Chapter 998: 998. Rebels

Noah didn't want to abandon that hidden world, but he didn't like the idea of involving other organizations in the matter. That was supposed to be his journey, so he didn't want to contact the Demons either.

Still, it was evident that he needed some help. There wasn't only the Ape God as a threat. Other rank 6 specimens of the Kesier species filled those lands and acted as captains of multiple regions ruled by Apes in the fifth rank.

Their political structure was very human-like, even if messy at times. They were doing well for a pack of intelligent creatures, but they remained magical beasts with apparent limits.

'Why every fifty years?' Noah questioned himself as his dark matter prevented the magma around his from hurting him. 'I understand that it is torture, but there must be some other reason. Maybe the brands have a time limit and need periodic maintenance.'

He was cultivating among the sea of magma as he sat cross-legged on the metallic layer. The area turned out to be a good training zone since it forced him to use multiple abilities at once to protect himself, putting his mind under some stress.

The recent experiences with the rank 6 Kesier Ape had further pushed his sea of consciousness. Noah didn't even deactivate the spherical rune in his mind when he stared at the creature's white hair.

It had been a while since he had made use of the properties of his mental energy. He could devour the wills of the magical beasts now that the walls of his sphere had become far sturdier.

He desired a breakthrough now more than ever. Anything improving his current battle prowess would make him take a step into the next realm. From being able to fight only rank 5 cultivators, he would look at the beginning of the sixth rank, even if from a distance.

A soft sensation spread in the hidden world, and Noah sensed its expansion through the metallic layer. He had been initially worried that the Ape God's mental energy could have seeped through the black sky, but the sea of magma turned out to be a safe area.

Noah didn't dare to return to the hidden world in the weeks that followed the god's call. He didn't know if the lingering laws moved by its thoughts would be enough to make him join the summit.

He felt that the situation under him had calmed down only after three months had passed, but he still made Snore check the environment on the other side of the hole anyway.

The Blood Companion didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, and its mind remained calm, indicating the absence of the Ape God's laws.

Not all the cultivators found some underground structures to inhabit, and Snore could see some tribes escorted by Kesier Apes of various ranks. According to what Winter had said, those beasts would become the leaders of specific regions and rule over the humans inhabiting them.

That seemed a good chance to free some tribes and gather as many reports as possible since the strongest Apes were in the upper tier of the fifth rank. The only issue was that there were seven creatures in the fifth rank, and two were in the last tier.

The Kesier species had access to mental waves due to their innate ability. They had a sea of consciousness, but its purpose was mostly belligerent. Their thinking capabilities weren't the first aspect that improved when their minds grew.

Moreover, their seas of consciousness weren't separate centers of power. Their power depended on their bodies. They were similar to the claws and scales of other creatures, nothing more than weapons that improved alongside the body.

Of course, things weren't so simple with the Kesier species. Having mental energy as the primary offensive gave birth to dangerous and hard to track attacks.

There were other Apes in the fourth rank behind the rank 5 specimens, but Noah couldn't bother to consider them. They escorted weaker tribes, but he didn't mind them either. He had a target, and he couldn't lose it because a few humans couldn't endure his attacks.

Seven pillars made of black flames appeared near the specimens in the fifth rank. The beasts reacted quickly, and an invisible force tried to disperse that fire. Some Apes attempted to compress it to take control of it even. Yet, a series of black slashes came out of them and crashed on the beasts.

Those were Noah's most simple attacks. Their power came from the Warp spell and the improvements that his mind had done.

The two Apes in the lower tier died on the spot due to the violence of Noah's blow. The three in the middle tier suffered grave injuries, while those in the upper tier managed to block the attack altogether.

The human cultivators near the battle couldn't withstand that pressure. Their minds exploded, and they fell lifelessly on the ground right after the first exchange!

More black flames appeared, and more black lines came out of them. The three creatures in the middle tier were the first to give up, and they died one by one as Noah's offensive continued. The Apes had yet to find him, but they had already lost half of their power!

Another pillar of flames appeared between the two remaining creatures. They gathered their mental energy to create shields meant to block piercing attacks, but they suddenly expanded.

Only then did the Kesier Apes notice two figures above them, a human and a tall snake. The human wore a relaxed expression. It was as if that battle didn't worry him at all. On the other hand, the snake had its mouth open as it continued to spit black flames.

The Apes had to retreat due to the danger radiated by Noah's flames, but a series of humanoids puppets rose from the ground, and a barrier made of black water surrounded the two of them.

The poor beasts lifted their head only to see Noah holding copies of his weapon with his fuming arms and Snore generating lightning bolts with its horns.

The apes couldn't do anything once that strong offensive fell on them. Even their strongest defense couldn't do anything against that.

Noah cleaned the battlefield and saved every body-part that had survived his offensive. Meanwhile, the surviving cultivators from the tribes stared at him with a mixture of awe and admiration.

Someone had saved them from the control of the Kesier species by killing seven rank 5 creatures in a matter of minutes!

Noah appeared as a monster in their eyes, but a monster that was on their side.

The cultivators in the tribes weren't the only ones that had watched Noah's battle. A few figures had appeared in the distance right after the fight started and couldn't help but feel surprised about his battle prowess too.

Noah waited to scour the entirety of the battlefield before turning in their direction and replying to their stare. There were four figures there, and all of them were rank 5 cultivators.

"You are the rebels, I presume," Noah said. "I have a few questions for you."