2185 2185. Chance

"I didn't expect Heaven and Earth to be so kind," Divine Demon laughed.

"They have probably acknowledged the importance of the mission," Supreme Thief announced.

"Noah?" King Elbas called.

"I think they are protecting the sky," Noah guessed while focusing on the drill. "Did you tune the drill to give us a chance to pass unnoticed?"

"Of course," King Elbas scoffed. "It's a pity that a certain idiot ruined my plan."

"A demon must show no fear," Divine Demon exclaimed.

"Protecting the sky," King Elbas repeated while ignoring Divine Demon. "Heaven and Earth have never cared about the state of their world. They actually benefited whenever we destroyed parts of it."

"The situation has changed," Steven stated. "It's possible that their energy reserves are running short."

"Maybe Heaven and Earth need to preserve the sky for now," Noah wondered.

"We should destroy as much as we can then!" The Foolery shouted.

"How would you do that?" King Elbas sighed. "Heaven and Earth can liquefy the sky at will. Even my modified item can't destroy it fast enough."

"You meant improved item," Divine Demon teased.

"I meant what I said," King Elbas snorted.

Noah ignored the bickering happening around him to focus on the issue. Heaven and Earth's reaction had opened the path for a different approach. Attacking the sky might be a good option since the rulers seemed to care about its state.

Noah instinctively glanced at King Elbas before moving his gaze back on the vast passage. His companion could probably make more drills in no time, and Divine Demon could also improve all of them. Planning an all-out attack against the sky was far from impossible.

However, that approach would force Heaven and Earth's hand. Noah had a vague idea of their actual power, so he knew that his organization wasn't ready for the final battle.

Surpassing Heaven and Earth's numbers was impossible. That was something that no one could deny. Noah's group had to rely on the advantage given by the world's fairness during the final battle to win. Still, they had other tactics.

Noah had never liked placing his life in someone's else hands, especially when it came to an unreasonable power that tried to enforce balance. Yet, he didn't have many options. Heaven and Earth virtually had no weaknesses in their current state, and their long rule had made them superior to their opponents in almost every field.

That almost was Noah's main focus now. His side wasn't a match for Heaven and Earth, except when it came to the individual strength of its assets.

Noah and the others had already proven how they could surpass the privileged cultivators, which were Heaven and Earth's best assets. Tricks and plans could work in the final battle, but Noah believed that enhancing the only strong point of his organization was the best approach.

Attacking the sky could hinder Heaven and Earth's plans and delay the arrival of the final battle. Yet, Supreme Thief's path would also suffer from that approach since he would lose his chance to steal something necessary for his breakthrough.

<br/>The expert might cause problems on the black landmass if something like that was to happen, but Noah's thoughts never reached those topics. He made up his mind even before considering Supreme Thief's character. He wanted to prioritize his underlings' growth, so the other approach had to wait.

"Let's go in," Noah ordered, and his words claimed everyone's attention. "It's pointless to wait any longer, especially when Heaven and Earth have decided to take away one of our greatest problems."

"Did you make up your mind?" King Elbas asked in a severe tone. He had understood the conflict inside Noah, so he couldn't help but express his curiosity.

"We would never win through smart tactics and traps anyway," Noah sighed. "Individuality is our only advantage. We can't take paths that risk hindering it."

"I agree with you," King Elbas stated, "But that path also has flaws."

"We'll control what we can control," Noah announced while his mind played the flaws mentioned by King Elbas. "We'll kill what tries to go against the plan."

The approach chosen by Noah had a single but significant flaw. Enhancing the individual power of many rank 9 beings could lead to internal fights.

The outcome almost sounded inevitable when Noah thought about it. After all, those who could reach the peak of the cultivation journey were unreasonable maniacs. Divine Demon and the others didn't cause internal battles due to their friendship. Yet, that didn't apply to every force on the landmass.

The discussion with the Eternal Snake was only one of the many problems that could appear due to the numerous powerful existences on the black landmass. The old higher plane handled those issues by sending everyone in the stormy regions, but Noah couldn't use a similar solution.

Noah's organization had to remain on the same landmass, even if that led to a clash of worlds. The future appeared grim and troublesome, but Noah couldn't find other paths. He could only make sure that his core team remained stronger than the other forces.

"Let's go!" Supreme Thief eventually announced before shooting inside the opening.

King Elbas cursed, but he went after Supreme Thief. Noah and the others didn't hesitate to follow the two experts, so the entire team soon found itself inside the tunnel opened by Heaven and Earth.

The rulers didn't set a specific path. The team soon reached its end, but more chunks of the sky melted when Heaven and Earth understood where Noah and the others wanted to go.

Noah didn't like Heaven and Earth's cooperative behavior, but he didn't complain. He didn't even question the lack of avatars and special forces on the path. The rulers had probably understood the team's plan, so they preferred not to send assets toward Supreme Thief.

Supreme Thief wasn't looking for anything specific. He wanted something to steal, but that wasn't limited to the worlds of the privileged cultivators.

Each inch of the sky carried Heaven and Earth's laws. They weren't intense in the path that Noah and the others were crossing, but they remained able to attract Supreme Thief's interest from time to time.

Of course, that lack of intensity prevented Supreme Thief from stealing enough to approach the breakthrough. He needed something big, something able to push his vast world into the last step of the cultivation journey.

The requirements for the breakthrough didn't stop Supreme Thief from indulging in occasional thefts. Stealing was more than an urge for him, so his special pulling force came out of his figure whenever he found something interesting.

Noah and the others never hindered Supreme Thief's behavior. Azure light came out of the expert whenever he noticed an appealing law. Heaven and Earth managed to hide those weak meanings many times, but they also failed to salvage them now and then.

Supreme Thief's mood worsened whenever the rulers prevented him from stealing something. That made him slightly vengeful, which affected his interest in the laws around him.

The expert could steal when something attracted his interest, but Heaven and Earth's behavior lowered his standards. Supreme Thief's pulling force began to appear more often since he began to rob the sky for the sole sake of hurting the rulers.

Noah and the others didn't intervene, and they didn't feel surprised at all when white light flashed a few times next to them. Three solid stage experts materialized among that radiance, and one of them spoke before her physical features became clear. "Stop this. Accept Heaven and Earth's kindness and only steal what you need."

"Someone owes me resources," Divine Demon announced.

"We have all placed bets on the same outcome," King Elbas complained.

"We too smart," The Foolery exclaimed while lifting its head.

"Shut up and pick an opponent," Noah ordered. "We can't miss this chance to kill some of Heaven and Earth's assets."