2341. Pride

The attack that Heaven and Earth had launched was unavoidable. The rulers were the entire world, so they could easily fill it with their power. Nothing inside the sky was safe from their offensive.

Noah knew that far too well. He had been aware of that issue for way too long, but seeing it with his own eyes gave birth to unexpected emotions. He could feel his instincts screaming in fear and his very mind begging him to hide.

Still, that was only an instinctive reaction caused by highly heightened senses. The aware side of Noah's mind knew that running away wasn't exactly possible when the entire world had stepped into the battlefield.

Moreover, Noah had reached the solid stage. That was his peak, the utter apex of the cultivation journey. He couldn't get stronger than that, so he only had one path left to tread. He could only go forward.

The attack fell faster than Noah had expected, but that surprise didn't delay his actions. His consciousness couldn't expand under that heavy assault, but he still unleashed his sharpness.

Countless slashes materialized on Noah's body and shot forward to express his destructive sharpness. Snore appeared in the open and ignored the damage it instantly suffered to spread its wings and unleash its violent attack.

The parasite expanded wildly, uncaring of the branches that crumbled as soon as they touched the light. The creature had only one purpose in life, and it went all-out in an attempt to accomplish it.

Black lines filled the gaps among the array of slashes and added sharpness to the already full area. Duanlong also absorbed what it could, and the dark matter helped where possible.

Noah's offensive failed to push back the entirety of the light, but it dug multiple channels into that seamless attack. Blackness expanded through the white array that had filled the world, and everything eventually dispersed.

Clarity returned to Noah's senses and allowed him to inspect the area. He had failed to hit Heaven and Earth with his last explosion of power. Most of his attacks had fallen on the sky, but he had still managed to lower the overall destructive properties of the white offensive.

Nevertheless, some of that partially solid light had fallen on Noah. The crystal energy wasn't only extremely unstable and violent. It was also the result of two types of incredible fuels, so its power was a certainty.

Noah found his body riddled with injuries. They weren't deep, but they released a smelly smoke that hinted at Heaven and Earth's destructive properties. Their energy carried something quite toxic for the beings belonging to a single path, but that quality made it easy to counter.

A short burst of dark matter came out of Noah's injuries and removed all the tiny crystals trying to invade his insides. Potential then filled the ethereal blackness, which quickly sent it toward different aspects.

Noah healed quickly, and the same went for his companions. Snore, Night, the swords, Duanlong, and Shafu regained full structural stability and became ready for the next exchange.

'I can do this,' Noah thought as a cold smile appeared on his face.

The time had finally come, and Noah couldn't help but be ecstatic. He finally had the chance to face the entire world. He didn't have to hold anything back, but the battle still carried issues.

Fending off the world was bound to fill Noah with potential, but that wasn't a winning strategy. He needed to defeat Heaven and Earth, but they weren't easy targets. Destroying the crystal figure could be a good start, but the sky would remain around him even after that achievement.

'Why am I even bothering with this?' Noah partially mocked himself inside his mind. 'Destroy the crystals. Destroy everything they throw at me. Destroy the sky.'

Noah prepared himself to execute that plan, but a familiar suddenly landed at his side before clearing his throat. Noah felt forced to lower his swords, but he still shrugged his shoulders when he turned toward his friend.

"Did you have enough fun, my heir?" Divine Demon asked while swirling his cup of wine.

"What are you getting at?" Noah asked.

"You aren't the only one with a beef against Heaven and Earth," Divine Demon stated.

"Isn't fighting them on my own the behavior of a true demon?" Noah teased.

"Look for yourself," Divine Demon laughed.

Noah finally brought his attention to his companions. King Elbas and the others had respectfully avoided interfering with the previous exchanges, but they were clearly itching to jump into the fight.

Noah also felt slightly surprised to see that his companions were completely fine. The previous attack had left no hiding spot in the entire world, but King Elbas and the others didn't suffer any injuries.

The same went for the golden inscriptions in the distance. Pellio appeared on the verge of exhaustion, but he had managed to protect those hiding inside the ethereal array with the help of Cursed Reality and the others.

Emperor was also fine. He had suffered injuries, but the privileged cultivators around him were far worse off. He had used them to shield himself from the attack, so his life wasn't in danger.

Inspecting the areas past the ice was hard. Those frozen lands had reappeared as soon as the light had vanished, but Noah believed that the Eternal Snake was still okay. He could smell its presence in the higher plane, so it was safe to assume that Vesuvia and Queen had also escaped the attack.

Overall, the scene was quite positive from Noah's perspective, but it also showed a deeper meaning. The major experts in his organization weren't only great expressions of the ninth rank. They were warriors that had earnt their place in that final battle.

"Shouldn't a demon be selfish?" Noah complained.

"You wanted to be the leader," Divine Demon mocked. "You know what that involves."

Noah sighed while scratching the side of his head with the back of the Demonic Sword. The blade complained, but it also added value to Divine Demon's statement with its growl.

"I really can't have fun," Noah eventually cursed. "Well, let's get this over with."

A series of figures materialized around Noah. The entire team grouped, and a few experts didn't hesitate to criticize Noah. King Elbas had witty remarks, June directly complained, Supreme Thief stood in the middle, while the Foolery began with its nonsense.

"Our attacks encompass the entire higher plane," Heaven and Earth announced, interrupting the bickering. "Grouping up makes no difference. We have always attacked all of you at the same time."

The Foolery and some of the others in the team wanted to reply, but Noah voiced a roar before they could say anything. A wave of intense pride accompanied the cry, and the entire higher plane fell under the effects of Noah's ambition.

Small patches of the void began to move on their own. They didn't leave their surroundings, but they struggled to break free from their space-time array.

Pieces of the void wanted to become alive, but the universe didn't let them. The random strands of will generated by Noah's ambition weren't enough to make that darkness gain complete individuality.

Of course, the void wasn't Noah's main target. The ambition that reached the blackness was nothing more than the leftovers of what he had sent toward his companions.

King Elbas, Sword Saint, the Foolery, Divine Demon, Supreme Thief, Alexander, Wilfred, and June saw ambition surrounding their worlds and enhancing their properties. Merely standing next to Noah increased their power and granted them access to a superior level.