Chapter 568: 568. Group

Noah didn't choose that location just because it would be the Hive's next target.

The lava lake was nearby, he could just go there whenever he felt like meditating.

He didn't have a fire aptitude, but the lake contained traces left by divine beings, they could still help him gain some insights.

Noah didn't know how much time passed after he went into the new territory.

Weeks would pass without him even noticing, it was as if his mind couldn't perceive them in the same way as before.

Only the translation of the diagram of the Warp spell occupied his thoughts, his battles against the ape-type magical beasts were something that he did by instinct.

The fauna in that land though was different from that of the azure plain.

Part of the mountain chain that stretched toward the center of the new continent and the snowy mountain were quite close, which meant that strong creatures could randomly appear in that seemingly safe territory.

That would force an ordinary cultivator to be constantly wary of its surroundings, but Noah was different, he could just rely on his instincts to understand the safety of the area around him.

The translation went well most of the time, but there always seemed to be something that stopped his wills from working.

Even when he felt that the translation was completed, the spell didn't work as intended, it was clear that something was missing.

His wills would produce the black flames and begin the teleportation, but they always came out damaged and broken.

'It's as if the world itself doesn't want it to work.'

Noah thought when another of his wills failed to execute the teleportation.

He could see how the "Breath" in the air resisted the effects of his wills and affected the teleportation, he couldn't help but feel that Heaven and Earth didn't want him to succeed.

'This should have some similarities to when I created hybrids, which means that I have to force the effects that I want on the world.'

Noah realized that when he pondered over the matter.

Heaven had been against the birth of a hybrid, so it could also be against spells that had a foreign origin.

'I see, it has always been impossible to translate the language of Heaven and Earth completely. I've always needed to modify it to make it work in a world that doesn't follow my laws.'

The problem was simple: The diagram of the Warp spell used the laws of Heaven and Earth to work, but Noah was a being wholly separated from them.

His creations would obviously face some sort of resistance when they tried to apply their effects on the world of Heaven and Earth, there was a reason why Noah couldn't understand their language after all.

'That's why it took me so much to create a cultivation technique, I was able to forge the Black hole technique only when I imbued it with my hunger. The same goes for my sabers and my body, I could forge them only when I've managed to imbue a strong will in them.'

The situation became clearer inside Noah's mind.

Why was it so hard to create personal techniques, methods, and spells?

Why wasn't every cultivator creating its own path?

Noah had always believed that it was just a matter of complexity, his achievements could be linked to the Divine deduction technique or his initial advantage with the sea of consciousness after all.

Yet, that last realization led him to believe that there was a deeper issue to the matter.

'To create something able to show its effects on the world, a cultivator must have a will able to force its way through the "Breath" under Heaven and Earth's domain. So, I need to modify my wills before they can work outside my mind.'

As soon as he found the cause of his problem, he began to work on a solution.

Noah continued to spend his time testing wills and fighting the magical beasts in the area after the rocky wasteland.

He would also occasionally meditate near the lava lake, he didn't stop exploring the depths of his individuality because he was busy with another matter.

He would always find Elder Austin next to the lake, and even the other elders with a fire aptitude could be often seen near the area.

The faces of his companions were quite relaxed, the Hive was at peace after all, and was experiencing a period of stable and unhindered growth.

Their job now was to raise their power and become even more valuable assets, any other expansion project had to wait for Chasing Demon's return.

Noah found it hard to contact Elder Austin and Elder Julia in that period.

Not only was his mind mostly occupied by thoughts about the Warp spell, but even those elders were busy with their matters.

Elder Austin seemed glued to the lava lake and didn't interact with anyone.

At the same time, Elder Julia managed the habitable area in the azure plain and oversaw the construction of the city there.

Also, she added layers of defenses around the dome and made sure that the shining lakes worked as intended.

Human cultivators from the Coral archipelago had even begun to migrate to the new continent to make room for the other human assets reaching for the islands.

Of course, only rank 3 cultivators with an excellent battle prowess would be allowed to travel to the new continent, the Hive used the relocation as a form of reward.

All those events occurred without problems, every nation was focusing on itself since the pact between the rank 6 beings enforced peace.

Yet, something was bound to happen as the Hive grew stronger.

It happened on a seemingly random day, Noah was casually eating the arm of an ape-type magical beast while he laid on the branch of a tree when he sensed a few strong presences coming from the snowy mountain.

He first thought that they were magical beasts attempting to invade that territory, but he soon found out that those presences were, in fact, cultivators.

Noah flew in the air to understand the identity of those invaders, but a surprised expression appeared on his face when he saw that there were even human cultivators in that group.

There was some sort of barrier that surrounded the group and allowed those human cultivators to breathe.

Noah's gaze went to the head of the group to try to understand its origin.

He saw a slender young-looking man with short silver hair in the lead, followed by a tall, middle-aged man that resembled him and by a cultivator that had its face hidden.

Human cultivators followed behind the three of them, they weren't really walking but merely being transported inside the barrier.

Then, Noah was surprised once again when he saw the emblem embroidered on the robes of those cultivators, he could clearly recognize the symbol of the Udye family when he saw it.