Chapter 1148: 1148. Price

The titan slowly disappeared, consumed by the golden flames. King Elbas had achieved something incredible by destroying a divine item while being in the heroic ranks, but Chasing Demon had the last say in the matter.

The flames dispersed and the ashes spread in the dark world to reveal a perfectly intact void. The crack had disappeared. The structure of that separate reality had reformed, and King Elbas didn't manage to cross the liquid blackness before it was too late.

"Quickly!" Elder Julia suddenly shouted as she looked toward Flying Demon. "Freeze his ashes. We might be able to bring him back!"

Her statement didn't reveal that the Hive had secured spots in the Second-life Formation, but the experts from the other organizations still shot suspicious glances at her.

The Hive members didn't answer, and God's Left Hand lowered her head to avoid revealing any clue about their secret cooperation.

The fact that Flying Demon didn't act made Elder Julia understand that her idea wasn't feasible. His reaction forced her to review the situation, and she eventually reached the same conclusion as her companions.

The group was in a separate reality where laws worked differently. The Second-life formation required the connection with the cultivators to be active when they died, and Chasing Demon had turned into ashes while part of his consciousness had fused with the titan.

The journey back to the surface would take them years, especially now that they didn't have a guide. That period was enough to make any connection dissipate unless someone had access to particular methods.

Moreover, Chasing Demon had poured his entire existence in the titan to fuel its abilities. Even if his connection with the formation were still active when they returned to the surface, it would find no cultivator to resurrect.

Chasing Demon was gone, and there was nothing that his companions could do to resurrect him.

Dreaming Demon and Flying Demon neared Elder Julia and placed a hand on her shoulders. They knew her pain far too well. They had both felt the same unwillingness that had filled her mind.

"You know his story," Dreaming Demon said. "Don't you think that he deserves some rest?"

Elder Julia struggled to accept that outcome, but she ultimately nodded and lifted her head to look toward Noah.

"Did you really see death?" Elder Julia asked, and Noah could only show her a sad smile as an answer.

"Where is he now?" Elder Julia still asked.

Noah looked toward the void above him as if searching for the rulers of the world. He knew the answer, and he didn't mind giving it to her. "Heaven and Earth collect dead souls from countless worlds. They dismantle and purify them before creating new ones to insert in living beings."

Elder Julia lowered her eyes, but her expression soon relaxed. She accepted that there was nothing in their power to revert that outcome. Chasing Demon's soul had probably left that world already.

The other experts didn't investigate the topic discussed at that moment out of respect for the Hive's loss. Still, they didn't forget where they were, and awkward expressions appeared on their faces as they looked around them.

Noah retracted his dark matter as soon as he noticed their gestures. He had kept the dark world active until then, but the fight was over now.

The experts began to look for raw laws when the entirety of the void reappeared in their eyes, but they felt disappointed when they saw only darkness around them.

Noah had absorbed every raw law in the area. He had given the only ones that he had spared to Chasing Demon, so the experts could only venture through the void again if they wanted to find more of them.

During their inspection, they noticed that something was off. The experts had seen Noah killing First Prince and First Princess, but Second Prince was still alive.

Yet, he wasn't anywhere near them, and he didn't even leave a trace to follow. Second Prince had abandoned the battlefield, and his destination was unknown.

Noah and the other cultivators from the Hive remained silent as they reviewed Chasing Demon's last moments in their minds. They didn't seem interested in the void anymore, so the other experts could only exchange glances to understand each other's intentions.

Truth be told, Noah, the Demons, and even Elder Julia had already understood that they couldn't remain inside the void any longer.

The battle against King Elbas had depleted most of their "Breath", and they couldn't refill their dantian inside the void. The only source of energy there were the raw laws, but there weren't any of them in the area.

The group could advance deeper in the separate reality and hope to find raw laws soon. However, dealing with their addictive properties in their weakened state wasn't optimal.

Moreover, Second Prince was still out there, and King Elbas' defeat had left them without a guide. The group had to find a solution to that issue before deciding to move again.

Noah stared at the spot where King Elbas had disappeared. That mighty expert had managed to spread his flames across dimensions without any training. He couldn't believe that the Royal would die so easily.

No one knew what the other dimension had to offer. The group felt satisfied with locking King Elbas away for now, but the best inscription master in the world didn't obtain that title by mere luck.

There was a high chance that he managed to return. After all, King Elbas already had experience in interdimensional travels. He had created the tunnel for the other world.

"We should retreat," Noah conveyed through his consciousness, breaking the deafening silence that had descended on the group.

The Demons and Elder Julia nodded at his words, but God's Left Hand unfolded her mind to give voice to a few complaints. "Why should we leave now? I didn't spend the entire battle looting raw laws while we drained our centers of power!"

Noah wasn't in the mood for political talks, especially right after Chasing Demon's death. He knew what God's Left Hand wanted to do. She aimed to receive compensation for her services in the battle.

Yet, Noah shut her up with a message that left everyone speechless. "Because I'm the only one who won't lose himself in the yellow sea. I'm the only guide you have, so you'll do as I say."

Of course, Noah didn't want to save God's Left Hand, but he couldn't show any weakness now that the Hive had lost its Patriarch. He had to make sure that the other organizations didn't think about exploiting that temporary weakness.

As for fighting God's Left Hand and leaving the Shandal Empire's forces inside the void, Noah didn't see that decision in a good light.

The Shandal Empire wasn't an ally, but the alliance could gain valuable resources and studies if it let it leave. An organization that held details concerning the divine ranks wasn't a force that he could ignore.

The centers of power of most experts were almost empty too. Noah knew that he had some advantage in that sense, but he didn't want to waste his energy to fight against cultivators who had many inscribed items.

"You can remain here if you want," Noah continued without showing any shame, "But don't think that you can follow me without paying an adequate price."