Chapter 1493: 1493. Eccentric

Noah didn't know what to answer. Fergie's eyes reeked of death, but a faint ambition shone from them. Noah couldn't fail to recognize that feeling. It was the same emotion that had driven him through his entire cultivation journey.

'This power can be a curse,' Noah thought while continuing to inspect the expert.

His ambition had put Fergie in that situation. That feeling was so intense that the expert had endured countless tortures to preserve his chance to improve.

Luke's words resounded in Noah's mind. The rank 8 cultivator had claimed something that Noah knew far too well. His power alone wasn't enough to match the large organizations. He was nothing more than a promising expert in a world filled with overlords.

'I have overcome this challenge already,' Noah thought in an attempt to reply to those words. 'King Elbas did the same when we went against him.'

There was a flaw in Noah's reasoning. Both he and King Elbas had relied on organizations to survive through part of their cultivation journey. The Elbas family had always been powerful enough to stand near the peak of the Mortal Lands, and the Hive had also reached the same state after a series of wars.

Those large forces were valuable tools, especially in an environment filled with large organizations. Noah had initially believed that he would eventually join the Legion due to his species, but Fergie had made him aware of a second option.

Noah had never liked to be a member of an organization. He liked being in charge of a force even less. Yet, there was a middle ground between being among strangers and remaining alone.

'I have my pride,' Noah thought. 'My ambition naturally attracts cultivators, and my hybrid status makes me a privileged existence in the world. I have everything I need to build my force. I only lack the desire to do it.'

Countless thoughts surged in Noah's mind. He wanted to find a reason to avoid that solution, but even his Demonic Deduction technique couldn't find anything.

"Dammit!" Noah shouted inside the dark world. "Fuck it! Why do I even have to do it? Why am I surrounded by weaklings who prefer to build teams rather than focus on their paths?!"

Fergie didn't know what was happening, but Noah's influence expanded as his loud curses echoed through the dark world. His aura seemed to cheer at his new mindset. It was as if his decision had unlocked a power that Noah had always suppressed.

"Fine!" Noah shouted again. "I will do it! I will create my damned force and take this whole plane. Still, I will leave as soon as I find a way out of this annoying sky."

'What are you even saying?' Fergie asked, and his eyes widened when he saw Noah's crazed expression.

"We will not stop until we destroy Heaven and Earth!" Noah shouted as roars mixed with his voice. "We will have but one enemy. I will create a force meant to destroy the world!"

'Oh,' Fergie exclaimed. 'I guess it's time for me to go then.'

A faint smile appeared on Fergie's face. He seemed at peace. He had accepted death during the tortures, and nothing else could disrupt his mood.

"Where do you think you are going?" Noah asked as he opened Fergie's robe and undressed him to bathe his naked body in the dark matter.

'I'm about to die!' Fergie complained.

"Yes, yes. You will die soon, but not before I understand how to revive you." Noah replied as he scratched his head while thinking of a way to turn the expert into a destructive creation.

'Wait!' Fergie exclaimed. 'I didn't agree with any of this!'

"You have no choice on the matter," Noah replied as he turned Fergie upside down to inspect him from a different angle. "Rejoice. You are now part of my organization. I will decide the name when I feel like it."

'What organization?' Fergie continued to complain. 'How many members does it even has?'

Noah thought about it for a second before taking out his companions. Snore, Night, and the Demonic Sword came out of his body and gave voice to loud cries that echoed through the dark world.

"There is also an annoying plant," Noah said. "The other sword isn't exactly alive, but you can count it if you want."

Roots pierced his palm after Noah mentioned the plant. It seemed that the Demonic Form wanted to show its power, but its absorption of Noah's energies increased to fuel that growth.

"Go back into my body," Noah ordered. "We need to have a talk about your nutrients."

A shrill noise came out of the roots that continued to grow, uncaring of Noah's orders. Yet, he promptly slashed with his fingers at the roots and closed his hand into a fist. The plant couldn't come out anymore with his palm in that position.

Another shrill noise echoed from Noah's body, but a vague sense of helplessness filled it. It seemed that the plant had given up on coming out for now.

'What exactly is that?' Fergie asked as fear filled his face.

Fergie had sensed the dangerous aura radiated by the roots. His instincts had reacted on their own, and he could only feel fear in front of such a threatening creature.

"It's a parasite that feeds on my energies," Noah replied. "Don't worry. We have an agreement, kind of."

'What kind of agreement did you do with that thing?' Fergie asked.

"Well," Noah scratched his head as he replied. "It needs a host, so it can't kill me."

'That's not an agreement!' Fergie shouted through his mental waves. 'Do you even have it under control?'

"Shut up and let me focus on a blueprint," Noah replied while avoiding giving a proper answer.

'Blueprint for what?!' Fergie continued to ask.

Noah's behavior was bringing Fergie on the verge of insanity. The expert had always known that Noah was eccentric, but he had understood the depths of his strangeness only during that conversation.

"For your new centers of power, of course," Noah replied. "These are awful. It's better to throw them away."

'You are talking about my body and dantian!' Fergie said as his thoughts became louder.

"Yes. See, you understood it," Noah replied as the bloodlust radiated by his figure intensified.

The Demonic Deduction technique consumed his tainted mental energy to generate countless ideas on how to turn Fergie into a living being meant to destroy the world. Noah's experience in humanoid creatures wasn't great, but he planned to reward him for his loyalty.

'I didn't mean it like this!' Fergie continued to complain.

"Shut up!" Noah eventually shouted. "I am trying to save your life here. Well, technically, you might have to die a few times during the procedure, but those are necessary reboots. Tell me, how much do you care about your human appearance?"

'I like my face!' Fergie replied.

"Don't you like any magical beast?" Noah asked as a bright red light shone from behind his icy-blue eyes.

'No! I like how I am,' Fergie said.

Noah gave voice to a snort, but he accepted the expert's desires. Noah would build a new body for Fergie and allow him to continue his cultivation journey as a specimen who stood above humans.