Birth of the Demonic Sword

Fergie didn't feel any different after he swallowed the oval, but he could sense that something had changed in the swords that restrained his centers of power.

The oval began to fuel the Shadow Swords spell as soon as it stabilized inside Fergie's body. It even adapted to the consumption of Noah's ability.

Noah studied those changes with his mental waves. Great Builder's cores were more polished than his fake centers of power. The oval automatically learnt how much dark matter it had to send to optimize the Shadow Swords spell.

'My cores have more potential,' Noah thought as he studied Fergie, 'But I lack the millennia of expertise accumulated by Great Builder. My creations are mere toys compared to his.'

Noah didn't feel discouraged by that discovery. He was still a newbie in the divine ranks when he considered the countless experts that filled the Immortal Lands.

His time to shine would come as long as he continued to do his best to improve. For now, he could only appreciate the fact that he was far stronger than his peers.

"What is the secret organization up to in these regions?" Noah asked once the matter with the oval was over.

The secret organization had accepted Fergie's request almost instantly. It had moved him and a series of gaseous stage cultivators in Silkpost city without raising any complaints.

Fergie had even reported to the new leader. The secret organization had some business in the Land of the Fallen, and Noah wanted to know it.

"Mostly underground markets and secret auctions," Fergie explained. "The vast number of inheritances in these areas creates a high demand of buyers. Those who can seize some rewards prefer to keep their organizations in the dark, so you can obtain something valuable even if you don't fight in the various trials."

Noah could understand the mindsets of those who were strong enough to succeed in some inheritance. The families and organizations behind them would take a share of their gains whenever they found something valuable.

Giving a favorable position inside the organization in exchange for those goods wasn't enough for those talented cultivators. The untold rule of the cultivation world existed even among divine existences. Everyone strived for the higher ranks, and political statuses couldn't compare to actual empowerments.

The underground markets covered that need. Cultivators could purchase items, techniques, and resources that they needed without involving their organizations in the process.

Fergie confirmed that even important members of those organizations used the secret markets to purchase valuable resources. The powerful forces of the Immortal Lands silently accepted their existence and allowed them to thrive in the Land of the Fallen.

'This is the perfect place for me,' Noah concluded after Fergie gave him a general overview of those regions.

Fergie couldn't know everything since his position in the secret organization was too low. Yet, he told Noah enough to make him start planning his moves.

The underground markets' environment benefitted cultivators without organizations the most if they had enough money with them. Noah's wealth amounted to more than seventy thousand Soul Stones after the events in the Pyramid, so he could move freely there.

Moreover, Noah had lived among secret organizations for most of his long life. He knew how he had to move in those environments.

Even with the favorable environments, Noah didn't feel the need to look for a secret market just yet. He preferred to obtain valuable items directly from the inheritances rather than purchasing them with Soul Stones.

His study inside the library had taught him a bit about the Land of the Fallen. The powerful families had thoroughly explored the battlefields inside the human domain, so he wouldn't move blindly.

Noah could directly fly toward some famous inheritances, and that was exactly his plan. Remaining in the open would only cause him more problems, and he lacked resources anyway. Facing struggles would also make him grow faster, so he had no reason to waste time in Silkpost city.

If the situation became too troublesome or if he happened to cause a mess, Noah could always depart from the human domain. The battlefields in the magical beasts' reign were nearby. The Land of the Fallen was the safest place for an existence like him.

"One last thing," Fergie said when he saw that Noah was itching to leave. "Do you happen to be this cultivator?"

Fergie took out a wanted poster that featured moving images, and Noah's eyes widened at that sight. The sheet depicted his battle in the landing zone together with zoomed sections on his face.

The wanted poster also listed a series of rewards under the images. The organization that had created the sheet was willing to pay a million Soul Stones for him. It didn't matter if he was dead or alive.

"Why do you always fail to mention important things?!" Noah shouted as anger built inside him.

His underling was an awful spy. Noah had no idea why a secret organization would continue to make use of such a cultivator!

"Who are they?" Noah asked as growls accompanied his words. "Who is looking for me?"

A chill ran down Fergie's spine when he sensed Noah's anger. Truth be told, he had left that piece of information as last because he was scared that Noah would kill him on the spot.

Taking care of the loose ends was the best course of action for a wanted man. Killing Fergie would remove the only cultivator who had the power to betray Noah.

However, Fergie couldn't hide that information from Noah. Those posters filled Silkpost city, so he would have eventually learnt about them.

Noah would have an actual reason to kill Fergie at that point since he had purposely withheld something that could have led to his death or capture.

It was a difficult decision, but a well-thought one. Fergie believed that Noah would survive even if he withheld that information from him. He could avoid eventual punishments only if he were frank with his master.

"The Crystal City," Fergie said as he suppressed his fear. "Its experts also give descriptions of some of your abilities. They are quite vague, but I can confirm that they are on point."

Noah's expression became cold as he fell silent. The border with the magical beasts' domain belonged to the Crystal City in theory. That was the only organization willing to act as the first line of defense against those creatures.

The other organizations didn't like those fanatics, but they respected their strength and services to the human cause. Noah guessed that those forces would be more than willing to help the Crystal City if they found him.

"Why is no one aware of this?" Noah asked as he seized the wanted poster. "I have spent years in the Pyramid, but they let me go easily."

"This poster isn't public," Fergie answered. "Only a few professional guilds and some assassins are aware of this bounty. The Crystal City doesn't want to admit that they have failed to capture you. Their work might help the humans as a whole, but they have made many enemies along the way."

"What are you implying?" Noah asked.

"Well," Fergie hesitate for a second before continuing, "You are one of the few rank 7 cultivators who can attack them. The other experts usually remove the oath when they reach the eighth rank, and they can't act freely for fear of involving other strong forces. You can be a valuable pawn in their eyes."