Time stopped for everyone in the area, and even the flames still lingering on the ground froze. Only the flower on Ravaging Demon's hand kept on growing.
Ice started to spread from the flower. It covered Ravaging Demon's hand and reached for the rest of his arm. Yet, when it was about to freeze his shoulder, the powerhouse tightened his fist and broke the ice.
Ravaging Demon didn't show any annoyance. Instead, he appeared in a daze as memories from more than a thousand years ago resurfaced inside his mind.
"I thought you were dead," Ravaging Demon said without even spreading his consciousness to analyze his surroundings. "No need to hide. I know that you are protecting the boy."
Two figures appeared from behind the crumbled defensive walls at his words, and time started flowing again after they stopped in front of the debris that had submerged Noah.
The Elders of the Hive heaved a sigh of relief when they saw the two Demons arriving in their aid, and Elder Julia couldn't help but nod when she saw that Flying Demon had reached the solid stage.
There were now three rank 5 cultivators in the solid stage in the Hive, and two of them were existences that had been trained by a god!
The forces of the Council and Elbas family showed surprised expression when the two Demons arrived. The Royals were mainly amazed that the Hive had managed to hide such powerful assets for so long.
On the other hand, there were a few Elders that knew the identity of the two powerful cultivators and finding out that they had survived the destruction of the Demon sects surprised them to no end. The fact that they had stopped Ravaging Demon from seizing Noah made the scene even more nostalgic.
One side featured Divine Demon's faction, while the other had the reason for the destruction of the Demon sects. It was as if history was repeating itself.
"One thousand years spent with a divine inheritance, and you have managed to reach the sixth rank only now," Dreaming Demon said while wearing an indifferent expression. "Pathetic."
"Rufus has run away and hid while you bathed in riches," Flying Demon said while wearing the same expression of his lover. "It seems that Master made a mistake. You were never meant for greatness."
Ravaging Demon's smile reappeared after he heard the two Demons, and he started to laugh loudly right in front of the tense invaders. The appearance of two solid stage cultivators didn't bother him in the slightest. After all, he was a powerhouse now.
"I know what you are trying to do," Ravaging Demon said as he rotated his hand, and a small flame appeared on his palm. "You think that Chasing Demon will come here in time to save the boy if you give your life to block the next attack. You are delusional. This is already my second flame."
The fire in Ravaging Demon's palm shone brightly and seemed to contain more power than his previous attack. Elder Regina could immediately understand that her golden door wouldn't save her life if those flames were to reach her.
"Destruction that generates destruction," Dreaming Demon said. "You haven't changed at all. I can't say otherwise, but my path has never been so hopeless."
"Also, you have misunderstood one thing," Flying Demon said as soon as his lover finished her line. "There is no chance that Divine Demon's heir would let others handle his battles."
As soon as the Demon finished speaking, Ravaging Demon sensed an intense surge of energy coming from the ruins under his old companions.
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Turning time back a little, right after the sea of flames destroyed most of the Empire's domain.
Noah found himself under a pile of debris when he regained consciousness. A sharp pain filled the entirety of his body, but his mind was fine, so he focused on understanding his state.
His dantian and burning heart were ok, but a curse tried to escape his mouth when he saw the state of his body. Only half of his torso had remained intact. It seemed that the flames had managed to touch him before Snore intervened to protect him.
The left side of his body was gone or heavily injured, and there were patches of scorched skin everywhere. There was no trace of his left arm, and only half of his left leg had remained. Also, the left part of his face was a mess, and his left eye was gone.
Noah understood that only an existence that was above the fifth rank could hurt him so badly and without leaving him any chance to react. Guessing that the culprit was Ravaging Demon happened quickly too since he could feel his individuality on his wounds.
'He held back,' Noah concluded in his mind. Even with Snore's help, he was no match for a powerhouse. The fact that he was still alive meant that Ravaging Demon wanted to capture him alive.
'The Divine Deduction technique,' Noah found the answer to his doubts once again. Divine Demon's technique was the only asset in his possession that could force the powerhouse to keep him alive.
The arrival of Flying Demon and Dreaming Demon caused tremors in the environment that Noah didn't fail to notice. He could sense how Flying Demon had advanced after inheriting Shandal's individuality, but he knew that they wouldn't be enough to take him out of that situation.
'Where is the damned ring,' Noah thought as he struggled among the debris to find the black space-ring. He used to wear it on his left hand, so it had to be somewhere near him.
A black shadow moved among the debris and appeared in front of him at that point. Noah saw the Demonic Form releasing a low grow as it pushed his space-ring toward him with its tip. It seemed that the weapon had looked for the storage device while he was unconscious.
There were a few cracks on the sword, but it was overall fine. The fact that Snore and the Demonic Sword had put aside their divergences had given Noah a chance to join the battle against Ravaging Demon.
After all, he still had Divine Demon's rank 5 drugs inside the ring, and it also had multiple pills created by Daniel during his stay in the other Mortal Lands. The higher energy in his heart was fixing Snore's body too.
Noah was far away from his peak, but he didn't have a choice in that situation. He had to fight.
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Dense black smoke seeped out from the debris under the two Demons, and a draconic roar echoed through those regions. Even the humans on the scene could sense the intense anger contained inside that cry.
The smoke became even denser, and scales began to take form as Snore solidified its body. A pair of feathered wings appeared only to flap and push the Blood Companion upward. Its reptilian head then came out of the debris, carrying a badly wounded Noah, who was sitting right in the middle of its horns.