Chapter 628 628. Challenge
Noah and the remains of the Charming demon sect left the city of Slyfall in less than a day.
The group of disciples and Gillian walked at a steady pace along the western coastline while Noah flew over them.
The ships of the Hive would wait for them in a specific spot at a couple of months of travel, but Noah was confident in shortening that journey by a few weeks.
The route was planned according to the danger zones in front of them, Gillian and her group would generally avoid them if they were alone.
Yet, with Noah overseeing the situation, rank 4 danger zones could be treaded safely.
Just one glance from him was enough to clear the path from rank 3 and 4 magical beasts, they would run away in fear of the powerful creature that was approaching their territory.
They didn't encounter problems connected with the human society either.
Gillian's group was mostly made of alluring women that had trained in the methods of the Charming demon sect.
Still, the sight of the young figure floating above them in a cross-legged position scared away any potential assailant.
Also, the inhabited areas along that coastline were mostly filled with slaves that gathered Vostum, the terrain needed for the most common body-nourishing method of the Shandal Empire.
The soldiers managing those mining camps could only lower their heads whenever they noticed Noah's flying figure, it wasn't worth risking to offend a powerful cultivator only to pursue their lust for the women in the group.
Even the big nations mainly ignored the event.
The news that Noah had returned in the old continent quickly spread through the higher-ups of the three countries, but they didn't mind his presence too much.
Noah was just recruiting human cultivators from independent areas, they couldn't care less about it.
Also, they were somewhat glad that Noah wasn't spending all his time cultivating.
His potential was too scary, they would rather see him doing missions than training.
Of course, the assumption that Noah wasn't training was utterly wrong.
That slow and peaceful travel gave him all the time that he needed to focus on his centers of power.
His dantian was improving on its own, and his body kept on absorbing the "Breath" in the air when Noah didn't feed him.
So, he focused entirely on his mental sphere.
He diligently trained with the fifth Kesier rune and activated the Divine deduction technique to ponder about the diagrams that he had recently translated.
He spent the rest of his time letting his mind wander through the depths of his individuality and their connections with the darkness element.
The freedom that he was experiencing lifted his mood, and he sensed that his dantian was slowly benefitting from that situation.
However, there was one thought that had bugged him since his breakthrough.
'My cultivation technique works as intended, and my attacks didn't show any change. My mindset feels slightly different, intense emotions and incredible alertness are just a few of those small changes. Yet, there doesn't seem to be anything too substantial. Maybe, I'm overthinking it.'
Noah thought as he escorted the group.
He couldn't just ignore that his mental energy had become brown, but there didn't seem to be any consequence to that change.
'Maybe, its features will appear once my individuality starts to affect my centers of power. The greed inside the black ring pushed it to the middle tier after all.'
Noah continued to ponder over the matter, but he couldn't find a satisfying explanation.
He felt different, but he felt normal at the same time.
The travel was uneventful, so Noah managed to enter a meditative state for its whole duration, he only had to give a cold look at the beasts on his path from time to time.
'I explore the meaning of the darkness as I walk under the light. Chaos spreads whenever I take a step, but a simple gesture can reassemble the world in a different shape.'
Elder Austin's words often appeared in his mind as he explored his individuality.
'The elder is a volcano ready to explode, but I should be more similar to King Elbas. My bloodline carries unyielding pride and anger, but they do not rule me. They are just fuel for my ambition.'
There was one thing clear in Noah's mind: He wasn't a magical beast.
He could act like them and even imitate their combat style, but he remained a hybrid.
'A being of two worlds that strives for the stars. My birthright doesn't exist in this world, so it's on me to establish it. My same life is the expression of my individuality.'
An individuality didn't necessarily mean actions to be pursued.
The sole fact that Noah was improving was an expression of himself.
'Simple defiance is just a childish act that originates from my anger. Stealing from Heaven and Earth to give a new shape to those materials is more mature, but it's still far from reaching a level that can match their might.'
In the end, the group from the Charming demon sect reached the appointed spot and excitedly entered the ships waiting on the shores.
Noah sensed a series of alluring gazes being shot in his direction, it seemed that both Gillian and her disciples were interested in him.
However, they were just humans in Noah's mind, he could break them with a thought.
They couldn't have any value in his mind, they were too weak to occupy his thoughts.
'The creation must affect the very foundation of the "Breath". It's not about understanding the laws of the darkness element, I must create my own darkness!'
Noah thought as the ships left the shores and went toward the Coral archipelago.
The Charming demon sect would soon reach the Hive and become part of its ranks, it would be up to the elders now to analyze their techniques and see if they are somewhat valuable.
The Devouring demon sect had been wholly destroyed according to Gillian's story, so he had to look for eight more demon sects.
Noah didn't have any more certainties in his possession, there were only some clues in the information obtained from the elders and Gillian.
However, he didn't mind that situation, he could freely explore as he tried to gain insights about his element.
'The closest clues would lead me inside the Empire. There is a rumor that a group of cultivators used to practice unorthodox and complex techniques before the Empire enslaved them.'
The unorthodox techniques described in those clues seemed too intricate to belong to a weak force, there was a high chance that they came from one of the exiled demon sects.
Noah decided to investigate that matter, and was about to fly toward the territories of the Empire when his ears picked the echo of a low growl.
The growl came from a forest near him, it was one of the danger zones that divided the many encampments of the Empire.
The growl wasn't directed at him, the creature in the forest was simply challenging anyone in the area.
Of course, Noah turned to fly toward the forest.