Chapter 1669 - 1669. Paranoia

The announcement of the four leaders made Noah hesitate. He accepted their hospitality and followed them inside on the buildings meant to accommodate powerful experts.

Harold was with Noah the whole time, but the expert managed to remain calm even when the duo entered the lair of potential enemies.

In theory, it was better to attack before asking questions. Gaining the upper hand over those natives would grant Noah and Harold the chance to understand their real intentions. Moreover, it would also put them in a favorable position since they wouldn't be in the middle of multiple defensive arrays.

"Why were you so keen on asking if we belonged to Heaven and Earth's system?" The man, Delbert, asked while pouring strong wine and offering cups to Noah and Harold.

Noah still felt that he could be slightly overbearing due to his new movement technique, but it would be hard to discern the leaders' true intentions anyway.

He couldn't help but feel paranoid. Heaven and Earth were too powerful and influential. Everything could belong to a scheme meant to get rid of existences who opposed their system.

"Because I kill Heaven and Earth's followers," Noah replied while studying the leaders' reactions.

Delbert gave voice to a faint laugh. One of the women, Delia, imitated him, while the other two widened their eyes. The two experts felt surprised that a gaseous stage existence could be so brazen about such a tricky topic.

"Does this mean that you would have attacked us if our answer were different?" Iris, one of the women, asked.

"Of course," Noah laughed. "I would have destroyed the entire lake and all its inhabitants. I plan to make this side of the Immortal Lands escape Heaven and Earth's system."

"How can you even talk like this when your power barely meets the requirements to affect this world?" Moira, the last leader, asked.

"I'll gladly show you if you don't mind," Noah said in a cold tone. "I need more followers anyway. I still can't make the whole world fall on my own."

Harold coughed when he heard about Noah's organization. He was free now, but he had tested Noah's recruitment methods first-hand, and the process was far from pleasant.

"What makes you think that you can barge into our home and act all bossy?" Moira snorted.

"This is a prison," Noah growled, "Not a home."

The growl alerted the four leaders about Noah's species. He had done that on purpose to gain more value in their eyes and test their reactions once again.

The leaders appeared surprised but in a pleasant way. The fact that Noah was a hybrid didn't scare them away nor trigger ill intentions. A tinge of respect even appeared in their eyes.

After all, Noah wasn't only a gaseous stage cultivator anymore. His hybrid status gave more value to his body, which granted him liquid stage battle prowess since it was in the middle tier.

The four leaders glanced at Harold, but the expert shook his head. He was a normal human, and that short gesture was enough to remove their doubts.

"A prison is better than the outside world," Moira eventually continued. "Heaven and Earth have messed up big time during the absorption of the other plane. They have doomed most of the population of the Immortal Lands."

"The other side is still thriving," Noah added, "But I don't understand how this information failed to surprise you. How can you know that Heaven and Earth have sent reinforcements if you aren't their followers?"

Noah had mentioned that information twice already, but the leaders didn't react at all. He could let it pass the first time, but he understood that something was up now.

"Why would we reveal our secrets to strangers?" Moira laughed. "You are right. We are aware that Heaven and Earth have asked for reinforcements, and it was clear that you weren't from here. Still, we won't reveal anything to potential enemies."

Noah could finally understand what was happening. He felt almost sure that the four leaders weren't Heaven and Earth's followers after studying their reactions, but that led to an obvious issue.

The leaders shared his paranoia. They couldn't understand if Noah and Harold were spies sent by Heaven and Earth to remove them from the floating lake.

It was hard to confirm anything when they had Heaven and Earth as opponents. Everything could be a trick, and both sides hesitated to trust each other.

Silence fell among the group. Noah and the others limited themselves to take sips from their cups while they let their mind study the issue. They couldn't find a solution right away, but Noah eventually had an idea that could work.

"Heaven and Earth's followers can express their previous existence, even if in a weaker form," Noah explained. "We should just fight and see if our laws are up to our cultivation level."

"Do you really want to fight us?" Moira asked. "We might be in the liquid stage, but our battle prowess is almost about to touch the higher level. Don't underestimate our laws."

"Don't underestimate me," Noah replied coldly, and silence followed his words.

Noah's idea made sense, but the leaders didn't know if it were part of a trap. They were still wary of Heaven and Earth's tactics, so they didn't want to reveal anything to those guests.

However, they wouldn't accomplish anything if they remained still. Noah had given an option at least, and the conditions were in the leaders' favor. After all, the fight would happen inside the floating lake under their control.

The leaders exchanged a series of mental messages before reaching a conclusion. A curious expression appeared on Moira's face before she explained what they had decided.

"I will fight you," Moira announced. "I must warn you. I won't hold back, and my allies will activate the defenses as soon as they sense something tricky. You should reconsider your position if you have something to hide."

"I should say the same to you," Noah smiled. "Don't let me touch you."

His battle intent seeped through his words, and a chill ran down Delbert's spine. He had let Noah touch his shoulder during the initial meeting. That short exchange could have been fatal to him.

The leaders led Noah and Harold into an isolated area of the floating lake. The duo couldn't see any cultivator on their path since Moira and the others had cleared the way beforehand.

Noah and Harold couldn't understand the actual power of that force since the leaders kept hiding their underlings. Yet, Noah believed that everything would improve once both sides proved that they didn't belong to Heaven and Earth.

A large training area soon unfolded in their vision. Walls made of a sturdy black metal that seemed able to absorb "Breath" covered the whole hall and created the perfect battlefield for experts that didn't want to go all-out.

"We don't have this metal on the other side of the Immortal Lands," Noah said while studying the walls.

"It's quite useful when you want to contain "Breath" or specific dangerous existences," Moira explained. "We managed to contain a Devil for some time with this metal."

"Some time?" Noah asked.

"The Devil eventually transformed the metal," Moira sighed. "We lost many valuable cultivators on that day."