Chapter 1023: 1023. Path

The remaining rebels gathered around Noah as the sky fell all around them and across the hidden world.

They were mostly human cultivators since they had been too slow to reach the regions affected by Divine Demon's ring's detonation. Yet, a few experts had survived thanks to the Ape God's efforts to contain the explosion.

Skully was in their lead. Her mental waves supported the human cultivators in the air, but there was only sorrow in her expression. Even if she had recalled a body-tempering method during the last period, most experts had been too weak to survive the catastrophic event.

Those that managed to save their lives had suffered massive injuries, and they would probably carry them through their entire cultivation journeys. Skully's only hope was on the surface, but there was a difficult path between the hidden world and there.

On the other hand, Noah felt ecstatic. His existence brimmed with power, and his individuality expressed its features through all his energies. It was as if destroying an entire world had renewed his life essence, making him appear livelier than ever.

However, his injuries were there and threatened to control his mental function as soon as he stopped suppressing them. He was in deep need to rest, but the journey was still long.

"What are you waiting for?!" Skully shouted when she saw that Noah didn't move. The sky kept on falling everywhere around them, and massive quantities of lava were turning that world into a crimson hell.

Yet, Noah didn't act. He limited himself to stare at the destruction that he had caused with a dazed expression.

Skully's shout forced him to come back to reality, but his intentions didn't change. It was too early to leave. Many specimens of the Kesier species had survived since they didn't join the summoning, and they couldn't allow them to reach the surface.

The threat of the Ape God had to end there. No one could follow them.

"Give me the goods," Noah said as Snore's body materialized and spread its maw. The rebels didn't bother to find new clothes, but they had gone to gather all the black metal they could find. Skully even had the Seventh Kesier rune and a few human specimens of the Kesier species with her.

"This is my insurance," Skully said as she pointed at the large piece of fur under her arm. "The rest can go with you."

Noah didn't blame her for her lack of trust. He had chosen to sacrifice her people to maintain his freedom. His choice had been unavoidable, but his lack of hesitation spoke for his character.

Snore suddenly shot forward. Its body turned into smoke and covered the heroic cultivators and the beasts. Ten of them were in the fifth rank, and more than forty were in the fourth rank. Still, the Blood Companion could envelop all of them in its gaseous form.

Skully was about to panic when she saw the smoke rising and taking the giant snake's shape around Noah. All the heroic cultivators were fine. Only their pieces of black metal had disappeared and the beasts.

Moreover, Noah had poured some dark matter inside them. His higher energy helped to stabilize their wounded bodies and gave them new vigor right before the long journey through the magma.

"Be ready," Noah said, "We need to stop them before leaving this place forever."

Skully and the others remained speechless. Noah's intense aura, coupled with his recent gesture and his calm in that apocalyptic situation made him appear as a perfect leader.

The rebels couldn't help but nod and turn in his same direction even if they felt doubtful. They didn't know how he could be so sure that their opponents would come from that direction.

Yet, they began to see a pattern in the sky as the destruction continued. Massive chunks of black metal feel everywhere randomly, but a path remained intact.

That sight surprised the rebels to no end. After all, how could there be order among that worldwide event? A whole world was falling apart, but Noah had managed to affect his destruction so that only a safe path would remain.

Black shapes appeared in the distance a few minutes after Noah's order. Kesier Apes in the heroic ranks flew right under the patch of intact sky as they tried to find a safe spot.

Those in the human ranks walked on the ground, but their situation was pitiful. Sprays of magma fell on their bodies and burnt them to death. Only those in the third rank managed to survive for longer, but they inevitably ended up submerged too.

Noah's attention was on the specimens in the fifth rank. They were the only ones that could survive through the sea of magma, even if with some struggle. As for Apes in the sixth rank, they had yet to appear.

Noah pointed, and the rebels acted. A series of spells shot from the group of cultivators and landed on the flying pack. Countless specimens died on the spot, and those that survived ended up outside of the safe path, in the middle of the pouring lava.

The rebels didn't stop their offensive, but the safe path eventually broke, falling on the beasts that were still surviving their attacks.

'Where are they?' Noah thought as he inspected the environment. Then, two presences appeared in the range of his consciousness. Noah sensed that two powerful creatures were walking on the other side of what remained of the safe path.

Noah glanced at Skully, and she understood what to do when he pointed at that spot. The two of them launched their best attacks and destroyed that piece of the sky, uncovering the rank 6 Apes hiding above it.

Snore released a loud hiss and launched all its attacks against the two floating beasts. Noah joined it by creating a six-armed dragon that shot in their direction. Skully didn't hesitate and materialized a series of wind slashes that flew toward the Apes.

The impact of those attacks destroyed the remaining safe area and left severe injuries on both creatures. Their lives wouldn't be in danger during normal situations, but the world was ending, and being wounded could make a difference in their survival.

All the magma contained above fell downward at that point. It landed on the remaining charred ground and quickly burnt it to ashes, revealing the crimson sea below.

The two seas mixed, and the temperature in the area rose. The magma coming from below was far hotter than the other, and the area's dangerousness increased as the two of them merged.

Snore protected Noah and the captive beasts from the magma. His body could withstand that heat, but his back had suffered severe injuries, so he wanted to avoid worsening his situation.

Skully protected the human cultivators with her mental waves, while the other experts deployed their defensive methods and supported each other to prepare for the journey.

The group then looked above, toward the fuming figure that had caused such chaos, and waited for his orders.

"Let's return to the surface," Noah said, leading the way through the sea of magma.