Birth of the Demonic Sword

June suffered from that strange phenomenon more than her companions. None of the turtles had ever seen the Mortal Lands, and the three cultivators were too old. Gabrielle wasn't born in the higher plane, but too long had passed since her time in the human ranks.

Only June still retained vague memories concerning the power of the magical beasts in the human ranks, and seeing them surviving the presence of multiple rank 9 beings left her speechless. That simply couldn't happen. It went against the sheer weight of her existence.

Still, an explanation soon appeared in her eyes, and the others didn't take long to find the same answer. June followed the expansion of her group's influence and noticed something astonishing and scary at the same time.

Their auras were spreading as always, and they obviously tried to fall on the surface. Usually, even the faintest strands of power released from a rank 9 being would be enough to turn the magical beasts on the prairie into puddles of blood. However, something was hindering the heavy influences in the sky.

The matter wouldn't be too surprising if the floor had a barrier that blocked the auras completely. The creator or creators probably were experts in the solid stage, so they had enough power to pull off something like that.

Nevertheless, the situation was far different. June noticed how the floor seemed to have a filter above the surface. Her group's auras transformed into tiny tendrils that barely carried any power as soon as they went through that invisible structure.

The filter wasn't a simple barrier. It could transform auras in the ninth rank. It could affect powers coming from worlds without showing the faintest ripple in its ethereal surface.

The tiny tendrils turned into nutrients for the prairie when they reached the surface. Most of their power vanished so that the magical beasts wouldn't suffocate due to the massive energy falling toward them. The separate reality cut away a lot of fuel and teleported it away from June's senses.

The source of the filter was clear, but that detail surprised June and the others again. They could easily follow the structure of the ethereal filter to find what was generating it, which turned out to be a small house placed at the center of the prairie.

It was hard for divine cultivators to miss details. A simple glance could give them a complete idea of a vast area. Yet, June and the others knew that they didn't see the house during their first inspection of the fourth floor. They had noticed it only after they had followed the filter to its source.

The filter wasn't only strong enough to transform rank 9 auras into a cozy rain that could improve the environment for the magical beasts in the human ranks. Its source could also remain hidden from strong beings' perception until it became impossible to miss.

June tried her best to study how something like that was even possible. She could understand and inspect the nature behind powers in the last stages of the ninth rank, but the filter made no sense in her mind, and the matter was even worse with the house. She only confirmed that the small structure contained a powerful being.

June instinctively glanced at Noah when her inspection ended. He was the only one in the group who could uncover something, but he was still in the middle of his drawbacks. His eyes remained closed, and his frown flickered whenever his mind tried to relax. It was clear that he would need a bit to recover.

The rest of Noah's group soon reached June's conclusions. They couldn't find anything about the filter except for its source and the powerful being living inside it. The level of the experts also felt easy to guess. Only someone with power in the solid stage could take their auras and turn them into nutrients for those weak magical beasts.

June, Fiery Mountain, Gabrielle, and Old Tyrant had retrieved their energy when the turtles began to calm down. Their attention had almost completely gone on the floor, and they silently agreed to wait for Noah to wake up before making any move.

Yet, the upper tier turtle didn't agree to that silent agreement. The leader hissed when it noticed the presence of a being that could match its sheer power. The creature wanted a challenge to settle the ownership of the floor right away, but June's figure filled its reptilian eyes before it could charge ahead.

"What are you trying to do?" June asked as crackling noises mixed with her voice.

"Move away," The leader shouted. "I'll be the first to face that strong presence. You'll have your chance if I die."

"Do you want to mess up the state of the floor again?" June questioned.

"What if defeating that presence is the key to leaving the floor?" The upper tier turtle responded.

"What if challenging it sends us back to the previous one?" June continued. "You don't understand anything of these matters, and I'm quite lost too. We can only wait to see if Noah can uncover more than us."

"What are you asking me to do?" The leader snorted. "My pack is exhausted, and the same goes for your group. Do you want us to wait here while our condition worsens?"

"That's better than risking to go through the previous events again," June replied. "I believe you don't want to see your pack suffering huge losses for a second time."

The upper tier turtle didn't know what to say. It wanted to complain that Noah was to blame its pack's losses, but that would only bring the tension back, which wouldn't help anyone.

"Besides, it's not your pack and my group," June continued. "We are all members of the same organization now."

The leader didn't like the comment, but it let it pass. June wasn't exactly insulting the creature, and her words also spoke the truth.

"Though it's a pity," June laughed. "I would have liked to have a round or two with you, but our battle would probably mess things up for the floor. The surface won't survive if even a thin strand of our presence reaches it."

The upper tier turtle could only agree with that statement. The prairie had only materials in the human ranks. The magical beasts wouldn't be able to eat it otherwise. The chunk of weak matter existed in one of the most powerful and complicated structures the higher plane had ever existed, and no one could find the reason behind that strange event.

"You are one crazy human," The leader sneered before voicing a soft hiss that made its underlings retreat inside their shells.

"And my man spent countless years studying creatures like you," June sighed when she saw that the upper tier turtle had also retreated inside its shell. "I guess we are perfect for each other."

June ended up smiling after voicing those words, and she crossed her legs to cultivate right after. Old Tyrant, Gabrielle, and Fiery Mountain followed her example and began to wait with everyone for Noah to wake up.

Years passed while the group floated among the azure sky. No one moved or made a sound. Everyone tried to remain perfectly still to avoid affecting the fourth floor with their power.

Eventually, a smile appeared on June's face. She interrupted her training only to inspect Noah opening his eyes for the first time in years.. He groaned in annoyance since his mind had yet to recover completely, but he still managed to use a loving tone when he questioned June. "What did I miss?"