Chapter 1378: 1378. Heir

"Food!"

"Some food!"

"Eat it before the bastard stops us again!"

Noah translated the dragons' roars in his mind as he inspected those creatures. Black scales became visible after those creatures peeked out of their tunnels to fix their reptilian eyes on him.

The same flicker that Noah had seen when he crossed the barrier spread through the walls of the underground hall. A dense membrane covered the entire area, and its properties had kept the dragons hidden from Noah's consciousness while they were inside the tunnels.

'He didn't lose his old habits,' Noah thought as he watched those creatures coming out of the tunnels and revealing their huge bodies.

They were all Fire Dragons, the most common species of dragon-like creatures. They were more than twenty meters long and could morph the flames spewed by their pointy mouths.

The Fire Dragons weren't weak, but they lacked special features that could make them shine among the other species of dragons. They were powerful creatures that didn't have any evident weakness.

'Should I show off?' Noah wondered as those eighteen dragons opened their mouths and spewed scarlet flames that filled the entire underground hall.

The flames raged through the area but didn't cross the membrane that covered the various tunnels. The barrier stopped them from reaching the valley or paths that led to the surface and kept them confined inside that vast hall.

When the flames dispersed, the dragons saw Noah in the same position as before. No damage had appeared on his body, and even his robe was completely intact. He had endured the attack without deploying a single technique.

There wasn't any dragon in the upper tier among that group. A few of them were in the middle tier, but most of those creatures were in the lower tier.

Some of the middle tier dragons were stronger than Noah in terms of progress through the seventh rank, but their flames couldn't even scratch his skin. Noah's body was too strong from those creatures. They would need to use their innate ability and coordinate an offensive if they wanted to injure him.

"The fire does nothing!"

"Attack directly!"

"Tear it apart with your fangs!"

The dragons roared orders that Noah could understand, but listening to them didn't change his approach to the situation. If Divine Demon wanted to test him, he would show him the real power of his heir.

The creatures flapped their wings to increase their momentum as they charged toward Noah. Hungry roars filled the underground hall as that pack converged on him from every direction, but he didn't move even in front at such a display of power.

Noah limited himself to open his mouth and give voice to a deep roar that made the membrane on the walls tremble. The dragons instantly halted their advance by digging their claws on the rocking terrain, and soft tremors ran through their scales as that cry filled their ears.

The roar carried a simple meaning. Noah had ordered the dragons to bow while his pride flowed into his voice. Those creatures couldn't believe their ears when they sensed the aura of a Light-Devouring Dragon filling that cry.

Noah's pride didn't only carry the might of the Light-Devouring Dragons. He had improved his species multiple times already, so those creatures saw in him the ultimate specimen among dragon-like beasts. They had never sensed something so strong through their long lives.

Their instincts acted before they could decide what to do. The dragons lowered their heads, and their tremors intensified when Noah unfolded his consciousness to cover them in his pride. One roar had been enough to tame those creatures.

Divine Demon finally moved his gaze toward the bottom of the hall at that point. Noah sensed that and raised his eyes to exchange a glance with the expert.

His reptilian pupils met those red eyes, and a soft radiance shone from them as their Divine Deduction techniques activated on their own. The inscriptions on Noah's mental walls didn't consume any mental energy. They only lit up when they sensed similar lines inside the expert's mind.

A series of memories came out of Noah's mental sea and shot toward Divine Demon as that stare continued. Those thoughts featured all the events related to Divine Demon, the Demon Sects, and Noah's identity as an heir.

Divine Demon absorbed those memories and closed his eyes to process them. Noah's Divine Deduction technique deactivated at that point, and no adverse effect spread through his mind after that peculiar event.

The expert nodded a few times as he inspected those memories. Various emotions appeared on his face as he studied the events that had followed his ascension.

Noah remained silent out of respect for the expert. Those memories told him about Ravaging Demon's betrayal and all the hardships suffered by his other disciples. Noah didn't dare to disturb him in that situation.

After a while, Divine Demon opened his eyes and revealed a long sigh. His bottle reached his mouth once again, and drinking noises followed that gesture.

The bottle then ended, and Divine Demon threw it at his side before turning his attention back on Noah. The noise caused by the shattering of the bottle echoed through the underground hall as the two began to stare at each other again.

"Noah Balvan, Demon Prince of the Hive, Defying Demon," Divine Demon said slowly, "My disciples have caused you many problems. As their Master, I am ashamed."

"They have been valuable allies for most of my cultivation journey," Noah replied. "Normal cultivators couldn't match the might of the Demons. Your legacy is safe in their hands."

Divine Demon snorted before jumping out of the tunnel. He landed on one dragon and shook his head toward those creatures. The beasts were still bowing toward Noah, and the arrival of their warden made them shake even more intensely.

"They have died because they were weak!" Divine Demon announced. "I can justify only Chasing Demon. The others weren't worthy of their titles if a single betrayal has led to their death."

Noah didn't know what to answer at those lines. Ravaging Demon's betrayal had been so effective because the orthodox sects had access to Divine Elder Tabitha's inheritance. Divine Demon had left his legacy in the archipelago, so the Demon Sects couldn't win that battle.

"I can't read your mind anymore," Divine Demon said, "But I can understand your thoughts. My disciples have no excuses. A defeat is a defeat. I hope that Flying Demon and Dreaming Demon ascend soon so that I can start training them again."

A wide smile appeared on Divine Demon's face at that point. He patted one of the wings of the dragon under him as thoughts on how to punish the surviving Demons filled his mind.

"So, you are a hybrid," Divine Demon said when he focused on Noah again. "Your species might come in handy in the Outer Lands. The Legion is hiding something valuable, but its members won't tell me anything. I wonder what they will say when I show them that my heir is a hybrid."

Noah felt immediately curious about that, but he suddenly recalled the dangerous situation around the region. Boss Van's guild was still ready to ambush Divine Demon as soon as he came out of his lair.