Chapter 2170 - 2170. Transformation
At first, the change was subtle, but Noah's group experienced it as a groundbreaking event. They felt their grip on the world weakening as Heaven and Earth's power rose.
Everyone else soon sensed the change, or, rather, the event became impossible to miss. The sky's whiteness intensified as the whole structure began to shrink and condense. Something massive was happening to the world, but that was only a superficial transformation.
The greatest change involved the pressure naturally radiated by the sky. The white light brightened and gained the properties of sharp blades that tried to pierce every sea of consciousness in their range.
Even the magical beasts that had just begun to rejoice at the fall of the weak sky had to run away to hide from the incoming light. Their powerful bodies weren't enough to shield them from the dangerous radiance.
The higher plane now lacked hiding spots. Only the clouds of white shards and a few structures occupied its insides, but Heaven and Earth didn't care about them. They didn't even bother to use their new light to kill the various forces.
The white radiance stopped advancing and began to retreat inside the shrinking sky. The white layer condensed even further and removed every crack or hole that had appeared on its structure while pushing away the black rivers.
Noah and the others also fell prey to the pushing force. They found themselves trapped inside invisible waves that kicked them away from the black battlefield and put them back inside the tunnel.
Heaven and Earth didn't want any invaders inside the sky during that transformation, but their pushing force didn't aim to hurt them. Noah and the others could try to oppose the event, but they quickly decided to go along with it.
The mission was over, and it had even been a success. Leaving the sky had become the priority, especially since Heaven and Earth were going through a massive transformation.
Noah and the others had no intention of being caught in the transformation, so they deployed their movement techniques to go along with the pushing force. They didn't take long to leave the sky, but they never had the chance to feel relieved.
The scene that unfolded in the group's vision as soon as they left the sky took control of their emotion. The sight of the clear higher plane was reassuring and nostalgic, but the changes in the white layer above them filled them with worry.
The sky condensed at an unfathomable pace. Noah and the others saw the white layer retreating and hardening quickly. Its surface became smoother than ever, but the light inside its fabric stopped becoming unbearable.
That change felt beyond odd in Noah's mind. It seemed that Heaven and Earth's light had lost power, but the reality of the situation was far different.
Heaven and Earth were growing stronger, and the same went for their light. However, they had decided to keep it inside the sky instead of unleashing it into the higher plane.
The increased power in the light didn't even come from a higher amount of energy. Heaven and Earth were growing purer, which granted their radiance a stronger influence. Losing such a massive chunk of themselves was pushing their existence toward a new realm.
Noah inspected everything coldly as a conclusion appeared in his mind. He knew that the change had been too drastic at that time. Heaven and Earth's power would probably be too much to handle once the transformation ended.
'Can we even stop them the next time?' Noah wondered, and the slight tremors in his companions' mental waves told him that they shared his worries.
No one dared to divert their attention from the sky, but everyone knew that something massive would arrive. Maybe the event wouldn't come right after the transformation, but the situation had reached a critical point. Heaven and Earth would probably be ready to start the final battle once their existence stabilized.
"I guess we have done it now," King Elbas commented as the sky continued to condense.
"At least, finding allies should be easier now," Cursed Reality added.
"We might not need to find them," Noah suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" Emperor asked.
"He wants to create a new higher plane," June sighed. "I guess it's a fitting plan considering our situation."
"I can help with that," The Foolery stated during one of its rare serious moments.
"Everyone must help," King Elbas scoffed. "You won't handle something so important without my supervision."
"You obviously had to say something boring," The Foolery replied.
"Is this really the time to bicker?" Queen asked.
"Cultivators should follow their nature," Pellio declared.
"Why aren't you making tea then?" Queen rebuked.
"I don't want to risk losing a single scene of this event," Pellio honestly admitted, and no one could disagree with that statement.
The world was transforming beyond everyone's expectations. The new state of the higher plane was interesting, but the changes in the sky were far more interesting, especially now that everything began to stabilize.
Initially, the sky had been an immense white layer that encircled the whole higher plane, and that feature didn't change. Yet, it was far thinner now, and its surface had become clearly visible now that Heaven and Earth kept their light inside the structure.
A smooth, seemingly endless surface enveloped the entirety of the higher plane and shone on all the surviving forces. A sole glance at the structure was enough to fill everyone with awe and fear. The sky had lost a large chunk of its fabric, but it appeared stronger than ever.
"I can almost look through it," King Elbas exclaimed.
"Do they want to make us gaze at the void?" Cursed Reality wondered.
"No," Noah stated. "They have stopped caring about us."
"So, this is close to their final form," Emperor commented.
"It's probably a pure expression of their core," King Elbas guessed. "Heaven and Earth had so many useless things and laws in their world. Now they have the chance to gain a pure form."
"How long do you think it will take them to wake up?" Noah asked.
"Assuming that they are sleeping," King Elbas sighed while falling deep into his thoughts.
Calculations happened in King Elbas' mind as he gathered data from the scene. He couldn't come up with precise answers, but he still wanted to develop valuable hypotheses.
Nevertheless, a lump of light appeared next to the group and condensed into Caesar's shape. The expert's arrival surprised Noah and the others, but none prepared for battle. They could sense that the privileged cultivator had no intention to fight.
"What do you want now?" Noah asked.
"I've come to answer your questions," Caesar said in his playful tone.
"Do you want to push the world's fairness in Heaven and Earth's direction even more?" King Elbas snorted.
"My actions are always beneficial toward Heaven and Earth," Caesar replied.
"We don't want to hear what you have to say then," Queen declared.
"Wait," Noah called. "We have already pushed Heaven and Earth toward their best state. Holding back now it's pointless."
"Indeed," Caesar announced. "Heaven and Earth are almost ready to take the last step. I've come to confirm what you are thinking.. The final battle will begin once they assimilate the recent changes."