Chapter 1149: 1149. Funeral

Remaining in the void with little to no "Breath" was a gamble that the experts weren't willing to take. God's Left Hand could only back off and accept Noah's conditions.

Her only hope was that the alliance wouldn't be too harsh on the Shandal Empire. They had fought together, so the Matriarch believed that she wouldn't have to pay a lot for Noah's services.

Great Elder Diana agreed to Noah's directives without complaining. She felt lucky enough that she had survived that harsh situation. Betting on her self-restraint and fortune wasn't ideal when their return would bring great benefit already.

King Elbas was far away, and Second Prince had escaped somewhere. The Shandal Empire wasn't a threat, so the only enemies of the alliance left on the surface were Third Prince and Second Princess.

The two Royals weren't much of a threat. Noah had defeated their older brother and sister on his own. However, the territories in the Elbas family's domain had a wide array of protections that would take years to overcome.

Still, with King Elbas gone, the alliance now had years to invest in that siege. Great Elder Diana knew that the battles would be hard, but she didn't mind that after what she had experienced in the separate reality.

Elder Julia gathered Chasing Demon's ashes, and Flying Demon froze them before storing them inside his space-ring. The experts of the Hive didn't intend to attempt reviving Chasing Demon. They only wanted to make a funeral worthy of the leader of one of the strongest organizations in the world.

There wasn't much to prepare. The experts couldn't cultivate, so none of them had to waste time refilling their centers of power. They could begin their return to the surface almost immediately.

The group began to move only a few days after the battle. Chasing Demon's death was still palpable in their minds, but they had other priorities. Returning to a safe place was the least they could do after such hardships.

Another long journey through the void started. All the experts knew where to go since stars shone in the distance. They only had to go in the opposite direction.

The march to return to the yellow sea took longer even if they didn't make any stop. Most of the experts had to save "Breath" to fly, so they couldn't go too fast.

The void never changed, and the lack of a proper exit weighed on the cultivators' minds. The experts couldn't understand how far they were from the edges of the separate reality, so they felt they were flying most of the time aimlessly.

When they first reached the separate reality, the group was too interested in finding raw laws, so that distance appeared easier to cross. They even had the stars as a target and the sparse raw laws that they could absorb.

No angry outburst came out of the experts' mouths. There was no point in complaining there. The void wouldn't change just because they were bored.

The group eventually reached the separate dimension's edges that didn't oppose any resistance at their passage. They were a simple membrane that allowed everyone to enter and exit.

Noah was the first to cross the separate reality's edges, and the yellow world reappeared in his vision for the first time in years. Nothing had changed there. The tempting black platform had remained the same, even after their long journey in the void.

The rest of the group soon exited the separate reality, and they showed dubious expressions when Noah's moment arrived.

They had learnt how to deal with raw laws and resist their captivating properties inside the void. Still, the yellow magma offered a different type of difficulty, which they couldn't overcome independently.

It wasn't a matter of personal power or strength that they could wield. The yellow magma's radiations targeted their minds, and no experts wanted to get lost inside it.

No puppet appeared on their path as they walked or flowed through the black landmass. All experts had chosen to take some time to cultivate as soon as they exited the separate reality, and their condition immediately improved.

Noah didn't want to waste any time walking on the landmass, but he wanted to make sure that he traced King Elbas' steps correctly. He didn't want to take the short path only to discover that he was lost.

The group relied on a series of inscribed threads to avoid losing any of their members. Noah walked in the lead and held a long cord connected to the other experts.

The item became quite useful once they reached the end of the landmass and swam through the sea. It was the time for the scorching sensation again, but even that environment didn't scare the experts.

A large metallic layer soon appeared in their eyes, and Noah didn't hesitate to swim toward the tunnel in its center. Needless to say, some of the experts tried to seize some of that material, but all of them failed.

The metal was too hard, and nothing appeared able to cut it. It didn't even bend, so the cultivators could only cross the tunnel to return to the sea of red magma.

The area's temperatures remained scorching, but they had diminished now that they had reached the other sea and red magma filled their vision.

Enduring the heat was easy now that everyone could cultivate. Returning to the familiar red sea also gave the group hope that the journey was almost over.

The group swam for a while until they found an opening in the seabed above them. They quickly crossed it, and the azure water of the sea met them.

They had finally returned to the surface!

The experts didn't speak. They separated to return to their respective domains, and Noah soon found himself with the two Demons and Elder Julia next to him.

"Where does he want to be dispersed? Elder Julia asked, but Noah shook his head. The only two who could know more about Chasing Demon were the couple right next to them.

"There is only one place worthy of his ashes," Flying Demon began to say, and Dreaming Demon intervened to give more information. "He had taken a liking in the archipelago. No other place can be his tomb."

The four of them moved toward the Coral Archipelago at that point. Once they were on top of it, Flying Demon took out the frozen ashes and reabsorbed his power.

The ashes dispersed in the winds, and the experts on the scene had different reactions at that sight.

Noah maintained his aloof expression. But his eyes followed the trails of ashes that dispersed on the archipelago.

A few tears came out of the Demons' eyes, and Elder Julia performed a deep bow before remaining in that position until all the ashes had dispersed.

In the trio's mind, Chasing Demon's death had become more comfortable to endure. The old patriarch had done a lot for the Hive. Seeing his ashes dispersing was a painful but relieving process.

The four remained in the sky for an entire day before breaking their contemplation. They decided to focus on the matters concerning the new continent from now on.

"What now, Defying Demon?" Flying Demon asked while wearing his usual smile. Still, no happiness accompanied his gesture.

"There are only two Royals left on the surface," Noah answered. "They don't deserve those territories. It's time to take them."