"We can't launch an exploration in the void with such unclear threats," King Elbas reminded Noah while trying to study the empty creature.
"We know that they fear my sharpness," Noah explained. "This shouldn't depend on my special features. We can easily handle them with Sword Saint."
"We still need to test that," King Elbas sighed while bending toward the cage and rubbing his chin. "I wish we could learn more about this creature before going back inside the sky, but I can't interact with it at all."
"There is something that we can try," Noah suggested. "Keeping it here is pointless anyway. You can't study emptiness."
King Elbas showed a confused expression that transformed into a curious face when it understood that Noah wanted to do something strange again.
Noah descended inside the hole and waited for King Elbas to pick his items before flying toward the other side. The two experts were technically back in the areas under the sky now, but they remained at the edges of the white tunnel since they had something to test.
"Why would this even cause a reaction?" King Elbas asked when he saw Noah creating an opening in the cage that led directly toward the white sky.
"I have no idea," Noah laughed, "But something so strange must have a connection with Heaven and Earth. The sky might show us something more about this creature after absorbing it."
King Elbas laughed inside his mind. Heaven and Earth could destroy the entire higher plane on a whim, they controlled an immense system of worlds, but Noah could treat their sky like a mere reagent if the situation required it.
The tiny human figure immediately shot through the opening in the cage, but it hesitated to advance when it saw the whiteness of the sky on its path. It seemed scared, but Noah didn't let it remain still.
Part of the cage disappeared as Noah placed it on the sky. The white material absorbed the energy inside the dark matter in no time, but Noah didn't care about that. He only wanted to see the imprisoned creature moving forward.
The creature couldn't escape. It had Noah's sharpness above, under, and behind while the sky drew closer in front of it. It had to choose where to die, and its decision seemed to fall on the dark matter.
Noah and King Elbas revealed surprised expressions at that scene, but the former didn't let the human figure do as it wished. His sharp dark matter went blunt before the creature could hit it, and its emptiness slammed on his harmless sharpness.
'It worked!' Noah shouted in his mind before changing the nature of the cage.
His last action had been a gamble. Noah didn't know if partially suppressing his sharpness could work against the creature, but his decision had paid off. The dark matter was pushing the tiny figure toward the sky now, and nothing could stop the imminent clash.
The creature tried its best to avoid touching the sky, but it failed to kill itself before the clash. Its empty figure seeped inside the white material and fused with it.
Noah and King Elbas waited for a reaction, but nothing seemed to arrive. However, a series of black lines eventually appeared on the white material and gave birth to a tall humanoid creature that carried actual facial features.
More details about that creature spread through the sky and gave a sense of completeness to its figure. The two experts could see long nails coming out from slim fingers, canines peeking out of the corners of its mouth, and severed horns coming out of its forehead.
'It does resemble a hybrid,' Noah thought while inspecting that stunning scene.
The sky was giving birth to a peculiar lifeform after fusing with the empty creature. Countless ideas and hypotheses surged inside Noah and King Elbas as the scene unfolded. Their minds were going through many theories, but they found themselves forced to start everything again when they saw the creature opening its large eyes.
"It has actually come back to life," King Elbas exclaimed.
The creature's eyes moved through the area before it fixed them on the two experts and wore a pleading expression. It was clear that it wanted Noah and King Elbas to free it from the sky, but the duo had no intention to help.
The two experts didn't dare to touch the sky. They were too weak to handle that material with their bare hands. Moreover, they both wanted to see how Heaven and Earth reacted to that event.
A white flash suddenly appeared above them. King Elbas and Noah immediately pointed their weapons toward that spot, but a mixture of surprise and fear filled their minds when they sensed a rank 9 aura spreading through the tunnel.
The two experts didn't dare to exchange a glance in that situation, but they knew that they were sharing similar thoughts. That was the time to escape, but their speed wouldn't do much against a rank 9 existence. It was better to rely on Heaven and Earth's fairness at that point.
"Remaining here is a smart choice!" A youthful voice reached their ears before a laugh spread through the tunnel. "Unless you are frozen in fear. You would still gain something, but everything would be far more disappointing."
The light above them dimmed and revealed a young man who wore a white robe that featured large sleeves. The expert had long white hair, white eyebrows, and piercing black irises that seemed to fuse with his pupils.
"Don't worry, don't worry," The young man announced before giving voice to the same laugh. "I can't touch you, but I bet that you know that. Noah Balvan and Xavier Elbas are aware of Heaven and Earth's fairness."
The cultivator descended through the tunnel, and the two experts promptly exited it to keep their distance from the foreign existence.
"No need to be so careful either," The young man laughed while approaching the strange creature stuck inside the sky. "I've come for this one. Things like these should remain forgotten."
The cultivator touched the sky, and his hand pierced the white layer before landing on the strange creature. Noah and King Elbas could only see it convulsing in pain before vanishing inside the whiteness.
"You really have a talent for troubles," The cultivator exclaimed and laughed while taking out his hand from the sky. "They normally don't come so close to the sky. Their fear of Heaven and Earth is too intense."
"What has attracted them?" Noah asked when he saw that the cultivator didn't seem to mind sharing his knowledge. "What are they anyway?"
"Woah, calm down," The cultivator said while gesturing at him to stop. "We are still enemies. I can't tell you that those cursed by Heaven and Earth naturally attract them."
Noah and King Elbas remained speechless, but the cultivator soon winked at them to reveal the nature of his actions. He was really sharing his knowledge with his opponents.
"I think what they were is a better question," The cultivator continued while folding his arms and raising a finger to his cheek. "I've only seen the process happen a few times, so I don't know much. Heaven and Earth throw away a lot of stuff into the void. It's hard to connect that thing to a precise period."
The two experts continued with their silence. They had learnt something new about Heaven and Earth, but they feared triggering a punishment if they asked for too much.
"Most of them should fear sharp stuff," The cultivator added. "It reminds them of the time when Heaven and Earth severed them from their existence. You might have to be careful during your journey past the sky."