Chapter 2133 - 2133. Answers
Noah and June didn't initially intend to go at it so intensely, but the sixth floor's reaction proved their approach right. Nothing happened when they replayed the various passages of the dual cultivation performed in the past, but everything changed when they lost themselves in their passion.
Gabrielle had given energy to the mountains when she cultivated, but something entirely different happened while Noah and June expressed their feelings. The rivers, sandy ground, grass, and waterfalls lost power as something began to take in the underground world.
Noah and June didn't completely understand the reason behind that reaction. They had theories, but they stopped caring about them once they saw that their approach was working.
Old Tyrant, Gabrielle, and the turtles imitated Fiery Mountain and retreated on the other side of the dark world when they saw that attacks were piercing the black crystals. Nothing reached them, but they didn't want to test their luck.
Only Pellio remained in his position. His face didn't show any trace of fear, but his companions didn't know how aware of the situation he was. He didn't flinch even when a shockwave pulverized the tea in the human ranks he had brewed.
Doubts appeared in Old Tyrant and Gabrielle's minds as Noah and June continued to let their passion run free. They exchanged a gaze that expressed their confusion before looking toward Fiery Mountain, but she had no real answers for them.
"Are they even fine?" Gabrielle eventually asked. "I've seen battles less violent than this."
"Only an amazing existence could be the boss' partner," Old Tyrant proudly announced, even if his face continued to show how amazed he was about the whole matter.
"You got lucky that he doesn't want more than one," Fiery Mountain commented.
Gabrielle wanted to contradict Fiery Mountain, but another shockwave suddenly reached the dark world and made everything tremble. The black crystals dispersed its power, but everyone inside the technique could sense the might that it carried. Needless to say, Gabrielle decided to remain silent afterward.
Even if the turtles had retreated, they didn't hide their approval toward the event. The upper tier leader appeared quite pleased about the whole matter. It couldn't help but accept Noah properly when it saw him behave as a magical beast.
The event went on for a long time. Old Tyrant and the others grew used to the chaos unfolding outside the dark world after a while. They started to cultivate, and they decided to open their eyes only after the dark crystals around them dispersed.
"The path to the next floor is open," Noah announced after calling back the dark world.
Old Tyrant and the others found a very different environment once they opened their eyes. The sky had remained unchanged, but everything else had transformed while Noah and June were busy expressing their feelings.
Deep holes had replaced the four mountains, and the barren areas had transformed into a series of gorges that created a complicated underground labyrinth. The rivers had also vanished, and an immense lake had appeared in their place.
A vast whirlpool rotated at the center of the lake, and a dimensional passage had appeared at the bottom of that structure. The sixth floor had opened the door for the next area without sacrificing the entirety of its environment.
The different environment attracted the group's attention, but many eyes quickly fell on Noah and June. He had his legs crossed, and she was sitting on his lap. Their faces didn't reveal anything, but they appeared unwilling to separate.
"Is something the matter?" Noah commented as the three cultivators and some turtles tried to find signs of the recent event on their bodies.
"Not at all, boss," Old Tyrant responded.
"Good job out there," Gabrielle awkwardly said.
Fiery Mountain only rolled her eyes flew forward, but she did her best not to get near the couple. Instead, the turtles hissed approving cries that had no human meaning, and their leader didn't hold back from voicing a comment before crossing Noah. "You might be a creature worth following."
"You are already following me," Noah growled coldly, but the upper tier turtle only voiced a happy hiss as it moved toward the lake.
Pellio began to fly forward, but Noah grabbed his mat before it could leave the area. The expert stopped brewing tea, and his eyes opened when he turned to look at Noah.
"The next floor will be the seventh," Noah exclaimed.
"And?" Pellio asked.
"And the Cursed Labyrinth has nine floors," Noah continued. "We are about to reach its end, so everything might become more dangerous."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," Pellio reassured. "I've dreamt about leaving this place. The images are almost as clear as reality."
"Why did the creators even make the Labyrinth?" Noah questioned. "What's the goal behind this place?"
