Chapter 1104: 1104. Once

Every piece of furniture in the garden had a golden color. The table, the armchairs, the short sticks that kept some magical plants straight, and the window on top of the room reflected a golden halo.

The plants in the indoor garden seemed affected by that halo, but the experts couldn't pay attention to that after King Elbas' revelation.

Chasing Demon and the others glanced at Noah, who could only shake his head to answer. He had explored the world under the surface, but he had never gone as far as reaching the core of the plane.

The core of the planet was hotter. That was common knowledge among the higher-ups of every organization.

The temperatures there were so high that every material melted by merely standing in its area of influence. Yet, the density of the magma increased as one descended further.

Noah didn't know if the core followed that trend, but he didn't expect many cultivators to survive there without external help. Even most powerhouses would have to resort to inscribed items to explore that area.

"What did you find?" God's Left Hand asked without taking a seat, but King Elbas didn't pay her attention.

The Princes and Princesses sat next to their Father and imitated him in ignoring the guests. The four powerhouses eventually took a seat since their curiosity got the best of them.

Great Elder Diana sat on the short side of the table, and the other experts took the long ones. Noah surprised Chasing Demon by sitting next to Second Prince, but his confident expression reassured the Patriarch.

Second Prince didn't like that disposition, but he had to maintain some dignity in front of his Father. He was his heir in the end. He didn't sit next to him only due to seniority reasons.

"What did you find?" God's Left Hand asked again after everyone had taken their seat, and King Elbas finally seemed to hear her words.

The Royals' leader waved his hand to fill the table with strong wine and special delicacies, and Noah didn't hesitate to fill his cup. He wouldn't waste that chance since he knew how good King Elbas' wines were.

His direct behavior surprised some cultivators on the table, but they quickly let go of the matter to focus on the meeting's main topic.

King Elbas imitated Noah and filled his cup as he finally replied to that question. "Laws in their raw form."

Only God's Left hand understood what King Elbas meant with those words. Chasing Demon, Noah, and Great Elder Diana had no idea of what that was.

King Elbas decided to explain since he noticed the confused expressions of his guests. "Raw laws have yet to gain a true meaning. Powerhouses can absorb them to increase their cultivation level without suffering any backlash. They are ownerless energy that awaits to receive a purpose."

It was needless to say that the revelation shocked the three experts. If what King Elbas had said was true, anyone could directly increase their cultivation level by absorbing the raw laws.

"How can something like this exist?" Noah asked after he took a sip from his cup.

Raw laws defied the fairness of Heaven and Earth if he had understood how they worked. They would be no different from the Royal Pool without its side-effects.

"They are addicting," God's Left Hand intervened to clear some doubts. "Your individuality needs to be strong too. They won't turn into your laws otherwise, and you'll lose your path forever."

'There are side-effects then,' Noah exclaimed in his mind. A limitless increase in the cultivation level was too good to be true.

Nevertheless, King Elbas would have never returned to the surface and disclosed that information without wanting anything in return. It was normal to have doubts about his behavior.

"Why are you telling us this?" Great Elder Diana said. "Why didn't you stay there by yourself until you ascended?"

King Elbas took a sip from his cup at that question. He didn't like to talk about his failures, but he didn't enjoy lying either, especially now that he was a solid stage powerhouse.

"I didn't reach the solid stage with the raw laws," King Elbas admitted. "I experienced the breakthrough before even finding the Kesier Ape. I met the raw laws only after the underground currents forced me near the core."

The four from the three forces remained silent as they waited for the last part of the story. Instead, the Princes and Princesses lowered their heads since they knew about that already.

"I…" King Elbas struggled to continue that phrase, but he eventually steeled his resolve. "I've lost myself inside the raw laws for an entire century. I've survived because a defensive item has stopped me from hurting my cultivation level. I spent the remaining time underground cleansing my dantian."

"What can we do with a resource that even you can't control?" Chasing Demon asked. He liked the idea of obtaining quick powerups at no cost, but he wasn't unrealistic.

King Elbas was the strongest and most prepared cultivator in those Mortal Lands, but even he had failed to avoid the addicting properties of the raw laws. The other powerhouses in the world had no chance to seize them.

"I was alone, injured after a battle with an unreasonable creature, and exhausted after centuries in the magma," King Elbas stated without showing the slightest shame. "I can't create an item to seize the raw laws, but I can build an exploration party for the same purpose. We can control each other and make sure that we don't go mad."

"You have five powerhouses under you already," Noah joined the discussion once the topic reached that point. "Why did you even summon us? Aren't your sons and daughter up to the task?"

Noah's words were sharp as swords, even if he didn't exude any aura when he talked. It didn't matter what King Elbas said to justify his family. His actions had already revealed how he felt about his underlings.

"I don't know if they are," King Elbas admitted without even looking at the other Royals. "Still, I'm going to find out."

King Elbas stood up at that point, and a map appeared on the golden table. The drawing depicted the new continent and divided its regions according to the current political borders.

"I want to hold a tournament to reorganize our domains," King Elbas said. "Powerhouses will fight among themselves to seize each region, but we will exclude those that are too important to every organization."

A few regions on the map lit up. The Hive saw the area between the lava lake and the forest of White Woods become purple, indicating that King Elbas saw them as its core domains.

The same happened for the Council. The lands between the natural paradise and Divine Market city became green, with some purple tinge near the Stele.

Nothing lit up for the Empire, but that only meant that it couldn't lose anything. Still, the powerhouses had yet to hear the reason why they should join that tournament.

Great Elder Diana gave voice to everyone's question. "What if we refuse to join both the journey and the battles?"

"I'll spend the next century taking every land that you have," King Elbas replied coldly, glancing at Chasing Demon with the corner of his eyes. "I don't mind burning the entire new continent. I don't need it anymore."

His threat sounded real. Noah had believed him even before he finished speaking.

"What about you?" Noah asked. He didn't mind fighting. He had actually been waiting for opponents to come in his way. However, everything would be pointless if King Elbas joined the battles.

"Only my underlings will fight," King Elbas said. "The new powerhouses will fight themselves for the right to come in my journey. The regions are only a bet on the side."

The conditions didn't appear too strict, especially for the Hive since it was proud of its experts. Chasing Demon didn't believe that the Princes and Princesses would be stronger than his fellow Demons.

"I have only one condition," King Elbas added before finalizing his offer. "You can only fight once."

Noah found King Elbas' forefinger pointing at him when he heard those words.