Noah's darkness had halved after his last attack. Sword Saint's lunge was a technique that he shouldn't perform recklessly before mastering it.
That wasn't one of Noah's casual slashes. It was part of Sword Saint's core inheritance. The energy that it depleted even surpassed the requirements of the Demonic Form.
Yet, the power that it was able to unleash made up for that consumption. Noah had launched a lunge that even peak gaseous stage powerhouses would struggle to block while he was still a rank 5 cultivator!
The Royals couldn't explain that event. Their prison was one of the last items created by their Father, but Noah had pierced right through it without even activating his iconic Demonic Form.
Their battle intent waned at that sight. They didn't have stronger methods to fight him there, and Noah overcame them without relying on spells.
In their minds, Noah's figure became even mightier. Feeling his ambition had already made them respect him more, but that battle prowess solidified his position.
The Elbas family had access to countless historical records and studies. Knowledge and expertise were the main qualities of all its members.
First Prince and First Princess also had access to King Elbas' studies and records. No heroic cultivator could match their knowledge when it came to the cultivation world and modern inscription methods.
Such a display of power made them sure of something. Noah was the most promising expert that the cultivation world had ever witnessed. No one in history had ever come closer to such might.
Noah lost interest in the two Royals when he sensed their battle intent fading. The muffled wails of his Demonic Sword came before opponents that he didn't even want to kill.
The living weapon had already returned inside Noah's new space-ring. Cracks filled the entirety of its surface, and some metallic shards had even fallen from its structure.
Sword Saint's lunge had forced it to surpass its structural limits. Noah could only launch two attacks at that level without sacrificing the Demonic Sword.
'To think that I had to use the lunge before regrouping,' Noah cursed in his mind as he transferred a few magical beasts' corpses in the space-ring with Night and the Demonic Sword.
The weapon ate in that separate space and began its recovery. Noah guessed that it would take half a year to heal completely, which gave him hope for future fights.
The void in the separate reality was so vast that the Demonic Sword had plenty of time to heal before Noah met other struggles. Its current injury would be a problem only if he were unlucky enough to find a battle in that period.
As soon as he finished dealing with the Demonic Sword, Noah moved his attention to the raw laws.
The lump of white light had been in his hand when he performed the lunge. Noah's individuality had engulfed the laws during the attack, and they had gained his characteristics.
They now radiated a thick ambition capable of burning forever. That feeling was identical to Noah's, and he also felt a sense of belonging when inspecting it.
The Royals didn't dare to move while Noah studied the lump of light, and they didn't do anything even when he ate it with a single bite.
Noah knew that he only had one way to put an end to that fight, so he used the only method that he could think of to absorb that resource. Everything else was up to his dark star.
The raw laws descended toward Noah's spinning heart and fused with its structure, unleashing a surge of energy that he had never experienced before.
The star started spinning madly. The amount of energy to purify and distribute was so much that it had to overcome its limits to handle it.
Noah felt his body becoming hotter. Trails of energy carrying his individuality spread everywhere inside him and nurtured his existence as a whole.
His tissues became sturdier, and his muscles expanded. His internal organs' condition improved too, and his level inside the lower tier of the sixth rank advanced.
Noah's mind also benefitted from the raw laws. Its walls became thicker and sturdier. The mental sea flickered as its surface started to shine under the effects of such nutrients.
His dantian obtained the largest share of nutrients. Darkness filled its insides as the trails of energy nurtured the organ and broadened Noah's already vast individuality.
Noah smiled as he felt his centers of power brimming with power. The raw laws had refilled his dantian and improved his overall condition. Still, they weren't able to push his level past the fifth rank.
'What is your problem?' Noah thought as he focused on his dantian. He was full of darkness, and the organ was already at the peak of the solid stage.
That last surge of energy should have pushed it past that bottleneck. The distance from the sixth rank was less than a step in the end!
Noah couldn't find the cause behind that delay. He could only guess that his individuality wasn't ready to begin the journey to become a law, but he had some doubts about that.
His mind had already pushed his prowess past that stage. He knew that his existence had been ready for the breakthrough for a while by then.
'Is the vastness of my individuality the issue?' Noah questioned himself. He knew that his path was right, so that was the only problem that could hold him back.
Noah remained silent as he pondered about the issue. He didn't have a solution. Limiting himself was a path that he couldn't walk.
His gaze suddenly went on the white stars in the distance. All those dots had to be masses of raw laws, and now he knew how beneficial they were.
'Maybe I can force the breakthrough even if I don't find an orthodox solution,' Noah concluded. He was there to seize raw laws anyway, so he would see if that idea worked soon enough.
'Right,' Noah thought as he recalled something, 'I don't feel any different. Where is the addicting feeling?'
King Elbas and God's Left Hand had stated that the raw laws caused an intense addiction. Even the Royals' leader couldn't escape from their effects.
Noah and the others had felt that and could confirm their words. Even the raw laws inside the black landmass threatened to make them lose their minds.
However, Noah didn't sense any addiction after he absorbed them. He only felt stronger than before, but no lingering feeling had remained in his mind.
Noah didn't believe that both King Elbas and God's Left Hand had lied about their qualities. He could only guess that his dark star had taken care of that dangerous feeling during the purification.
'This solves a lot of problems,' Noah smiled again under the Royals' stern gaze.
The duo was worried that Noah would charge at them after seizing the white light, and his random smiles made his mental state even harder to read.
They were ignorant about the raw laws' effects too, so they didn't know how Noah would turn after absorbing them. A cultivator with such an intense ambition would surely cause a mess if he fell prey to his greed.
Noah glanced at them after he had finished evaluating his condition. He was back at his peak, but he didn't want to resume his battle with the duo.
That would be a waste of energy, especially after he had proven his undisputed superiority. Noah knew that he wouldn't have problems seizing the raw laws from now on.
"Did you damage your tracking inscriptions during the battle?" Noah asked through his consciousness, and his plain tone reassured the Royals.
"Don't underestimate our inscriptions," First Princess said. "We have invented schools far more advanced than your Elemental Forging method."
She was trying to maintain some of her arrogance in front of a complete defeat. Noah understood her intentions and avoided adding anything to that conversation.
"Let's go then," Noah said and turned to fly toward the stars in the distance. The Royals showed unsightly expressions, but they followed him anyway.
No one said anything, but the Royals had silently accepted that they would be nothing more than a compass from now on. Everything would go to Noah until they managed to regroup with their Father.