Chapter 1817 - 1817. Storms

Alexander, Sword Saint, Wilfred, Divine Demon, Robert, and Steven greeted Noah in the sky above his training. They had waited there for a while. Yet, all of them had felt that he would have come out in that period.

"Don't tell me that you have to spend another century here," King Elbas scoffed.

"My heir won't waste more time," Divine Demon snorted. "I can see the boredom in his eyes."

"You'll kill me before the chaotic laws," Steven sighed.

"You wish," Wilfred shook his head. "None of us will take the easy way out."

"That's us then," Noah exclaimed while his eyes moved among the experts. "Eight of us will go to the stormy regions together."

"We figured that having more existences would only slow us down," Alexander explained. "There is no room for mistakes there. We couldn't let everyone in."

"Which is the nice way to say that they are still too weak for those areas," Sword Saint commented. "We also barely meet the requirements on our own, but we should be fine together."

Alexander and Sword Saint were the only experts among the group who had explored part of the stormy regions. Their knowledge about the areas would be crucial, but Noah didn't feel the need to question them yet.

June flew out of Noah's training area when she sensed that he had stopped to talk with the experts. She wore a complicated smile when she realized that the time had finally arrived. Her lover would leave, and he probably won't come back.

"I'll find you," June whispered when she saw Noah descending toward her.

"I won't forgive you otherwise," Noah announced while wearing a smile and grabbing her robe to pull her closer.

King Elbas and the others diverted their gaze when Noah and June kissed. The two remained at it for a while, but waiting a few minutes wasn't a problem when the group was about to depart.

"Leave at ease," June whispered when the two separated. "We'll be fine here. We have also set an escape route toward the stormy regions in case everything falls apart."

Noah's gaze went on the black landmass. The structure had expanded a lot in those years. The missions into the void were going so well that many habitable areas were still empty.

"I'll see you at the end of the journey then," Noah smiled while gazing back at June. "Don't be late."

June continued to hold Noah's hand until he turned and flew back to the experts. The eight of them disappeared at that point. They had started their mission, and the landmass immediately felt emptier without their auras flowing through its fabric.

"The pig decided not to come in the end," Robert explained once the group reappeared in the white emptiness past the landmass. "Its level isn't ideal for the mission, but it could have helped anyway."

"That creature likes its harem," King Elbas snorted. "It's living like a king among its species. Only a few would give that up to spend time with us."

"How so?" Steven asked in a sarcastic tone. "Who would ever lose the chance to spend time with us in the most dangerous place in the entire higher plane?"

"Don't forget about the sky," Noah reminded him. "We don't know enough about its cities to declare the most dangerous place in the Immortal Lands."

"I believe I can find the answer," Divine Demon announced while waving his arm to express his pride.

"Don't even think about that," Wilfred snorted. "Try to avoid challenging us once we are inside the stormy regions."

"Does that mean that I can do it now?" Divine Demon asked as his eyes lit up.

"Keep your challenges for those living inside the stormy regions," Noah ordered. "Don't try them on us."

"You made my heir boring," Divine Demon shook his head. "He was far funnier before meeting you all."

The group moved through the whiteness quickly, but Heaven and Earth didn't react to their passage. Everything was silent as they approached the chaotic areas far in the distance.

Their expressions relaxed when winds blew in their faces. The experts couldn't help but appreciate sensing those weak gales of energy enveloping their figures and flying past them. They were about to enter a world where they could absorb everything freely. That sensation was refreshing after spending millennia worrying whether the landmass would be able to sustain them.

The storms eventually unfolded in their eyes. Multicolored chaotic laws raged among the whiteness and created a vast area that covered a large chunk of their vision. Entire worlds could hide inside those zones, and the experts couldn't wait to explore them.

"Heaven and Earth come right after this," Steven reminded the group.

Steven had never been on Heaven and Earth's side, but his feelings had transformed into a silent hatred after the apocalypse. The rulers had destroyed his cells. Avenging his fallen companions was the least he could do.

"I must admit that it feels strange to be here," King Elbas commented. "It feels final."

"Don't get emotional on me," Noah snorted. "The path is still long. We have only stepped on its last phase."

"Path isn't the exact word to describe the storms," Sword Saint added.

"They even hold a special place in Heaven and Earth's mind," Robert sighed. "I don't know much more. They felt necessary whenever I tried to probe about them."

"Theories are pointless at this point," Divine Demon announced. "The answers are right in front of us. We only have to find them."

"The storms have everything but answers," Alexander sighed. "You'll understand once you spend some time inside them. Chaos thrives here."

"Do you want to make speeches now?" Wilfred asked.

"No," Noah promptly replied. "We are going inside."

Noah stepped forward, and the other experts followed closely next to him. The storms quickly intensified as the group dived inside them. Those chaotic laws had hurt some of them in the past, but their existences could endure them now. Actually, part of their energy even fused with their auras without the need for cultivation techniques.

The eight experts on the scene naturally forced that energy to become part of their existence. The stormy regions were basically accepting them as worthy members of those areas.

"This is quite amazing," Wilfred commented while staring at his hands.

Waves of power raged through him and made his cultivation level increase. His existence experienced pure ecstasy, and his companions shared his feelings.

"Don't get too carried away," Sword Saint warned. "You might lose yourself if the chaotic laws take over your existence. You'll become part of the storms if you don't pay attention."

"We all know as much," Steven snorted. "I believe all of us had to deal with chaotic laws at some poin-."

Steven didn't have the chance to complete his line since a massive black spike pierced the thick gales and materialized in front of his face. The attack had been sudden, and the peculiar environment had prevented part of the group from noticing it. However, Noah, Sword Saint, and Alexander acted before the weapon could hit their companion.

Black and silver piercing slashes flew out of Noah and Sword Saint figures while Steven's body teleported next to Alexander. The attacks crashed on the spike and modified its trajectory, but they didn't manage to shatter it.

Cold sweat ran down Steven's forehead. He didn't know if his determination would have saved him from that sudden attack, but it was clear that his journey through the storms would have ended if it weren't for his companions.