The hidden world was an environment filled with ancient species and forgotten creatures, but it wasn't useful as a territory. Nothing could beat the piece of Immortal Lands in terms of resources and density of "Breath".
Noah had been ready to leave that place as soon as he restored the powerhouse's body. Still, the rebels had no intention to leave before saving as many tribes as they could.
Since Noah wasn't willing to leave without the Seventh Kesier rune and those heroic assets, he decided that it was time for him to help them properly.
That wasn't his first rebellion, and he had become used to wars throughout his life. His experience in battles of that kind and his prowess could help the rebels end that matter faster.
Noah went on a solitary exploration once his dantian reached the solid stage. He had yet to adapt his techniques to his new power, but the process would be faster if he had opponents that could endure his blows.
Skully had defeated most of the packs around the lava lake, so he had to venture in farther territories to look for worthy opponents. Still, that world didn't lack powerful creatures, so finding them didn't take him much.
Noah descended toward a small lake where a series of deer-type magical beasts had set up their lair. There were three specimens in the fifth rank among them, with one at the upper tier's peak.
Noah didn't recognize that species, but he could understand most of their qualities with a glance at their physical features. The deer had long and intricate brown horns made of a metallic material. The strongest creatures among them were four meters tall and seven long. All of them had thick brown fur that stood up whenever they moved.
The air around them was tense. Noah could easily guess that they had a lightning aptitude, but that didn't affect his plan. After all, their power couldn't faze him.
'Let's start with the basics,' Noah thought as the Demonic Sword flew in his palm, and he performed a casual slash.
The solid darkness in his dantian moved together with his arm, completing the first form of his martial art. The black line that came out of it was a massive slash that divided the lake into two halves and spread a vast cloud of corrosive smoke.
Noah had purposely missed all the beasts, but every specimen in the fourth rank or lower died when the shockwaves released by his attack spread in the region. Even the casual slash of a hybrid on Noah's level was too much for them to handle.
The entire region trembled after the attack, and the underground structure of the area destabilized as the slash dug in its depths. The simplest of Noah's gesture was akin to a natural calamity in a mortal plane.
The three surviving rank 5 deer let out angry cries as the ground trembled under their legs. Yet, they went silent when they identified the existence that had dared to invade their lair.
Noah's body had been in the upper tier's last phases for a while, but that wasn't the scariest aspect of his figure. His entire existence spread destruction that generated primary energy, and even the world's pale light dimmed around him.
Everything about him appeared meant to destroy, and his reptilian eyes radiated the sharpness of his existence. His cold gaze was enough to scare away the weaker deer.
The leader of the pack couldn't think of any way to defeat the flying invader. Its instincts told it to flee and never look back, but the pressure around it intensified when it was about to roar the order.
Noah's eyes shone with a cold light as he stared at the leader. His simple glance was enough to make the creature understand that it couldn't go anywhere.
Snore slowly took form after the deer gave up on escaping. The Blood Companion's size had increased since the denser dark matter began to flow into its body. Its dark shape even sparkled with a black light from time to time, showing that Noah's breakthroughs were affecting it.
Its level had increased too. Snore had lingered on the lower tier of the fifth rank before, but it had suddenly risen to the middle tier now. Moreover, the new dark matter had yet to fill all its body, so that wasn't its limit.
Of course, that classification was something that Noah used to understand Snore's growth better. The fact that the Blood Companion had higher energy as its fabric made its power impossible to classify with standard labels.
Snore appeared majestic as it coiled around Noah. The Albino Snake's will cheered as it sensed its new power and released a loud hiss to express its excitement.
'The flames should be enough,' Noah thought as he sat on the Snake's head. He didn't care about the creatures on the ground. All he wanted was seeing the destructive might that he could unleash now.
Snore spread its mouth, and a column of black flames fell on the remains of the pack. The three deer could only lower their heads and accept their fate when they saw the attack coming for them.
The land became a charred wasteland in a few seconds. Snore's flames didn't leave anything behind, and even the vegetation at the bottom of the lake became nothing more than ashes.
Entire layers of the ground burned as the flames lingered on its surface. A massive black cavity replaced that once green environment.
As for the three rank 5 creatures, only a few body parts survived the black flames. Even such strong beings couldn't do anything against Snore's attack.
'This is far better than I expected,' Noah thought as he inspected the effects of the flames. The solid darkness had improved his battle prowess by a lot, but those boosts multiplied when it came to his higher energy.
'I might become a match for weaker rank 6 cultivators once all my assets become used to my new level,' Noah pondered.
Ravaging Demon's surprise attack had shown him how the higher energy was already making him ignore the gaps between the stages. Yet, he had now reached the point when he could begin to consider facing an actual powerhouse on his own!
Noah gathered anything valuable from the area and returned to the black palace. He had decided to improve his techniques and hunt a rank 6 creature later to test his strength.
A peculiar scene appeared in front of him when he returned to the throne hall. Skully sat on the floor, holding a piece of fur that had the Third Kesier rune on its surface while her mental waves surrounded it.
The white hair turned black as her mind absorbed the power of the rune, but saliva drooled out of the corners of her mouth as the procedure continued. Skully's smile was strange too. She appeared to be wholly captivated by that sensation.
'Don't tell me,' Noah thought before Skully turned and looked at him with a hungry expression. He couldn't see any human emotion on her face. There was only hunger.