251 Who are you, really? II

Back in the World of Cultivation, a multitude of thoughts bloomed in Noah's mind as he delved into the memories of the beings from the Magus World, his eyes being opened up once more to the many things he did not know of in this universe.

There was an abundant amount of information, but the one holding most importance was the reason why the Saint Ranked Black Serpent was leading a force of Magi to kill and obtain the bodies of Cultivators

Black Serpent belonged to one of the central powers of the Magus World. Shockingly, this central power actually held grand designs of power that involved the use of the bodies of cultivators!

Noah connected the things he continued to peruse through his memories with a being he had recently come in contact with, the Celestial who was given the mission to obtain the Dagger of Time that he had taken for himself.

The Celestial had come with a protector that was known as a Punisher, and those like the Devilish Time Unveiler knew more information, like the fact that the Punishers were all beings of the Elven Race turned under the command of the Celestials with no will of their own.

Shockingly, one of the powers of the Magus World was trying to build up a force similar to the Punishers, with their research allowing them to use the bodies of Cultivators as the base for their new creations! It was a grand scheme that was already underway, with many Transcendent Rank puppets in the hundreds already being made successfully, and those of higher rank slowly increasing.

Noah pondered these new set of events as they did not take center stage of his attention even now, his mind already set on getting his hands on the powerful skill that would allow him to always escape whenever he wished, even with spatial locks in place. This was one of the first steps he was taking as he gradually, and carefully, increased his power. This would require him to spend some time in one the most powerful sects on the World of Cultivation, the Profound Astral Sect.

This Sect was the origin of the Devilish Time Unveiler, and also the place that held a skill which even the Devilish Unveiler did not get his hands on before he left the sect. Coming to the subject of the old schemer, Noah gave another look at the many Saint Ranked cores and skills that burst out of him. Even though the schemer used to be at the rank above Saint in his prime, he was only at the Saint Rank when Noah killed him, and the rewards reflected that.

If he had waited for the Devilish Time Unveiler to achieve his wishes and obtain his cultivation at the Void Fimmerment Realm, only a repeat of horrendous events would occur again. 

Many of the skill books were the skills he had seen the Devilish Unveiler use himself, and they would only serve as great addition of skills he could use to combine with his [Abberant Saint] as they were of the space attribute.

Many of the things he had planned for were falling in place, with the addition of even more that he hadn't thought about before. He remained careful as his figure teleported from the Devilish Abode, having roamed in it as long as he could but still not being able to find the other target he was looking for, the Celestial Disciple.

He appeared above a large mountain that was surrounded by multiple peaks, the location of the Main Peak of the Karmic Sect that he had been led to when he first arrived in the World of Cultivation. 

He had already used [Insight] to test the possibilities of events when it came to the mysterious Sect Master Inuit who had always been his helper, and yet he still did not understand enough information about him. The results from [Insight] were a huge surprise to him, as they portrayed what he was watching now in an eerie fashion.

In the Karmic Sect he had seen before that was filled with thousands of disciples training and moving about on each of the peaks surrounding the main peak, there was only silence and quietness.

The peaks surrounding the mountain he was standing on looked deserted, as if nobody had been there to begin with. Even the main peak he stood on only held a single elevated platform that stood out, everything else surrounded by trees and vegetation.

The Karmic Sect that he had seen with his own eyes, as well as many of its disciples, was nowhere to be found!

In the only elevated platform that stood out, a single aged old man with a calm smile was sitting down in deep meditation. Noah's entrance seemed to have caused a change as the wizened Sect Master Inuit opened his blank eyes towards Noah.

Having seen some of the possibilities through [Insight], Noah was not too worried, as this was also the same being who had saved him from certain death in the Lost World of Atlantis. He just wanted to understand his motives. He gazed at the serene face of the being he knew as 'Sect Master Inuit' as he asked.

"Who are you, really?"

A bright smile bloomed on the face of the old man in front of Noah as his blank eyes focused on him.

"I am only an old thing, a nobody that is still trying to follow some principles."

Noah nodded at the usual obscure answer as he also sat down and asked.

"You knew of what would happen in the Devilish Abode?"

A nod came as the 'Sect Master Inuit' waved his hands and allowed a teapot with two steaming cups of tea to appear between the two of them.

"Yes. It was something you had to go through yourself without any help. You were able to do it successfully, and thus we have been able to initiate a change that will only perforate into something grander as time passes. I could not force my influence in it too much, as that would have been a cause for an entirely different set of results."

Noah sipped on the fragrant tea in front of him as the old man continued. 

"There are no save points or take-backs from now on though, and it all lays on your shoulders. The tools you have should be more than enough for you to proceed with a certain degree of certainty and success though, otherwise I would not have bothered."

As they were talking, Noah noticed the figure of the old man gradually becoming more and more transparent, as if he would fade away at any moment. He looked at this as he asked.

"You won't even tell me who you are or what exactly you want?"

Slight surprise appeared on the gradually transparent face as it replied.

"My identity will be of no use to you right now, and you will eventually see me again if you follow the path you are on now. As for my purpose…"

His disappearing figure gazed around the trees surrounding them as he continued.

"...well, as hypocritical as it is, peace is one of my goals. Along with the simple destruction of cowards that continue to bring us closer to ruin because of their prideful ideals. But none of this will be of any use to you now. I have interfered as much as I can, and things will now play out depending on your future choices. Trust in yourself and those around you, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you again before you know it."

A smile that seemed to contain a variety of emotions remained on the fading Sect Master Inuit as his blank eyes continued to gaze at Noah, until he disappeared from his sight. 

The particles that made up his being disappeared in a blink as they crossed through space, shooting off faster than the speed of light to a faraway distance, only to arrive and covertly disappear into a particular star. 

The particles of light made a swift beeline for a location deep in the center of this star, going towards a dark space near the core where there was a simple styled golden cage that was holding a single being. 

The cage was simple in its style, but unlike anything seen before as it held countless spikes that pierced the being held at the very center. The spikes were golden and went forward to pierce the body of this being thoroughly, entering one side of his body and leaving through another. Countless bloody gashes were apparent as golden-red blood continued to leak from the body of this being, the blood following a created path on the floor as it was drained into some unknown location. A strong beating heart could be seen among the gashes on the impaled body, drawing an interesting contrast. 

The particles of light entered this impaled being, causing a wheeze to come out as sickly coughs were released, even more droplets of golden-red blood leaking out. After this fit of coughing, a calm smile appeared on the face of the being that was impaled on all sides. 

Aside from the many spikes impaling him throughout, a level of strength that many beings would never come across their entire lives was vibrantly showing even while a tremendous amount of blood continued to leave the body of this being. 

The head that was impaled along with almost all other parts of the body rose as blank white eyes looked up from the dark space they were in, peering across the prison and overlooking many of the locations on the star they were on. 

Among the many things the blank eyes saw, one of them was the scene of a wizened old man holding a vibrant Watering Can as he tended to treasured Medicinal Plants in a simple styled monastery. A golden light bounced from his body and into his surroundings as he had no idea he was being observed, continuing with his routine as usual. 

The impaled being observed this and many more things occurring on this star that held more powerhouses than many would see in their lifetimes as a calm smile spread across their disfigured face.

'The cards have been set, and all the pieces are in place. Now, we only wait for time to pass and see where fate leads us.'

In the silence on this enclosed space holding a golden cage, a being closed their blank white eyes as they observed and waited.