Chapter 1096: 1096. Return

Improving the Demonic Form put an end to the projects linked to his spells. Noah didn't lack fighting methods now. Actually, he had never been able to use so many abilities at the same time!

Runes with various shapes filled his mental sea, and black roots covered his Kesier runes. His spells were ready for battle, and Noah couldn't wait to test them in the open.

However, the world was still at peace, and Noah had to teleport between the Divine Cut and Chasing Demon's quarters for his training. The Hive had built a proper habitation for him, but he preferred to finalize the matters with Sword Saint before settling there.

As he poured more of himself inside his slashes, Noah's individuality advanced, pushing his dantian toward the peak of the fifth rank. It was only a matter of time before he became a fully-fledged powerhouse.

When he was almost eight hundred and fifty years old, an inevitable change occurred, and the peace in those Mortal Lands finally fell apart.

King Elbas had disappeared for centuries by then. No one believed that he had died in his search for the rank 7 Kesier Ape, but that didn't explain why he had been missing for so long.

The underground world was vast and messy. A sea of magma filled most of it and forced everything inside to move according to its currents.

Noah had been honest during the negotiations with King Elbas. His description of the currents was as accurate as he could make them. The journey toward the Ape God would only take a century, according to his calculations.

The delay in King Elbas' return hinted that something had happened, and the whole world learnt about that when the Royals' leader returned to the surface.

No one noticed anything at the beginning. There wasn't any earthquake or natural calamity to announce that event. Yet, the investigative buildings of the organizations soon saw something peculiar.

The period of peace had made those buildings quite useless. The heroic cultivators overseeing the nations' borders and the sea had to spend centuries observing the complete nothingness.

However, sounds of alarm resounded everywhere once they recorded the image of a crowned cultivator flying together with a tall ape that had six white runes on its fur.

The higher-ups of every organization received messages and came out in the open to witness that event with their eyes.

Noah was cultivating in front of the rank 7 Kesier rune when the message arrived. Dreaming Demon, Chasing Demon, Flying Demon, Elder Julia, and Skully were with him, and they all reacted in the same way at that news.

The six powerhouses teleported on the surface and set off for the eastern coast. Other rank 5 cultivators followed their example, and the teleportation matrices across the new continent shone to no end.

A crowd soon formed in the sky above the eastern coast. A total of ten rank 6 existences stood on the alliance's side and stared at the five Princes and Princesses floating above the sea.

The Empire had sent some troops too. God's Left Hand floated at some distance above the sea together with other cultivators. There was even another powerhouse next to her.

The world's best assets had gathered to witness the return of the strongest powerhouse in those Mortal Lands.

King Elbas' figure became visible at some point. He reappeared from a distant point in the sea and flew slowly toward his underlings. His golden robe shone on its own, and his crown reflected the sunlight, giving off a blinding radiance.

The rank 7 Kesier Ape floated by his side. A golden shield filled with runes surrounded the creature and forced it to fly alongside King Elbas. Still, it didn't restrict its movements inside the separate area.

The golden cage radiated a peak rank 6 aura. Its power was at the limits of the heroic ranks and managed to block the trapped creature's punches.

The Ape was weaker than Noah recalled. Its power had fallen in the quasi-rank 7 stage. Yet, its condition seemed to have improved since the last time. It appeared full of vitality and in a perfect state.

Even the missing piece of fur had reformed. No rune had appeared in that spot, but there were a few white pieces. It was as if the Ape's rank had regressed only to increase again.

Noah knew that such improvement was far from natural. He had left the Ape inside a sea of magma while its world crumbled. That wasn't an environment that could benefit its growth, especially in its weakened state.

King Elbas probably had intervened. The best inscription master of the world knew methods that could restore the Ape to a decent condition.

No one questioned the prowess of the golden cage. The experts didn't know how that item could contain a quasi-rank 7 creature, but the answer to their doubts was in the powerhouse flying next to it.

There was one aspect of King Elbas cultivation's level that shocked all the bystanders. The Royal had left when he was at the peak of the liquid stage, but now his dantian expressed the solid stage's power!

King Elbas had a breakthrough during his journey. He now lacked only one step before becoming a god!

"Father!" The Princes and Princesses shouted as they bowed when King Elbas reached them. The leader nodded at his underlings before inspecting the cultivators of the other organizations.

A lot had changed while he was away. Many cultivators had advanced to the sixth rank, and the Elbas family had lost most of its territories.

Moreover, the Royals had gone through three hundred and fifty years of suppression while the alliance had flourished on their old lands.

Second Prince straightened his position and handed a white orb to his father while keeping his head lowered. The item fell apart when King Elbas touched it, and the white gas that came out of it flew inside the leader's mind.

King Elbas kept his eyes closed for a second before reopening them and showing a wide smile. His gaze then went on the alliance's side as he gave voice to a playful comment. "You sure had fun while I was gone. Well, I expected much already."

The lack of anger in King Elbas' words surprised some of the experts on the scene, but Noah and a few others could understand how he felt.

King Elbas was a powerhouse in the solid stage. He didn't mind those worldly matters at all.

"I'll take back the snowy land and the bushland," King Elbas announced in a peaceful tone. "You can keep the others for now."

His announcement forced the various leaders to send a series of mental messages, but they quickly had to stop their actions since the Royal began to advance again.

King Elbas moved toward the alliance's side. The Princes and Princesses didn't follow him, so he was marching alone toward ten rank 6 experts.

"You!" The Ape cried when it noticed Noah from inside the golden shield. "You damned creature! Destroying my world wasn't enough. You had to send this damned human too!"

Noah ignored the cries of the beast and kept his attention on King Elbas. Yet, the latter didn't like that sudden outburst and waved his hand to activate some restrictions.

Faint chains appeared on the Ape's fur. They came from beneath its skin and suppressed both its physical strength and mental abilities.

The beast collapsed inside the shield. A few shrieks of pain came out of its mouth, but King Elbas' cold words silenced even them. "I told you to use human words."