Chapter 1362: 1362. Overwhelmed

Noah cultivated, meditated, and experimented with his dark world while his consciousness remained unfolded. His mind could sense almost everything happening in the Rumbling Region. Only the flames and the occasional lightning bolts interrupted his perception.

Mental energy rose from his mental sea as inscription illuminated the walls of his consciousness. His thoughts flew inside his mind to create simple shapes capable of containing enormous power.

The figure of a spider slowly formed above his mental sea. It had six slim legs and a minute body, but it didn't crumble after its creation ended. That was as far Noah had managed to go with the workshop. A stable set of rules was the best he could do for now.

'It won't be useful unless I turn it into a rune,' Noah thought as he continued his training inside the trunk.

Since the blueprint for the workshop had to affect the dark world, Noah couldn't use his higher energy to create the creature's shape. The rules carried by his thoughts would only interfere with the dark matter, and the same went for his other energies.

Noah needed to create a new rune that could force his dark world to mass-produce magical beasts, and he could only use his mental energy to complete the task. His thoughts had to reach the same level of power of inscriptions built through different energies.

The task was arduous. Noah's expertise also diverged from that type of inscription since he had always used his many energies to create stronger products. When it came to using only his thoughts, he found himself inexperienced.

Still, his other abilities were a perfect match for Great Builder's individuality, so he pressed on with the experiments. Noah could feel that he was close to completing the first blueprint. He only needed a small push to polish it.

Luckily for him, he had enemies willing to give him a reason to improve.

Lady Lena, Gil, Zach, and a fourth cultivator from the Crystal City descended toward the Rumbling Region while Noah was in the middle of his training.

The unknown member was a middle-aged woman in the gaseous stage with long blonde hair and dark eyes. Her position among the other weaker experts didn't appear to be low, but she couldn't show off with Lady Lena next to her.

The group of four landed on the dark-red terrain and began their investigation. Lady Lena and Gil took care of that part of the hunt, but they failed in locating Noah in that wild environment.

They could sense Noah's aura in the environment, but they couldn't pinpoint his exact location. The flames' interference and his robe's hiding capabilities made the task too hard to solve in a few hours.

"Be careful," Lady Lena said as she stepped forward to lead her group toward the center of the region.

Even with the robe, Noah couldn't hide the traces left during his training. The group from the Crystal City could understand that he was somewhere at the center of the region, and they didn't hesitate to march toward those areas.

Noah was aware of the movements happening around him. He had seen how many cultivators had arrived before retracting his consciousness. He was relying on his instincts to keep track of their behavior now.

The presence of the liquid stage cultivator worried him, but part of him trembled in excitement at the idea of facing an existence at that level. Noah wanted to throw himself at Lady Lena right away, but he had to take care of her underlings first.

Noah wasn't sure that he could handle a cultivator in the liquid stage, but he was certain that his death would arrive if he let those underlings alive. He needed to be wholly focused on Lady Lena to fight her, and he couldn't let weaker enemies hinder him.

Noah's mental waves spread through the environment and covered almost the entirety of the landmass. His robe managed to hide most of their properties, but Lady Lena soon realized that something was off.

That sensation didn't come from her consciousness. Her instincts had told them that the area had suddenly become more dangerous, and she prepared for the imminent clash.

Noah closed his eyes, and his enemies appeared in his mind. The Demonic Sword flew out of the separate space and landed in his hand before lifting it to laid it on his forehead.

Zach and Gil had already fought against Noah, so they had learnt part of his abilities. Yet, Noah had grown a lot since his landing in the Immortal Lands.

His body had reached levels that they couldn't imagine, and his other centers of power had also seen a decent growth. Noah wasn't a newly advanced god anymore. He was an existence that could defeat beings stronger than him.

Gil was the first among the experts in the gaseous stage to notice that something was off. Through his howls, he sensed that the air had become denser as if an invisible layer of energy had covered the whole area.

It didn't take him much to understand what was happening, but it was too late when he noticed anything. A black line formed above his head and crashed on his body in an instant.

The same happened for Zach and the other gaseous stage cultivator. They saw massive black lines appearing above their heads and transforming into large but sharp blades that fell on them.

Only Lady Lena remained outside of that assault. Noah knew that his chances of taking her by surprise were scarce, so he didn't even try to attack her.

Noah moved among the thick trees as he studied the effects of his attack. His opponents would find him if he remained in the same spot after unfolding his consciousness. There was a limit to what his robe could do at such a distance.

Disappointment soon filled his mind when he saw that azure shields came out of the cultivators' figures and expanded to form three large spheres. His black lines vanished among the tides running on the defenses' surface. His attacks couldn't even pierce them.

The landmass began to tremble at that point. Noah felt an immense threat flying in his direction, but his instincts told him that he couldn't avoid that clash.

Noah turned and slashed in the direction of the danger, but a tide of azure water crashed on him, destroying his attack and flinging him away. He soon found himself at the bottom of a mountain and with his bones emitting screeching noises.

His robe was in tatters. Even that magnificent piece of equipment couldn't fend off the attack of a liquid stage cultivator.

Noah spat a mouthful of blood as he straightened his position and shot in the distance. He didn't want to face an expert in the liquid stage directly, but what he desired didn't matter in that situation.

A series of water currents ran through the fiery sky and converged in his position, crashing on his body and pushing him back on the ground. The impact on the landmass was so intense that earthquakes began to spread through the regions.

Noah felt his bones cracking as the water prevented him from making any movement. Strange noises echoed from inside his body, and blood accumulated in his mouth.

Those were only casual attacks, but Noah felt utterly overwhelmed. The differences among the stages and ranks in the divine realms were immense, and filling those gaps required countless items or a great talent. Training was also essential.

"You thought you were so strong, didn't you?" Lady Lena said as she and her underlings neared Noah. "Hybrids rarely are great thinkers. They often give up on their intellect to choose the path of the beast. You won't be any different."

Noah struggled to get up, but more currents fell on him and continued to damage him. Lady Lena wanted to keep him down, and she was succeeding.

"I already am different," Noah said as black smoke began to come out of his figure.

Two shadows also shot out of his separate space, and his ambition began to fill the entire aura. Noah was about to go all-out, but he held back the disposable puppet.

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Author's notes: Next 2 after I wake up.