Chapter 1317: 1317. Challenge

Noah didn't underestimate Zach, but Gil and Bertha's abilities were far more annoying in that situation. Gil could track him down even after months passed, and Bertha's attacks carried a massive amount of power.

It was a simple matter of necessity. Dealing with Zach's abilities wasn't a priority in that situation, but that still made him feel underestimated.

Zach's aura became more intense. The smell of blood became more intense in the area, and more parts of the environment transformed into weapons that flew toward Noah. Pieces of his skin also separated from his body to take the shape of dark-red spears that joined the offensive.

Gil was sure that he would die if he remained in that position. A different howl came out of his body and made his figure disappear.

A dark beam engulfed his position at that point, but Gil reappeared high in the sky and stared at that violent energy. Pure fear filled his expression. He had managed to teleport away at the last second, but he couldn't shake off the terror caused by Snore's innate ability.

Divine cultivators were extremely hard to kill, especially those that had a vast battle experience. However, Gil knew that the dark beam could kill him in an instant, and that shook the core of his confidence. His current power had no value if a newly ascended existence could overcome him so easily.

Bertha felt something similar while Night attacked her, but her situation wasn't as tragic as Gil's. The Pterodactyl couldn't cut past her layers of fat because they contained a massive amount of energy, so she could react to its assault.

Intense waves of energy came out of her injuries whenever Night managed to damage her. Her explosive power allowed her to counterattack even if the Pterodactyl was assaulting her, and Bertha could disregard that immediate threat to help Zach's offensive.

Her blood flowed out of her injuries and transformed into scarlet bubbles that flew behind Zach's weapons. Noah could only raise his Demonic Sword and fill it with as much dark matter as possible before slashing to fend off that offensive.

A storm of dark matter came out of his figure. A giant blade made of sharp higher energy flew out of the cloud that surrounded him and clashed with the enemy's offensive.

The array of weapons crumbled when it faced Noah's attacks, but it managed to deplete most of its power. When the scarlet bubbles touched the dark matter and exploded, a dense wave of energy reached Noah and flung him on the ground.

The Demonic Form broke when Bertha's attacks reached him. Noah found himself spitting mouthfuls of blood as he slid on the tough ground, but the energy transferred by his dark flames soon converged toward his black hole and healed him in an instant.

'Can I defeat them with the dark world?' Noah wondered as he stopped and deployed the Demonic Form again.

The dark world was one of his most powerful skills against cultivators due to its ability to suppress unwanted laws. Still, Noah didn't know how strong that technique would be in the Immortal Lands.

He didn't want to reveal all his abilities either. He knew how important it was to keep trump cards hidden, especially when they couldn't lead to a certain victory.

Noah wasn't sure that the dark world could make him win that battle. Even with his many advantages, he couldn't overcome three rank 7 cultivators without sacrificing something.

The trio also came from a supposedly powerful organization in the Immortal Lands. After all, the Crystal City seemed to control an entire landing zone, and that showed how strong it was.

The inscribed robes were another proof of its power. Noah didn't know how rare divine items were in the Immortal Lands, but the Crystal City could provide personalized versions to its underlings.

Noah had noticed how the purple designs hinted at the individualities of the trio. The Crystal City had to own experienced inscription masters to complete that task, and Noah couldn't predict whether the trio had other inscribed items with them.

If the dark world failed, Noah would have revealed all his abilities for nothing. Only death would wait for him afterward. That realization forced him to plan a different approach to the battle.

He had already confirmed that his attacks could threaten the lives of his opponents. The only problem was that their numerical advantage forced him to divide his offensive.

'I can win in a one versus one,' Noah concluded as he launched a series of slashes to slow down the arrival of the next offensive. 'I need a few instants to isolate one of them.'

The Divine Deduction technique activated on its own while Noah pondered about the issue. The trio launched more attacks that clashed with his slashes and overcame them.

Snore and Night did their best to mitigate the power of the blows that eventually landed on his body, but Noah still suffered some damage during those exchanges. He couldn't defeat the attacks of three rank 7 cultivators, especially while he tried not to use the dark world.

Noah analyzed his possibilities in an instant. The tongues of black flames allowed him to remain at his peak while countless thoughts ran through his mind and gave birth to a wicked plan that he couldn't wait to deploy.

'I guess I will satisfy my curiosity,' Noah revealed a cold smile as his armor reformed and depicted a devilish grin on its helmet.

Zach, Gil, and Bertha never stopped launching attacks fueled by their laws, but fear filled their minds when they heard Noah giving voice to a deafening roar.

His cry spread through the forest and flew toward its center. Noah had conveyed a simple message with his roar. He had expressed his desire to challenge the leader of that area!

A strange silence covered the area after the echoes of his roar dispersed. The trio and Noah continued to exchange attacks, but the sounds that they released seemed fainter when they spread in the environment.

It was as if something had forced their abilities to make less noise. A powerful creature had decided to join that battlefield after Noah's roar, and its simple decision caused their attacks to be more silent.

Earthquakes began to fill the forest. The battle between Noah and the trio had been unable to cause those reactions in the environment, so the four of them stopped fighting when they witnessed that event.

Trees fell in the distance. Those massive and resilient plants disappeared as a giant shadow neared the battlefield. That figure was as tall as the brown trunks, and it was as large as forty of them.

Fear appeared on the trio's faces, and Zach couldn't help but turn toward Noah to shout words that sounded like a curse. "What did you do?!"

Still, Zach could only see that Noah's figure had disappeared. His cloud had even stopped expanding, which confirmed that he had left the area.

Zach cursed in his mind and began to leave, but a heavy pressure fell on the area and forced him to remain still. The same when for his companion, who could only observe the creature that had appeared near them in fear.

A giant spider had appeared next to them. The beast had twelve hairy legs and a massive body covered in dark-brown fur. Ten black eyes covered its face, and two pincers came out from the sides of its mouth.

The creature released a low screech accompanied by human words once it stopped near the trio. "Who dares to challenge me?"