Birth of the Demonic Sword

Countless burns filled Lady Lena's body as he stood on her knees on the dark-red ground. Noah's skin had also burned when he flew through the sparse tongue of flames with power in the upper tier, but his techniques and resilience had allowed him to suffer fewer injuries.

Moreover, his flames had burned part of the scarlet fire in the middle tier and had brought nutrients back to his body. His injuries had mostly healed by the time he returned to the ground. Holes remained on his skin and muscles, but his internal organs were fine.

Intense energy surged inside Noah. Lady Lena's dantian contained "Breath" in the liquid stage, and he had never eaten something so nutrient. Every cell of his body rejoiced when the black hole transformed that power and redirected to his tissues.

Noah didn't let that feeling distract him. Lady Lena had lost her dantian, but she remained a divine cultivator. She could easily survive without that center of power.

"The Crystal City won't forget this insult," Lady Lena said in a weak voice as she raised her head to stare at her opponent.

Even without a dantian, her eyes continued to carry the fanatical belief of the Crystal City. Her expression didn't show any weakness. She still believed herself to be better than Noah.

Noah's gaze was cold when he inspected her. She respected Lady Lena and felt slightly grateful for the power that she had managed to bring out of him.

He didn't know what would happen when his ambition ran out, but he already treasured the experience gained in that battle. Lady Lena had allowed him to taste the fights among liquid stage cultivators, and she had also shown him how to use an individuality properly.

"You have caused this mess for a stupid oath," Noah said as the fiendish armor vanished, and he wrapped his hand around her head. "If I ever obtain enough power, I will destroy the Crystal City with my own hands."

Noah didn't immediately tighten his grasp around her head. New presences had arrived when he brought Lady Lena back to the ground, so he wanted to understand if he could use her as a hostage.

A group of familiar cultivators accompanied Zach, Gil, and Kathleen on the ground. Noah felt surprised when he recognized Chief Ash and some guards among those new arrivals.

"Are you with the Crystal City?" Noah asked as he studied that new group.

Chief Ash was with ten gaseous stage cultivators that stared at him with wide eyes. They appeared weaker than the Crystal City's experts, but their number made them annoying to deal with.

The Crystal City's trio slowly regained their awareness, and shock filled their expressions when they saw Noah holding Lady Lena's head. They couldn't understand how the situation had turned in that way, and anger built inside them. Yet, they didn't dare to make a move with their leader in that condition.

Chief Ash was the most surprised of them all. She had met Noah only a few years ago, but the aura that he radiated was completely different after that battle. His cultivation level also shocked her. She couldn't understand how someone could advance so quickly.

"Don't kill her," Chief Ash said. "It won't solve anything. The Crystal City will only send more assassins against you."

"Then, my situation won't change either way," Noah replied in a cold voice. "Why are you here? My bounty should be quite new, so you left Vagona city for other reasons."

Chief Ash's gaze became cold when she saw Noah's confidence. He had battled with a liquid stage expert right after a breakthrough. He had to be exhausted, but he still appeared convinced in his ability to survive.

"I have personal business with you," Chief Ash said. "We have marched in the Land of the Fallen to interrogate you. We came in possession of your wanted poster by chance."

Noah snorted when he heard that. He shot toward the other members of the Crystal City without letting go of Lady Lena's head. When he reached them, his free hand darted and seized the trio's dantians.

Zach, Gil, and Kathleen were powerless in that situation. Noah's aura made them lose focus and rendered them unable to react to his attack.

Noah threw the dantians in his mouth before waving his hand. The trio's heads exploded after that gesture. Three gaseous stage cultivators died in an instant.

Wielding power in the liquid stage made Noah almost unbeatable in that situation, and he wanted to exploit it for as long as it lasted. He would deal with the drawbacks of his ambition after he solved the issues that surrounded him.

His attack was a pure show of strength. Chief Ash's group didn't react to his actions even if he was killing potential allies. Still, the expressions of those guards didn't reveal any deep affiliation with the Crystal City. Noah saw a chance to leave without fighting at that sight.

"Why did you do it?" Chief Ash asked.

"No one comes in possession of my wanted poster by chance," Noah explained. "Who are you? Why are you eligible for these types of information?"

Chief Ash gulped when she heard those words. Noah knew far more than she expected. It seemed that he had already established important connections in the Immortal Lands.

"Our guild can take care of many jobs," Chief Ash explained. "We obtained the poster due to our connections with a secret organization. We aren't members, but it still asks if we want to."

"Why did you refuse?" Noah asked.

He felt curious about the whole situation at that point. Ideally, the secret organization could offer many benefits, especially for an expert at Chief Ash's level. She even had a few troops. Her situation inside that force would be far better than Fergie's.

"We didn't refuse," Chief Ash replied. "We negotiated the terms of our affiliation, but we have to complete some missions to obtain the benefits that we requested. One includes the capture of a cultivator that you seem to have connections with."

Noah couldn't understand what she was saying. He had just reached the Immortal Lands. His only real connection was Fergie, but his level was too low to be part of a mission connected to benefits.

"I will explain everything if you let Lady Lena go," Chief Ash added. "I will even share the reward for bringing her back with you."

Chief Ash felt quite sure about her words. She had chosen them carefully, creating both curiosity and a possible reward. Yet, Noah suddenly tightened his grasp and destroyed her head. Lady Lena died without even understanding what had triggered Noah's behavior.

"Why did you do it?!" Chief Ash asked. "She is an important member of countless troops, small organizations, and the Crystal City itself. No deal will protect you now. You can only join an organization with more power and hope that they will protect you."

"I was going to kill her anyway," Noah replied while shrugging his shoulders. "Now, name of the cultivator. I want to understand this connection."

Chief Ash struggled to come up with a decision. She didn't want to reveal that name for multiple reasons. She preferred to have Noah as an ally, and discovering that he had a connection with her enemy would ruin her plans. Still, lying to him wouldn't work in that situation. Only the truth would work with him.

"Have you ever heard of the name Divine Demon?" Chief Ash asked.