The Ape God's insulted the entirety of humankind, but there was truth behind its words. Cultivators didn't choose to be born with three centers of power, and the magical beasts weren't guilty of having only one of them.
Luck played an essential part in the cultivation journey, and its influence started as soon as a living being was born. The species itself declared the potential of a creature.
Of course, there were exceptional cases, but the magical beasts had a fixed fate unless random mutations or stronger beings' influence changed it. The creatures of the other Mortal Lands were the living statement that anything could happen in the cultivation world.
Still, those were rare events. Cultivations were stronger than the magical beasts. That was an eternal truth of the cultivation world.
Noah wanted to feign interest to gain more time, but his body didn't react to his commands. Luckily for him, the God forced him to stare at its figure, which gave him full access to the Sixth Kesier rune on its body.
'Push as much as I can before devouring,' Noah thought as he set his mind at ease in the hope that such behavior could improve his sea of consciousness faster.
His plan to get out of that situation without a mental brand was dangerous, but its chances of working had increased when he heard the Ape speaking. He could exploit its anger. Noah was ready to use any leverage when dealing with a divine creature.
"Heaven and Earth's decisions are completely random," The rank 7 Kesier Ape said before heaving a humanlike sigh. "This creates a broken system. I'll change it once I reach the Immortal Lands. I'll make it fair."
Noah found the God's words interesting, but he maintained his focus on its Sixth rune. His mind was improving more quickly, so he didn't dare to do anything else.
"You detain the power to cheat Heaven and Earth's system," The Ape said. "I need it. Give it to me."
Noah's thoughts became tense at those words. He expected something to happen in the next seconds, but the Ape remained still as if waiting for him to move.
The God then released a laugh and waved its hand, freeing Noah from its control. The latter staggered as his mind restored all the connections with his centers of power. His breathing became rough, but he stabilized it in a few seconds.
Noah cleared his throat as he glanced at the tall Ape on the rocky throne. He didn't understand what the God wanted him to do, but he didn't waste that chance to stare at its Sixth rune with even more intensity.
"No need to feign ignorance," The Ape said again. "I've already restored the mental brand to all the cultivators here. I know what you gave her."
Noah's thoughts froze at those words, and his eyes looked around the empty area. Skully was next to him, while the rebels' experts stood on other platforms that had appeared at the end of their tunnels.
That was the entirety of the elite force of the rebels. Skully's millennia of work had gone to waste as soon as the Ape God's changed its routine.
"What would you like me to do?" Noah asked when his gaze returned to the tall Ape. He wasn't going to agree to any of its requests, but there was something that he needed to know before acting.
The divine creature's hands closed, and both its forefingers pointed at its low-waist before it gave voice to its request. "I want that human organ. I need a dantian to compete with the monsters above."
"What do I get in exchange?" Noah asked with his usual cold tone.
"Your life," The Ape God cut the negotiations short. It didn't give him any hope to talk his way out of that situation.
"I want a story and an answer," Noah's answered firmly, and the Ape hesitated before it gestured him to speak again.
"I want your story," Noah said as he sat on the ground. "And I want to know how you learnt about my peculiar nature."
The Ape's eyes went cold when it sensed that Noah was plotting something. However, it couldn't understand what it was, which eventually convinced him that there wasn't any hidden reason behind his words.
Noah had all the hidden reasons of the world. They went from expanding his knowledge about the Kesier species to understanding the current power of the God. Moreover, he was gaining time for his mind to reach the sixth rank.
The divine creature eventually nodded and began to tell its story. "I've come here to escape your kind. My brothers and sisters gave their lives to push me to this stage, and I sacrificed their rune to create this sky. This is a paradise for our species. Kesier Apes can live free from any ruler here and not fear for their lives.
"I've known about the hole in the sky since before the rune fell. Creating a world with an imperfect divine power can only lead to that outcome. This is why I focused on growing a divine rune for myself rather than seizing my lost one back."
Noah could say that its speech made sense. He didn't know why, but his instincts told him that the Ape God wouldn't have managed to stabilize the black sky even if it took the Seventh Kesier rune back.
"Creating a world gives you a tighter connection with Heaven and Earth," The Ape eventually concluded. "I can understand what sort of mistake you are with a simple glance."
'I see,' Noah thought, 'A creator knows.'
More details about the Kesier species' leader became evident in his mind as he kept staring at its Sixth Kesier rune. Once his eyes became used to its divine halo, he could recognize the various flaws that filled its body.
Noah could finally see the exhaustion behind its eyes, its inflated belly caused by failed absorption of food, the missing teeth in its mouth, and the slight tremors that swept its fingers from time to time.
Time shouldn't affect a divine being, not in such a short period, at least. There was something strange with the Ape God, and Noah didn't fail to see it as his mind reached the limits of the fifth rank.
"What are you waiting for?" The Ape asked with a tinge of anger in its tone. Noah felt forced to close his eyes to endure the pressure generated by its words, but the violent force lasted far less than he expected.
It was as if the Ape was becoming weaker as their conversation continued!
"This is an act, isn't it?" Noah asked as a series of items left Divine Demon's space-ring and entered his new one.
Noah believed that all the cultivators in the area had a mental brand now, but he didn't think that the Ape God could pull that feat off every time. It had probably reached its limits since it had shortened his period of rest.
Then, Noah asked a question that made the divine beast shake. "Do you need a dantian to stop yourself from dying?"