As energy flowed inside his body, disappointment filled Noah's mind. He had managed to kill Victor without ending in a poor state with King Elbas' help, but that victory didn't satisfy him.
Noah had found a new path for his martial arts, and he had even deployed his improved version of the "embodiment of power". He didn't suffer severe injuries during the fight, but the outcome of the battle didn't make him happy.
'I had to rely on the Shadow Domain again,' Noah thought as he bathed in the surge of energy that was filling his body.
Miss Void's technique was incredible, but Noah didn't want to have that spell as his only reliable method to defeat solid stage cultivators. He wanted his whole battle prowess to reach that level before he advanced to that stage.
The issue was that Noah didn't know if his desire was feasible. After all, his current battle prowess was already off the charts. Being able to kill solid stage cultivators with his actual power was in the liquid stage wasn't something that other experts could achieve.
'Maybe I can fight on an even field if I use my ambition,' Noah wondered as his mind reviewed the battle.
Noah's potential had increased after the battle with Charles. He could forcefully raise his cultivation level again if he wanted. He avoided using that ability only because King Elbas was with him.
That conclusion didn't satisfy Noah either. He could understand the reason behind his lacking battle prowess. Two of his most powerful assets were still unable to join fights at that level.
It was easier for the Demonic Sword to be part of his superior battle prowess since the weapon worked together with Noah's martial arts. However, the same didn't apply to Night and Snore.
Snore's power depended on the level of his black hole, and Night was an existence that had no ties with Noah's power. That made the two companions useless in battles against solid stage cultivators. Their attacks simply couldn't pierce those experts' innate defenses.
'I need to start testing the red crystals as soon as possible,' Noah thought as he turned toward the other battlefields on the mountain's peak. 'I can't let my companions fall behind while I'm making so many enemies.'
Noah's superior battle prowess didn't come only from his incredible body, higher energy, and fourth center of power. His companions were divine existences that could multiply his strength, and he didn't want to give up on them.
The other battlefields on the mountain's peak featured the rest of Noah's group against the members of the guild that didn't die during Jordan's initial flames.
Bret was fighting against Jordan, who was already in dragon form. She seemed to hold the upper hand in the battle, but the cultivator had stored enough formations to fend off her offensive.
Ian was against Adele. The hybrid launched howls that spread soundwaves through most of the sky, but the cultivator wielded two fiery hammers that fended those attacks off whenever they slammed on the air.
Divine Demon was against a tall woman called Edna. She was the boss of the guild and the strongest member of her force. Her skin had an unnatural dark-blue color that reflected the white light of the sky and made her figure shine.
Don was leading the other seven hybrids against the many weaker members of the guild. His group didn't face any problem even if their opponents heavily outnumbered them. Some cultivators had even begun to run away as the battle slowly turned into a slaughter.
Since he could rely on his companions, Don could express the true power of his law. His flexibility allowed him to create the best armor for every situation, and he could also equip the member of his team with those items.
The eight hybrids killed all the gaseous stage cultivators in a few exchanges before focusing on the liquid stage experts. Their eight giant figures fought wildly among the hordes of warriors.
Jordan filled the ground with flames, but a spherical figure always managed to survive her attacks. Bret floated cross-legged among a series of thick formations that protected his body from the hybrid's offensive, but he wore a concerned expression.
Even if his formations allowed him to survive, Bret couldn't see a path that could lead to victory. Jordan was simply stronger than him. Nothing he did would work against her massive scaled body.
"You are starting to bore me," Jordan roared before flying high in the sky and diving back toward the ground to release a dense gale.
"You can always stop your attacks and go somewhere else," Bret replied. "I bet that my companions will be better opponents."
Jordan didn't like Bret's personality, and her offensive intensified as that expert continued to speak. His behavior was angering her, and the sturdiness of his formations made everything worse.
"That was stronger than before,"
"Stronger again,"
"I'm surprised my formations managed to endure this one,"
Bret continued to taunt Jordan, but the worry on his face didn't vanish. Jordan's stamina was boundless, so her offensive never slowed down nor lost power.
"Ok, listen to this," Bret began to speak, uncaring that Jordan was continuing to attack him. "What if I told you that one of these formations can accumulate the power that falls on its lines?"
Jordan was about to launch another wave of dense gales, but she suddenly stopped when she heard those words. She could understand what Bret's words meant, but she couldn't guess why he had decided to reveal that information.
"I had initially planned to kill you in one blow," Bret continued, "But you are too strong. You almost destroyed the formation when you bit me before, and I can't control it anymore. It will continue to accumulate power until it explodes."
"So?" Jordan asked.
"Well," Bret said as he scratched his head. "I normally release the energy when it's too much for me to endure, but we are already past that point. The formation already has enough power to destroy the entire area. It might destroy the whole mountain's peak if you keep attacking."
Jordan understood Bret's concern at that point. Since he didn't control the formation anymore, those lines would keep absorbing energy until they reached the breaking point. Jordan could die in the explosion if she gave too much power to that inscription.
"Do you think that I would fall prey to fear?" Jordan roared as she flew back into the sky and resumed her offensive.
"What are you doing?!"
"You stupid dragon!"
"Stop already! You will kill both of us!"
Bret continued to shout, but Jordan didn't care. The mission was too important for the Legion, and she had already steeled her resolve. She couldn't allow any miscalculation. Her target had to die, even if she ended up dying in the process.
As Jordan dived toward the surface again, the formation exploded and engulfed her massive body in a wave of violent energy. The attack spread until Don's battlefield, where it killed many weaker cultivators on the spot. The hybrids wore Don's armors, so they managed to survive the event.
That violent energy also reached the other battlefield, but the experts there were strong enough to fend that attack off with their power. Ian, Adele, and Boss Edna used their laws to shield themselves, but Divine Demon decided to let the shockwave injure him.
The Demon wouldn't lose the chance to increase the difficulty of his battle, and he even gave voice to a loud laugh after blood began to flow out of his mouth.