"I don't know," Pellio responded.
"Dream about it," Noah ordered.
"I can't," Pellio replied. "The creators' power prevents me from seeing this structure in its entirety. I would have left on my own otherwise."
"You said that the Labyrinth attracts experts for various reasons," Noah reminded.
"So?" Pellio asked.
"So, you must know something," Noah stated.
"I do," Pellio admitted. "I know that you are thinking too hard about this structure. The Cursed Labyrinths offers different environments and situations, so it's only normal that various experts end up reaching it."
"How is it normal?" Noah questioned.
"Because it's part of the world," Pellio explained, "And it isn't at the same time. It has desires, but it also experiences the higher plane's whims."
"I can understand you and Fiery Mountain," Noah declared. "She needed a place Heaven and Earth couldn't reach, and you are here due to your enmity with the creators. However, the same doesn't apply to the turtles, Old Tyrant, and Gabrielle."
"You are looking at this system from the wrong perspective," Pellio stated.
"How so?" Noah asked.
"Maybe the other floors felt alone, so they have summoned different experts," Pellio suggested.
Noah went over the matter in his mind. Something began to make sense once he tried to see the Cursed Labyrinth as a living being or as a structure that reacted to the creatures in its insides.
That different perspective allowed Noah to justify the transformation of the sea. The environment might have changed due to the blood and corpses that had tainted it, but it still felt strange that it had begun to feed the turtles. Its connection to the Labyrinth had remained in place, so the structure could have fixed the issue.
The situation was different with Old Tyrant, Gabrielle, and the liquid stage cultivator that Noah had failed to save. There was an upper tier magical plant on that floor, and its infective ability probably required new beings. The Labyrinth might have reacted to that necessity, leading to the arrival of the three experts.
"You are still trying to find a reason," Pellio commented.
"It might help with the next floors," Noah responded.
"Are you sure?" Pellio asked. "Every floor is different. Trying to find answers will only place barriers in front of the truth."
"What's the truth?" Noah questioned.
"You know the truth," Pellio replied.
"No, I don't," Noah sighed. "I wouldn't have this conversation with you otherwise."
"Why does your ambition exist?" Pellio asked. "Why do I dream and make tea? Why do the turtles eat? Why does she launch lightning bolts? Do you have the answer to these questions?"
"Yes and no," Noah exclaimed as he began to understand what Pellio meant.
The Cursed Labyrinth had multiple creators, but Noah had never heard of them. That was normal since it was hard to find other rank 9 existences among the storms and the weak sky. Many of them also minded their own business and didn't look for fame.
Yet, all of those powerful existences aimed to expand their worlds, and the Labyrinth could be exactly that. Its creators might have built it only to express their power and have an environment that Heaven and Earth couldn't touch.
The state as a separate reality made the Cursed Labyrinth a place both outside and inside the world. That gave it influence over the higher plane, but it also put in the way of Heaven and Earth's fairness, which created multiple reasons behind the presence of experts on its floors.
Still, its cores remained the same as every other world. The Labyrinth was like Noah's ambition or June's desire for battles. It existed because its creators had felt the unstoppable drive to build it. Overthinking the matter couldn't lead to answers because they simply didn't exist.
"Did you find your answers?" Pellio eventually asked.
"No," Noah said, "But I understand what you mean. I guess I wish things were different."
"Why? Because of the final battle against Heaven and Earth?" Pellio questioned.
"We need more to win," Noah exclaimed.
"You are getting more," Pellio responded.
"We need more than this," Noah declared. "We need more than the creators too."
"Then we'll find other creators," Pellio continued, "If I decide to follow you."
"You are already following me," Noah nodded, and Pellio wore a smile before half-closing his eyes.
"He isn't easy to talk with," June commented after Noah let go of the flying mat and Pellio could reach the group near the dimensional passage.
"But his ability will be useful in the higher plane," Noah announced. "We can use him to find other allies."
****
Author's notes: Long chapter for win-win.. The next will have the normal length.