Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah, King Elbas, Wilfred, and Jordan met in Noah's cave to discuss the meeting with the Balrow family.

The experts had decided to accompany Noah to the meeting for different reasons. King Elbas would obtain the secret behind the path to the ninth rank, while the hybrids wanted to trade part of the resources seized during the assault to the Sailbrird family.

Moreover, they shared Noah's worries. The human domain had labeled the Legion as one of its worst enemies after the attack. Noah had even become one of the most wanted existences in the entire Immortal Lands after his recent achievements.

The spies of the Legion had learnt that many organizations had agreed on placing a bounty on Noah's head. They offered enough Soul Stones to build large forces from scratch.

"Try to teleport us into a secret location this time," Noah said during the meeting. "I'd rather spend some time in the wilderness to set a way back home. I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's easier with just the four of us," King Elbas replied. "Are you sure that we can't ask the Balrow family to place a beacon for us?"

"The less they know, the safer we'll be," Noah replied. "I believe things won't go smoothly."

"I have started to feel the same since I agreed to join the meeting," Wilfred added.

"Me too," Jordan said. "Still, it's strange. Our spies have confirmed that the attack on the Sailbrird family has worked as intended. I don't understand who can attempt to our life."

"Maybe the Balrow family wants to ambush us," King Elbas replied. "I'm also experiencing the same feeling, but I don't seem able to divine the nature of the threat."

The four of them were rank 8 existences. The hybrids had superior awareness, but even King Elbas' senses could feel when danger was approaching.

The group was almost sure that something big would happen soon, and the closest event was the meeting with the Balrow family. It was only normal for them to connect the two.

"This is strange," Noah explained. "An ambush shouldn't make all of us feel like this. I bet it's something deeper, maybe even connected with the higher plane."

Noah had felt something similar during the invasion of the winged beasts. It was as if the world itself was about to bring some danger, but he couldn't explain how that could happen in the middle of the human domain.

'Another invasion?' Noah wondered before sending his mental waves toward the sky. 'Don't tell me that I have to watch out for meteorites here.'

The conversation didn't bring any solution. The experts had only understood that they would be in danger if they went to the meeting.

Noah instantly stated his position. He would go to the meeting anyway since he needed to improve the workshop.

The others didn't hide their hesitation, but King Elbas eventually gave in. He wouldn't shy away from a dangerous situation. He actually desired it.

Wilfred and Jordan also agreed to come at some point. They had nothing to do among those regions, and Wilfred even had to accumulate experience for the breakthrough to the liquid stage.

As for Jordan, she justified her decision by mentioning her cultivation level. Yet, the truth was that she wanted to keep an eye on Noah since he was too valuable for the Legion.

Once the four of them made their mind, King Elbas began to work on the teleport while the others prepared for the foreshadowed crisis. Of course, they couldn't do much in that short time, but adding a few training sessions to their cultivation level never hurt.

The group completed their preparations in a few years. Noah and the others didn't need much, but King Elbas wanted to sort his inscribed items after completing the formation.

The four of them eventually left and reappeared at the base of a tall mountain. King Elbas had purposely chosen coordinates a few kilometers away from those sent by the Balrow family, so they appeared in wild regions.

The knowledge retrieved by the Sailbrird family had taught them where the Balrow family had built some of their mansion. The group knew where they had to go even without following the coordinates, but they decided to explore the wilderness before approaching the meeting.

The area featured a few packs of magical beasts, but Noah's group could submit all of them. The Balrow family performed sporadic clearing operations to keep the fauna in check, so they didn't meet any creature in the middle tier.

King Elbas made sure that the area didn't feature any sensor or inscription meant to locate eventual invaders. Thus, Noah and the others could safely settle in an isolated area and build a few defenses.

Jordan and Wilfred couldn't do much in that situation, but King Elbas and Noah unleashed their whole expertise in the inscription field.

Noah's traps weren't as sophisticated as King Elbas', but they served their purpose, especially since they managed to hide his companion's defenses.

King Elbas began to prepare the teleport after the defenses were in place. He didn't destroy the formation in the Outer Lands, so he could quickly connect the two. It took him only a few months to complete that inscription.

"I guess it's time to go," Noah sighed once King Elbas completed his task.

His group had created a base in the middle of the domain of the Balrow family. They had even submitted the magical beasts in the area. They had reinforcements and an escape route ready.

Noah and the others quickly flew toward the coordinates sent by the Balrow family. Their eyes could soon see a platoon made by two rank 8 cultivators in the gaseous stage and a series of rank 7 existences in that location.

One of the rank 7 existences stepped forward when Noah's group landed in front of the small army. Noah recognized Saul Balrow and noticed that his cultivation level didn't increase by much.

"Did you spend these millennia inscribing stuff?" Noah teased Saul.

"I actually did that," Saul happily replied. "There is too much to study from Great Builder's inheritance, and new talents land on my door every day. I'm not in a hurry to reach the eighth rank, so why bother spending so much time cultivating?"

"I can't relate," Noah sighed, ending the discussion and focusing on the rest of the cultivators.

The underlings tried to maintain cold expressions, but fear appeared in their eyes whenever Noah inspected them. Even the two rank 8 cultivators seemed worried that the trade could end tragically.

'They don't appear as the types to plan an ambush,' Noah concluded in his mind before taking a few steps forward.

The two rank 8 existences also stepped forward and quickly took out a few praying mats from their space-rings. They even gestured to Noah's companions to join him, but they preferred to remain in the backlines.

"I'd rather keep this conversation private," Noah explained. "Don't worry about them."

Of course, King Elbas and the others didn't sit because they wanted to inspect the situation from a better position. Noah had never treated the topic of the meeting as a secret.

The two rank 8 cultivators filled the praying mats with wine and delicacies before revealing their names. The old-looking man with short white hair and a long beard was Irvin Balrow, while the middle-aged woman with long brown hair was Pearl Balrow.

"It's an honor to meet Defying Demon," Irvin announced. "The Balrow family has gained a lot from your discovery in Great Builder's inheritance. I don't understand why the whole human domain is so bent on taking you down."

"Grudges are hard to quench," Noah replied in a cold tone while filling a cup. "Most organizations have been in power for so long that they have forgotten how to accept a loss."

"We were happy to discover that your enmity with the Crystal City didn't ruin our relationship," Pearl continued. "We can't use Great Builder's inheritance properly since we don't know how to create a few core items."

"You mean this, right?" Noah asked while taking a fake core from his separate space.