoying tradition.
Noah raised his hand, and his influence forced the lightning bolt to mutate. The sparks condensed to evolve into something entirely different. June"s law transformed during the exposure to his power, and the attack soon turned into a dense sphere of energy that didn"t belong to June anymore.