\"Yes. I believe that you have started to study these winged beasts in this period. What did you discover?\"
Noah asked.
He wanted to have a complete view of the current situation before exposing his plan.
However, the situation was bound to be worse than he expected.
The three powerful beings shook their heads, and Elder Austin even stood up to lay the complete corpse of a rank 4 winged beast on the floor.
Noah's eyes widened when he saw it, he had only been able to study the features of that species through body parts after all.
\"The cry from months ago shook the very foundation of the continent. We managed to stabilize the situation when the Patriarch returned, but we can barely defend our territories. We don't have much time to study these creatures.\"
Noah nodded when he heard Elder Austin's explanation, the situation matched the prediction in his mind.
A few months weren't enough to stabilize the domains of the organizations, even the fauna had yet to stabilize after all.
Yet, it was clear that limiting their efforts on defense wasn't the right approach.
The number of winged beasts was increasing at high speed, even with the cultivators and beasts defending their domain.
'The leaders are forcing the birth and growth of the pawns. This gives us more time but also stabilizes their position on the new continent.'
Noah thought as he crouched to analyze the complete corpse.
Forcing the growth of weaker beings would undoubtedly slow down the recovery of the rank 6 creatures in the pack, but it would give them more assets.
'They are smart, they know that investing in stabilizing their hunting areas would hasten their recovery.'
Noah's eyes sharpened at that moment.
The winged creature occupied his vision, it would resemble some sort of tall angel of his previous world if it wasn't for specific differences.
The long and sharp claws and the dark wings were its most striking features, but its real capabilities could be found in the mental waves radiated by its curved horns.
\"I believe you've realized by now that they mostly use organized attacks to exploit their mental abilities.\"
Noah began to speak to the higher-ups in the room.
Both elders nodded, and Chasing Demon put a hand under his chin to express his interest in the matter.
\"However, their most powerful skill is hidden under their organization.\"
Noah pointed at the horns when he gave voice to that phrase.
\"Their organization isn't part of their species but something that derives from their leader! These horns can echo the orders of the powerful beings of the pack and make all the weak beasts nothing more than cannon fodder! The leaders are sacrificing them to gain enough time for their recovery!\"
Noah's words slightly startled the powerful cultivators in the room.
Magical beasts were renowned for their lack of control and intelligence, it was hard to imagine that such beings could form organized packs and even have ranks among them.
That behavior could very well resemble that of humans!
Yet, the world was vast, and it gave birth to many peculiar existences.
Magical beasts able to formulate complex orders were extremely rare, but their existence had already been proven many times in the past.
The most striking example was the Kesier species, a race of humanoid magical beasts that had been exterminated to develop the best training method for the mental sphere.
Of course, intelligent beasts would have a higher chance of awakening their defective sea of consciousness, but that event was strictly related to their rank.
It was different from the creation of a Bloodline Inheritance.
A Bloodline Inheritance contained the accumulated emotions of a species passed down for millennia and could be used to expand the mental sphere of a cultivator.
However, a beast that had awakened its mind would only be able to formulate complex thoughts, and humans couldn't use its defective sea of consciousness.
The thoughts of a beast were different from those of a cultivator, but their emotions were quite similar, which led to the ability to absorb Bloodline Inheritances.
Noah had read reports that concerned the appearance of intelligent beasts in the past, but the pieces of information that involved the heroic ranks or above were scarce and extremely valuable.
He could only rely on his instincts and expertise to formulate hypotheses that could match the current crisis.
\"Patriarch.\"
Noah then directed his speech to Chasing Demon, he was the only one that could confirm his ideas.
\"You and the other rank 6 existences have awakened the leader of the pack, am I right?\"
\"Yes.\"
Chasing Demon didn't hesitate to answer, but he didn't dwell on the details.
\"What did it do when it woke up and found that powerful existences were surrounding it?\"
Noah continued to ask, he needed to know the first instinct of the leader to complete the image inside his mind.
\"It released the cry that has shaken the continent and made the mountains around its chrysalis crumble. We wanted to follow it, but the rest of the pack appeared, and we decided to focus on our respective territories.\"
Noah nodded at that point.
The leader had understood its situation and decided to retreat to focus on its recovery.
Then, when it saw that no one was hunting for it, it began to enlarge its pack and stabilize its control over the new continent.
\"How many rank 6 creatures are there in the pack?\"
\"Seven if we count the leader.\"
Chasing Demon answered Noah's question, he had begun to understand what he wanted from him.
'Seven rank 6 beasts would need a lot of food, and they can't go after the creatures in the sixth rank in the danger zones, they are simply too weak now. They would need a stable source of food for the next years to recover completely, which puts them at their weakest now.'
Noah summarized everything in his mind, he finally had the information that he needed.
\"Is the pact between the four nations still active?\"
\"Yes.\"
Chasing Demon answered again, but his eyes sharpened at that point, he had understood what Noah wanted.
\"Patriarch, you must destroy the leaders as soon as possible. These beasts are intelligent and organized, they would just keep on increasing their numbers if we let this situation continue. We might lose the piece of Immortal Lands if we give them enough time to recover.\"
Noah explained the situation as better as he could, it was up to Chasing Demon, and the other rank 6 existences now.
\"Why would the powerhouses of the other nations believe a rank 4 cultivator?\"
Chasing Demon asked, but Noah shook his head.
\"They must believe that this discovery comes from someone else. Actually, I would like it if you kept my arrival a secret.\"
\"And why is that?\"
Elder Julia asked when she heard Noah's words.
In her eyes, that was the perfect occasion to improve Noah's status.
However, Noah had his reasons.
\"Because I can avoid sending June away if the Royals think that I'm still underground.\"