Chapter 1997 - 1997. Metal
"What do you remember of the sky?" Noah asked Sepunia.
"I lost a lot there," Sepunia revealed while curiously pinching her arm. "I know everything I told you, and I recall part of my city, but everything else is dark. I remember being in a trance for a long time, but I can't describe much. It's a bit of a mess."
"That's within our expectations," King Elbas announced. "Heaven and Earth have probably placed heavy restrictions on that part of your mind. We salvaged what we could, but I think that the rulers have hidden important parts to make sure that they shattered."
Noah and King Elbas had performed a complete checkup of Sepunia as soon as she woke up. The expert had developed the three standard centers of power and a simple world after the process, and everything worked perfectly, but her mind had yet to adapt to her new state.
Every sensation felt different for Sepunia.. Her body, power, and consciousness had changed in ways that involved profound aspects of her existence. She had transformed when she had abandoned her previous world, so even her personality started to change as her new structure reevaluated what her mind contained.
The results of the tests left the two experts completely satisfied. Sepunia didn't only gain a new world that had no connection with Heaven and Earth. She had also retained some important memories of the sky, and her existence had even turned into something quite peculiar.
Sepunia's current world was simple. It was a pure expression of her captivating abilities, which didn't rely on her beauty. Her power seemed able to change the world's appearance, but the experts guessed that it went far deeper than that.
Still, both Noah and King Elbas could sense a familiar power inside Sepunia's new existence. She carried a deep desire to expand. The world itself didn't want to remain in its current state.
"That ends it then," King Elbas exclaimed after the interrogation ended. "We have created a world capable of evolving in the middle of the ninth rank. You got your second chance."
Sepunia partially ignored King Elbas' words. The three experts were sitting on the ground, with Heaven and Earth's light shining above their heads, but Sepunia seemed unable to focus on her surroundings. She continued to check her body, and she giggled whenever an unfamiliar sensation spread inside her mind.
"She is a kid," King Elbas sighed helplessly.
"Cut me some slack," Sepunia complained before pinching her body in a different spot. "I never thought that my sensations could have such features. They are almost identical to what I had before, but they feel different, almost free even."
"Did Heaven and Earth restrain your ability to feel?" Noah asked since she had brought up the topic.
"I wouldn't put it like that," Sepunia said, but her voice turned high-pitched when the sensations of her pinch spread throughout her body. "I remember having something similar to a barrier between my body and my centers of power. I experienced the same sensations, but everything was dull and restrained."
"That's only normal when your world doesn't belong to you," Noah explained. "Focus on getting used to what you have now. We aren't exactly in a hurry, but we should leave quickly anyway."
Sepunia's revelations had added important details to Noah and King Elbas' knowledge of the sky. They now knew that Heaven and Earth had a group of elite cultivators in their system. They would probably be their last enemies before the final battle against the rulers.
The presence of cultivators that even Heaven and Earth had to respect forced Noah and King Elbas to consider how to accelerate their plans. There was a high chance that those privileged experts were like them. It would be impossible for ordinary existences to survive the rulers' absorption for entire eras. That elite group might have monsters.
Noah and King Elbas had met Caesar, and they had heard his position, but they expected some of the other privileged cultivators to have different opinions. They didn't believe that all of them had decided to use Noah's group as a stepping stone capable of improving Heaven and Earth's chances to reach the tenth rank.
Some of those privileged cultivators would eventually come out of the sky and try to stop the experts in Noah's group. He guessed that Caesar and his current level were the reason behind that delayed meeting, but he didn't think too much about the issue. He had time to get strong, and that was enough for now.
"Do we have a new target?" King Elbas asked. "I'd rather keep our conversations with the old rulers to the minimum."
"I actually came up with an idea," Noah revealed, "But I'll need Sepunia to think hard about it."
Sepunia interrupted her pinching and showed a surprised expression before questioning his new companions. "How can I help?"
"Heaven and Earth are approaching their victory, so the entire world is giving birth to the children of their flaws," Noah stated. "We know that the same flaws can affect the matter of the world. I guess something capable of countering the sky must have appeared."
"Aren't we part of that?" King Elbas asked.
"I was thinking about something more specific," Noah explained. "Maybe a mineral capable of piercing the sky has appeared somewhere, or part of the chaotic laws have gone crazy in a random spot of the stormy regions. I don't know, but it doesn't sound too impossible when you think about it."
"We are indeed vague as counters," King Elbas commented.
"Exactly!" Noah exclaimed. "We benefit from being flaws in Heaven and Earth's system, but we aren't born to destroy them. That's just a goal that we have set in our minds due to the structure of the world, but we would have considered ignoring the rulers altogether if they didn't pose a threat to our cultivation journey."
King Elbas nodded a few times before moving his eyes on Sepunia. Noah also gazed at her, and the two experts waited as the woman tilted her head and fell deep into her thoughts.
"I do recall something about that," Sepunia declared. "There was a metal that Heaven and Earth wanted to destroy at all costs, but I think they succeeded. They shattered the area with their punishments."
The revelation made the two experts curse in their minds. Noah and King Elbas exchanged a meaningful glance, but they couldn't think of any valid plan. Part of them even gave up on finding something better than the targets marked by the old rulers during their expansion.
"There must be something left of that metal," Sepunia suddenly continued to speak while she ruffled her long hair in a desperate attempt to find memories that didn't exist inside her mind. "I recall that Heaven and Earth had to leave part of that material in the world due to their fairness, but I can't remember where they put it. I know that it's still in that area, but I can't give you more details."
"That's already good!" King Elbas shouted as evident curiosity filled his face. "Do you happen to remember where this area is?"
"That I know," Sepunia exclaimed. "Though I must warn you. The area in my memories is unique. I don't know if Heaven and Earth have fixed it in the end, but it wasn't in a good state the last time I saw it."
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Author's notes: I had things to do tonight and couldn't prepare all the chapters in time. I'm doing them now.