Chapter 2056 - 2056. Mercy
Noah continued to punch forward without ever finding the end of the white material. Its lackluster structure made him believe that Heaven and Earth had the power to fill the entirety of the higher plane with that weaker sky, but he expected to encounter other empty areas. Still, his search didn't provide any result.
The dark world was an incredible technique, and its defensive properties had been at their peak during the breakthrough, but Noah knew that other existences could come up with something similar. He even felt relatively sure that some rank 8 beings could also fend off the expansion of the sky with their power, so it would make sense for him to find other holes.
Yet, the world didn't seem to care about his reasonable ideas. It only showed intact whiteness that revealed pure stillness. The chaotic laws had transformed into a material with an opposite nature, even if it carried more power.
'Is this another evolution of Heaven and Earth's energy?' Noah wondered before deciding to interrupt his relentless advance to inspect the areas that he had already crossed. 'This version of the sky is too weak to be a direct improvement. Maybe they have only transformed the nature of their chaotic laws to have more control over the higher plane.'
Noah still felt off track. The chaotic laws weren't easy to affect due to their very nature. Heaven and Earth also needed to keep most of them without deeper purposes to balance their ability to affect the entire higher plane. The recent battle might have removed part of the fairness' limits, but that still felt like a stretch unless the rulers had something in mind.
The lack of answers and the complete absence of traces that could hint at the presence of other living beings tried to bring hesitation to Noah's mind. However, his new mental state had almost forgotten about that feeling. He acted according to the true nature of his existence. He was even growing used to forsaking his thoughts to act according to the desires of his world.
His inspection of the previous areas finally brought some answers. Noah could see a force opposing the influence that lingered on the walls of the large cavities created by his punches. The sky was trying to remove the effects of his attack to expand again, and its effort appeared relentless.
Understanding dawned upon Noah. He wasn't finding traces of other living beings because the sky had never stopped expanding even after filling the area. The nature of that weaker version of the white material was clear now, but he couldn't gain anything out of that.
Keeping track of the passage of time had been impossible for Night and the others after the sky had covered the dark world. They had tried to calculate it, but the results could vary by entire thousands of years.
Noah could finally feel relatively certain that the entirety of the higher plane had fallen prey to the weaker sky, but that only put him back to square one. He didn't know where to go or who had survived the event, but finding his companions wasn't part of the plan. It was time to have a solitary journey to study and improve his position in the ninth rank, so he only had to pick a direction now.
'I guess I should check whether the real sky is still in place,' Noah thought before turning toward the direction of the sky.
Noah vaguely knew where he was, so finding the direction of the sky wasn't an issue. Still, he felt that he would have been able to find it anyway due to his anger. Heaven and Earth's world almost attracted him due to how strong his aspects had become.
Noah limited himself to punch forward and take all the energy he could. He switched to his right arm when he grew bored of using his left, but he eventually decided to limit himself to greed and hunger.
Noah transformed into a vortex as soon as he stopped suppressing the innate effects of his world. The weak sky around him shattered due to the sheer strength of the pulling force that his aspects generated. Nothing survived his absorption, and a path naturally appeared in front of him whenever he stepped forward.
His pace appeared slow, but that didn't reflect the reality of his advance. Space and time twisted whenever Noah stepped forward and allowed him to cross immense distances with only slight movements.
From time to time, Noah decided to release other aspects of his world. Everything felt natural as if he had an inborn understanding of the limits of his power. Yet, he had always tested his abilities after each breakthrough, and the same happened now.
Noah could see how powerful he had become whenever his intentions made his world release part of its power. The space-time array condensed whenever he wanted to move faster. The sky shattered as soon as hunger made its way inside his mind. Part of the white material broke and reassembled in different forms whenever he came up with ideas for disposable weapons or similar projects.
Everything was alive. Noah felt as if the aspects of his existence had taken life after completing the world. He couldn't treat them as weapons or tools meant to improve his attacks anymore. All of them were core parts of his life, and he needed to nurture them accordingly.
His new state also had brought an odd feeling that he had managed to understand fully only after walking across the weak sky for a while. Noah had severed his connection with Heaven and Earth long ago, and the cultivation journey naturally led toward that state too. However, he could truly experience what it was to be a stranger in a world that didn't welcome him.
That feeling was different from a simple separation from Heaven and Earth. It was deeper than the simple brand as an enemy of the whiteness. Noah could feel like a proper world inside a vaster and stronger world.
The feeling obviously wasn't pleasant, but it gave Noah a better understanding of the distance from Heaven and Earth. He could sense the rulers in their immensity, and he could only accept that they were vaster than he had initially predicted.
Heaven and Earth's vastity alone couldn't describe their strength. Actually, that feature almost made them appear weak due to how messy some parts of their world were. Noah could guess that a smaller but denser world could deploy more power, which explained how so many powerful existences could survive their oppression.
The many laws could work against the magical beasts, but it was evident that Heaven and Earth had lost control of their approach. They had too much in a path that didn't exist since they had fused with a world.
Noah's new understanding of the higher plane and the rulers' world almost made him wonder whether his initial idea to waste Heaven and Earth's energy had been wrong. The rulers were naturally striving toward self-destruction, while his feats had often relieved them of the weight of their energy.
'I couldn't really take other paths back then,' Noah reassured himself, and his thoughts came to a stop when he reached a familiar area.
His destruction stopped affecting the path in front of him. Noah saw the familiar sky and confirmed that Heaven and Earth didn't remove the devouring abilities from that material. They actually appeared stronger than before.
Then, a few presences appeared in his consciousness. Noah didn't hesitate to shoot to his right and resume the digging to reach them, but they tried to escape as soon as they sensed him.
The presences weren't faster than Noah, but he still decided to accelerate. In an instant, he found himself among a pack of giant lizards doing their best to run away through tunnels dug by their rank 9 leaders.
Noah voiced a low growl when he saw that his arrival didn't make the magical beasts stop. His pride froze everyone on the spot. Even the lower tier leaders couldn't do anything but leave their tunnel and turn their lowered heads toward him.
"Mercy, Defying Demon," One of the lizards pleaded in a human voice before Noah could voice other cries.