Chapter 1572: 1572. Crisis

Pure greed appeared in Irvin, Pearl, and Saul's expressions. They were clearly interested in the small black sphere in Noah's palm.

"I never thought it would be like this," Pearl said while nearing the fake core to inspect it better. "We had predicted that the cores would have an oval shape."

"I modified the original product with my knowledge in centers of power," Noah explained. "It's not my first time replicating a dantian."

The experts from the Balrow family remained speechless. They knew that Noah was a talented inscription master, but they didn't expect his expertise to go so deep into the anatomy of cultivators.

A chill ran down their spine at that discovery. Noah had already shown the results of his tests with magical beasts and weapons to the Balrow family. Yet, he had now explained that his experiments had also featured humans.

The trio didn't know what to think. Noah wasn't only incredibly talented as a warrior. He was even a great inscription master who didn't care about ethics when conducting his experiments.

Of course, those thoughts went by in an instant, and their fear didn't last long on their expression. The experts quickly suppressed those emotions and wore their polite, smiling faces again.

"You overcame the lack of the other pieces of the inheritance with your expertise then," Pearl commented. "Quite commendable. I would like to discuss the possibility of tighter cooperation with you in the future."

"We can discuss future trades after the situation in the human domain calms down," Noah replied without showing any emotion.

"Can we ask about your position toward the human domain?" Saul asked, and the two rank 8 existences lowered their gaze.

It seemed that they had planned to ask that question. It wouldn't make sense for the weakest among them to tread on that difficult topic.

"I don't care about politics," Noah replied honestly without bothering to stop drinking. "I simply believe that my enemies shouldn't be alive."

A hint of coldness spread from Noah's figure. His aura carried his emotions and told the trio how serious he was about his words.

Saul and the others couldn't help but tremble again. The recent attack on the Sailbrird family had told the trio that Noah had a vague definition of "enemy". He could punish an entire organization for the wrongdoing of a single asset.

"Let's start the trade," Noah eventually said. "This is still an enemy territory in the end. I don't want to remain here for too long."

The trio quickly accepted, and Noah studied their reactions from behind his cup. They didn't show any guilt nor killing intent. They appeared completely honest.

'What is this sensation about then?!' Noah cursed in his mind, but the trio quickly claimed his attention.

Pearl had taken out three thick books from her space-ring. They were old, but they had a similar style to the tome that Noah had retrieved in the pyramid. They even carried the same aura.

"We don't mind giving you the originals since we have already made copies of their contents," Irvin explained. "I believe we agreed that you would have done the same."

It was impossible to verify whether someone had tampered with the copies or omitted important information. Only the originals could do in a trade.

Noah nodded before taking out his book and placing it on the praying mat. Pearl did the same before they opened them at the same time.

Pearl and Noah had opened the books randomly. They didn't pick a specific page, and they made sure that they didn't use mental energy to alter their actions.

Noah could check that the three books explained the right topics, and the trio did the same. They could confirm that the goods matched the same inheritance and continue with the trade.

"Are you aware of the price discussed with your envoy?" Noah asked after raising his eyes toward the trio.

"Of course," Irvin replied. "We wouldn't mind if you were to change a few resources due to personal issues. We only care that the overall value remains the same."

Noah was trying to trigger unusual reactions in the experts. He was choosing his words very carefully and inspecting how they responded to see if they had anything to do with the dangerous sensation.

However, the trio appeared utterly innocent. Nothing Noah did managed to put them off. They even felt unaware of the hidden meaning behind his words.

"There's no need for that," Noah said before waving his hand.

A pile of materials and Soul Stones appeared next to the praying mats. A small mountain quickly formed as those resources accumulated on the ground.

Irvin quickly went to check the goods. He used his mental energy to inspect the various materials and even dug through the pile to have a better view of the resources hidden from his eyes.

Everything was perfect. Noah didn't even try to fall short on the Soul Stones. Irvin could return to the praying mat and complete the trade.

Noah picked the three books and stored them in his separate space. The experts did the same and even took care of the various resources accumulated next to them.

An awkward silence fell on the group at that point. Noah continued to drink, and the trio didn't know what to say after completing the trade.

"Do you want to offer something else?" Saul asked when he saw Noah's eyes darting through the environment.

"Yes," Noah replied without focusing on the trio. "We have many goods seized from the Sailbrird family that we don't need. We can also sell information now. Yet, I would like to discuss another topic before that."

"What is it?" Pearl asked.

"Don't you feel it?" Noah asked while waving his hands as if trying to catch the air. "Can you sense this strange pressure, this feeling of impending danger?"

Noah could only come clean about his thoughts since the trio didn't seem guilty. He would rather ask for a second opinion at that point.

"Do you feel that too?" Pearl asked while wearing a surprised expression.

Irvin reacted like her, but Saul appeared utterly clueless about the whole situation. His cultivation level was too low to sense that danger.

"We wanted to cancel the meeting for this reason," Irvin laughed. "We thought that you were trying to rob us. However, it's reassuring to know that you also feel the same sensation."

'It doesn't reassure me,' Noah cursed in his mind. 'What do I even have to expect? What's considered a crisis in the Immortal Lands?'

The answer to his doubts arrived quickly. The experts' smile froze when they looked in the distance, and that reaction made Noah turn.

A pillar of light had appeared far away. That structure carried the same whiteness of the sky, but it seemed to have a destructive power.

A column of smoke soon covered the pillar. That structure was melting the ground, which released a grey gas that tainted that whiteness.

The pillar soon expanded. It stretched through the regions until it encircled Noah and the others. A prison of light had trapped the experts in little more than a second.

The event had been too fast. It seemed that the world was welcoming that energy and allowing it into its fabric. Even the laws in the matter had transformed to help in the process.

The prison melted the ground so quickly that storms of that grey smoke began to fly through the area. The sky above a few regions became unclear as the light in the distance started to move toward Noah's group.