Noah was interested in the resources carried by his pursuers. He was also quite curious about what the man had to say since the library couldn't give him access to every valuable report.
However, his curiosity wouldn't lead him to spare the life of someone that had tried to ambush him. The appeal of valuable resources wouldn't hold back his blade either.
The man had to offer Noah something more valuable than that, and his words had centered the mark when he spoke about the secret organization.
There was a limit to what Noah could learn inside a library, and his lack of affiliations put him in a tough spot when it came to knowing what mattered in the Immortal Lands.
The Land of the Fallen, the other inheritances, and the names of the various organizations were only a small part of what the higher plane held.
Noah knew that every political environment had a dark side, an underground world that ordinary cultivators and reports didn't consider. His experiences in the lower plane had proven that he belonged to that secret part, and he couldn't wait to dive into it.
The five remaining Scorpions turned toward Snore when they saw the snake tearing one of their companions in half. They weren't among the smartest species of magical beasts, but they could realize when one of their allies betrayed them.
Loud screeches filled the cave as the Scorpions ignored the hooded man and turned their attention toward Snore. They simultaneously decided that they would take care of the snake before moving back to the cultivator, but the Blood Companion exploded into a storm of dark matter.
Noah expanded the dark world and reappeared on top of the nearest Scorpion. The center of power that had improved the most since his arrival in the Immortal Lands was his body, so he could finally show his superiority against those creatures.
The dark world had surprised the Scorpions, so Noah's target couldn't react in time to dodge his attack. His sword rose and descended before it could even realize what was happening.
Noah jumped off the Scorpion to reach the next target. Behind him, a fissure opened on the creature and divided its body into two halves. One slash had been enough to kill it.
The dark world could suppress part of the creatures' senses at its current level. Noah's technique had improved after his dark matter evolved, and it had become quite efficient against weak magical beasts.
The Scorpions needed time to get used to that strange environment. Their instincts could still sense imminent dangers, but they were slower than Noah. Being aware of his attacks didn't make them able to dodge them.
Noah reappeared above the next Scorpion, and the Demonic Sword descended again. Snore also formed in a different spot of the dark world and launched its innate ability toward another creature.
Two Scorpions died at the same time, and Noah didn't hesitate to make a move toward the remaining three creatures. Snore coordinated with him to finish that battle as soon as possible.
The hooded man was completely blind. The dark world suppressed his power and senses. It didn't even allow him to hear any sound coming from the battles unfolding around him.
He felt frail under the suppression of Noah's technique. He couldn't summon his individuality, and even controlling his "Breath" had become hard. His mental waves even crumbled as soon as they left his mind.
The hooded man had never been in a similar situation. Disbelief filled his mind when he understood that a single existence had been able to put him in that state.
Noah was on his level. His hybrid status gave him more power than any ordinary cultivator, but that could only influence the physical aspect of his prowess.
Yet, the difference of power shown in that battle was immense. The hooded man couldn't even understand how a gaseous stage cultivator could gain access to such strength. His hopelessness made him feel as if he was fighting against an existence in the liquid stage!
Of course, Noah was no match for actual liquid stage cultivators. His higher energy made him far stronger than existences on his same level, but he couldn't cover the difference between the stages yet.
The dark matter flowed back inside Noah's chest at some point. The hooded man regained his ability to see after the dark world dispersed, and the scene that appeared in his vision left him completely dumbfounded.
Noah had deployed the dark world for almost a minute. Six hungry magical beasts in the lower tier had been alive before his techniques, but they all died among that darkness.
The hooded man's eyes darted from one corpse to another. They all featured injuries that pierced them from side to side. Noah had access to attacks that could ignore those creatures' innate defenses and kill them in seconds!
That discovery made him even more desperate about his situation. Noah had just become an unbeatable monster in his eyes, and he would do anything to please him.
Noah landed on the ground, but he didn't call Snore back as he walked toward the hooded man. The Blood Companion slithered behind him and kept its dark eyes fixed on the cultivator.
The man didn't dare to move under that pressure. He let Noah place a finger on his forehead and inject a series of Shadow Swords into his body. He didn't even react when he sensed the spell closing on his centers of power.
"You might want to talk now," Noah said as roars mixed with his chilling human voice.
Snore encircled the two, and Noah sat on its body as he waited for the cultivator to speak. The dark matter that made the Blood Companion also morphed to create a large armchair that grew under him.
Noah's mental waves expanded and reached the corpses of the Scorpions. Those heavy body parts flew toward him and disappeared inside his separate space, except for a single claw that remained in his grasp.
Noah bit on the claw and started munching its tough tissues without moving his eyes from the cultivator. Green blood fell from the corners of his mouth under the man's skeptical gaze.
The hooded man felt only terror at that point. Noah had performed that act to show the difference between their species, and he had obtained the desired effects. The cultivator wouldn't ever try to lie to him after witnessing that scene.
"I-we have received the order to capture you," The man began. "Your performance in the inscription hall has attracted a lot of attention."
Noah continued to eat the claw, but the coldness radiated by his figure became more intense after he heard those words. That explanation couldn't satisfy him.
"I can unlock the space-rings of my companions for you," The man continued. "I will also give you everything I own."
The man hoped that he could please Noah with those words, but the coldness in the area became more intense again. Noah didn't want small pieces of information. He desired everything.
"Where do I need to start?" The man eventually asked.
"The beginning of this secret organization," Noah casually replied. "Don't forget any detail. I want to hear everything you know."