Chapter 1488: 1488. Hatred

Noah had survived through countless harsh situations, and he had also made many difficult decisions throughout his life. However, the Crystal City had put him in front of a challenge that he didn't know how to overcome.

June, Daniel, Faith, Flying Demon, and Dreaming Demon were hiding from the magical beasts. Two rank 8 cultivators were in the hall with Noah, and an army of divine experts also encircled the area.

Noah was even inside one of the headquarters of the Crystal City. It was safe to say that he had never felt so hopeless and angry throughout his entire life.

Noah glanced behind him. Fergie's figure reminded him of William during his final meeting with Thomas Balvan. Noah felt as if Heaven and Earth were mocking him. He had never expected his situation to become so awful after a single battle.

'A single defeat has led to this,' Noah thought as he closed his eyes.

That scene was too much to bear, but Noah soon reopened his eyes to fix them on his companions. He hated his powerlessness, but a stronger feeling eventually took over his mind.

A stronger wave of hatred suppressed his anger and every other emotion that the situation had caused. Noah was the target of that feeling. He hated himself because his instincts had autonomously started to wait for an opportunity.

Noah knew that his chance to escape would arrive once the show in the garden reached its end. Everyone would be slightly distracted when the magical beasts slaughtered his companions. That was the perfect opportunity to deploy his plan, but Noah couldn't completely accept that.

His body almost moved on its own. Noah's rational side knew that he couldn't do anything in that situation. Saving his companions was impossible, and attempting in that hopeless feat would only lead to his death. Instead, if Noah used their sacrifice to create an opening, he would have a chance to survive.

It was pointless to throw away his life. Noah knew that far too well. Still, his emotional side wanted to lay waste to that place and save his friends. Even his vast experience couldn't manage to suppress that feeling.

Noah wouldn't attempt any pointless heroic gesture. His very ambition forced him to do everything in his power to survive. He would use his companions' death to escape, but he couldn't avoid feeling that intense hatred toward himself.

"You know," Noah said as his growls almost suppressed his human voice. "I had to sacrifice someone dear to me once. The force who put me in that situation doesn't exist anymore."

"Did I hear a hint of desperation behind those words?" Miss Nine said as a cold smile appeared on her face.

"Definitely. I am desperate," Noah replied. "Still, I can promise you something. It doesn't matter what will happen today. It doesn't matter if my friends survive or not. If I ever live through this situation, you can be sure that the Crystal City won't exist anymore."

"Empty threats won't lead you anywhere," Ethan said before exploding into a loud laugh. "Look around you. This outcome was inevitable. You can consider yourself lucky to have lasted for so long."

"Don't worry," Noah replied. "I have looked enough, and I didn't forget you. The Sailbrird family will also fall. The human domain will have to beg me to leave a few cultivators alive."

Ethan laughed, and some cultivators in the hall imitated him. Noah's threats were too unreal, even if they didn't consider his current situation.

"I didn't forget about you either," Noah said as he glanced toward Luke. "The secret organization will also pay."

"You speak as if you have a chance to survive today," Luke replied in an annoyed tone. "It's always the same with rank 7 existences. You wouldn't be the first to escape similar situations, but your state would remain the same. You are alone against overlords. Your power alone will never amount to anything."

"Let me live," Noah replied. "I will prove you wrong."

Luke revealed a sly smile before turning toward the garden. The magical beasts had almost reached the five experts. The show was about to reach its apex.

'I should also give them a chance,' Noah thought as he suppressed his survival instincts. 'This is a gamble anyway. I might as well make them join it.'

Noah wouldn't try to save his companions, but they would get a chance to escape if he started his escape a few seconds before the beginning of the battle. Some of them might be able to survive during the chaos.

As soon as the magical beasts and the five experts began to fight, Noah summoned the Demonic Form and activated his law. His cultivation level rose, and sharp pain spread from his right palm.

Holes appeared on his palm. Noah initially felt surprised by that event, but he accepted that pain when he realized what was happening. The new Demonic Form didn't seep through his tissues. Its roots had to pierce his skin to appear in the outside world.

Roots spread under Noah's skin and came out of his palm. The flower didn't leave the separate space, but its structure absorbed mental energy, darkness, primary energy, and dark matter from Noah's body.

Noah's energies weren't fueling the spell. The Demonic Form was a living being now, so it didn't need external inputs to work. However, it absorbed Noah's power anyway, as if it was a parasite.

Noah placed his palm between his crossed legs. The quasi-rank 8 sphere prevented the cultivators from sensing the changes in his cultivation level, and even the rank 8 experts ignored his actions.

Madame Canson and Luke could sense that Noah's cultivation level was increasing, but they didn't do anything about it. He was still inside a quasi-rank 8 item in the end, and they expected his struggles anyway.

As the battle inside the garden continued, the roots accumulated under Noah. The corrosive aura surrounding them intensified as his ambition fueled the plant, and toxic smoke slowly began to gather in the sphere.

The smoke didn't damage Noah, but it acted like his black flames. The roots and the gas were slowly eroding the invisible wall, and the energy they absorbed flowed back inside his body.

The plant wanted to take all the energy, but the black hole stopped it. The fourth center of power seized that power before it could reach the core of the Demonic Form and filled Noah's tissues with it.

An intense surge of power filled Noah's body. As expected, the quasi-rank 8 sphere contained an immense amount of energy, and his tissues used it to improve.

Noah couldn't face the breakthrough since his ambition had already forced his body to reach the upper tier. However, his tissues stored the absorbed energy and let it fill their fabric.

Cracks appeared under Noah. The Demonic Form was succeeding in shattering the invisible walls, but he couldn't feel any happiness. His eyes never left his companions as he saw the injuries accumulating on their bodies.

'Break already!' Noah shouted in his mind, and the Demonic Form sensed the intensity of his feelings.

The flower grew after absorbing more energy from Noah's existence. Its roots also thickened, and the corrosive aura that they carried intensified.

Noah grew paler, but the energy coming from the invisible wall restored any damage that the Demonic Form inflicted. The process was excruciating, but Noah couldn't feel anything while his eyes remained on the garden.

The sphere was about to break, but his friends were also about to die. Even if he had decided to begin his escape sooner, he had ended up coordinating his moves with the battle in the garden. His ambition had played him again.

'I can't choose who I am,' Noah said in his mind in a desperate attempt to focus on his situation, but a flash of golden light suddenly filled the sky above the Crystal City.

When the light dimmed, a tall pagoda appeared in the sky, together with a familiar army.

"My heir!" Divine Demon's voice echoed through the entire region. "I have come to rescue you!"