Noah did his best to recover the assets lost during the transformation and to understand the prowess of the sword as he waited for the Tribulation to end. His empty dantian limited his possibilities, but the were a few things that didn't immediately require his "Breath".
Noah recreated the Will-consuming runes used during the forging. The peculiar state reached during the transformation had allowed him to control the "Breath" in the environment, but he had yet to inscribe the walls of his mind entirely.
Then, his focus went on his sword. The name Demonic Sword was too fitting for that new species, and even the blade seemed to like it. So, he simply called it like that before moving to its abilities.
As a lifeform that resembled the magical beasts, the sword had a series of innate skills that made use of the properties of the precious materials mixed in its structure.
It could release the corrosive smoke of the Demonic Form and use it to create dragon-like shapes during its offensive. Such attacks would radiate Noah's sharpness and use the energy contained inside the blade. Yet, Noah could increase the might of those attacks by using his energy, martial arts, and spells.
There wasn't any form or rejection between him and the sword, and even their instincts matched. It was as if they were the same entity, just divided into two different bodies.
Of course, Noah couldn't perform many tests in that situation. He didn't have "Breath", and he would rather avoid claiming the attention of Heaven and Earth during the Tribulation.
After his injuries had healed and the tests were over, he felt the need to go through the thoughts experienced during transformation.
His mind had gained access to a higher form of understanding since the perfect hybrids were supposed to be the most dangerous enemies of Heaven and Earth.
He remembered the feeling of having the laws of the world displayed right in front of his eyes. They were deep and unfathomable, powers far more intricate than the individualities. Also, they were everywhere, even if in a messy and chaotic state most of the time.
It was thanks to that understanding that he had managed to create the new Demonic Sword, but that hadn't been the only exciting event. His body had begun to transform primary energy into "Breath" of the darkness element after the breakthrough of the dantian!
The secrets behind that process had been the center of Noah's mediations for years. After all, his initial idea on how to complete his individuality concerned the creation of a different kind of "Breath".
Noah had memorized the process, and he didn't hesitate to analyze it with the Divine Deduction technique once he had dealt with the other pressing matters.
Many flaws and issues immediately appeared when he tried to reverse-engineer that procedure. The "Breath" instinctively created by his body was an imitation of the energy belonging to Heaven and Earth. It was slightly weaker than the original, and it was able to express its full power only when a hybrid of that kind used it.
That couldn't work for Noah. There was no point in creating a different version of the "Breath" of the darkness element if there was something stronger in the environment. Also, he needed to modify the procedure to make something perfect for his peculiar existence.
'With a slash, I destroy worlds.' Noah thought, waving the Demonic Sword without putting any strength in that gesture.
The sharp edge of the weapon cut the air and left a trail of primary energy at its passage. Noah's destruction made the trail spread and create more primary energy.
'With another slash, I create worlds.' Noah thought, cutting the air again.
The primary energy accumulating in front of him entered in the sword that used it to create abstract forms made of corrosive black smoke.
Noah felt that his control over the smoke was superior when he used the blade to cast it. It was as if his power overall was whole only when he worked together with the Demonic Sword.
That discovery didn't surprise him since the weapon was actually him but in the form of pure expression of his individuality. However, seeing that his connection with the blade gave him so many benefits, he began to modify his plans for his techniques.
He had ideas that saw the Demonic Sword as the core part of his cultivation technique and some spells. Still, he would need to return to a safe environment and acquire other materials before testing all of that.
Faith and June kept themselves busy as the Tribulation raged and shook the castle, together with the entire Mortal Lands.
Faith spent most of her time cultivating and trying to understand what was happening on the other side of the gray marble that made the walls of the structure. Nevertheless, she was never able to gain a clear picture since the power of the lightning storm destroyed most of her mental waves.
June cultivated too, but she had it better than Faith since Noah was with her. The two of them could spend their free time together and prepare in the eventuality that the rank 6 snake survived the Tribulation and unleashed its rage on them.
Of course, their preparations weren't battle-related. They simply used that time to have some intimate moments in case their lives were about to end.
It was needless to say that the situation was quite strange since both Faith and the Demonic Sword didn't exactly agree with that behavior. Yet, Faith understood their needs and did her best to close her senses whenever the couple reached a point that was too intimate for her to see.
On the other hand, the sword was difficult to convince, and June would often end up arguing with it.
Noah simply laughed when he saw his lover trying to explain the meaning of privacy to a flying blade that could only answer with roars. However, the two of them reached a sort of understanding at some point, even if the sword didn't like it.
The Tribulation lasted for an entire month, and an eerie silence fell on the world when the lightning storm vanished.
The castle had stopped shaking a few days before, but Noah and the others didn't dare to climb to the top floor until everything was over. Then, an entire day after the last lightning bolt, the three cultivators and sword stood up and moved toward the top of the structure.
Noah felt relieved when his consciousness seeped through the hall and noticed a huge and motionless corpse, but he still crossed the entrance with the utmost attention.
Luckily for him, the rank 6 snake wasn't playing any tricks at that time. Its charred corpse lay on the floor without radiating the slightest trace of life.
Noah noticed how countless holes filled its skin and that one of its wings was completely missing.
He couldn't feel excited though since the Tribulation had been thorough in that destruction. When Noah neared it and touched its skin, a large chunk of its meat fell apart and turned into dust.