Birth of the Demonic Sword

Vesuvia had already revealed some inconsistencies with the ninth floor's structure. The place had to exist inside Heaven and Earth's domain, which required something more than formations or inscriptions to remain hidden.

The different space-time array and Cursed Reality's power could probably do the trick, but Heaven and Earth would eventually notice the Labyrinth anyway. After all, as long as something existed, the rulers could find it, especially if it remained in their domain.

Still, countless years had passed, but the Cursed Labyrinth had remained hidden. It didn't matter how many powerful experts had ended up on its floors. It didn't matter how much energy Cursed Reality stole from the higher plane. Heaven and Earth didn't find the imposing and spectacular structure.

There had to be an incredible power at work to keep everything hidden. Cursed Reality's world seemed to deal with the space-time array, so Noah viewed him only as a partial culprit.

Emperor and Queen were on the list, and Noah had even considered them, but the reactions triggered by his attacks showed different conclusions. The starry sky was beyond peculiar, and Noah felt to have found an explanation beyond its nature.

Noah had seen many things in his long life. He had studied the various states that the "Breath" could take, and he had even found himself in front of the non-world. He knew a lot about energy, laws, and matter in general. Many experts would kill to have his knowledge.

That knowledge allowed Noah to understand that the starry sky had something that went beyond separate realities, dimensions, and formations. The non-laws would clash with the nature of the Labyrinth, so he didn't consider them.

Only one possibility remained after exploring every option. The faint familiarity that Noah had experienced during his offensive also helped him reach that conclusion. Cursed Reality had most likely used Pellio's power to hide the Labyrinth from Heaven and Earth.

The power of dreams was unclear, and Noah couldn't claim to know much about it since he had never studied Pellio's world. However, he had seen what the expert could accomplish in his weaker form. Pellio could find truths out of nowhere and even create matter without requiring energy.

In theory, dreams could accomplish everything. They weren't a power connected to an expert imagination, but they had clear mental limits. Also, their fusion with someone specialized in separate realities could give birth to wonders.

"You are sharper than I thought," Cursed Reality commented, and Noah felt that a smile had appeared on that unclear figure hidden among the starry sky.

"It was only logical," Noah coldly replied. "Heaven and Earth are too powerful. You said so yourself. The world of a single solid stage expert isn't enough to keep such a giant structure hidden. Yet, two of them might do the trick."

"Don't think so little of the rulers," Cursed Reality snorted. "An army of solid stage experts might not be enough to hide my creation from Heaven and Earth."

"So, what exactly did you do?" Noah asked.

"That's simple," Cursed Reality exclaimed. "An army of experts can't pull it off, but a small group with specific powers working in harmony can."

"There's far more than harmony here," Noah contradicted. "You are using a stolen world to keep the Labyrinth in a realm that Heaven and Earth can't reach."

"That's quite insulting," Cursed Reality scoffed. "Do you think a mere stronger version of a separate reality would have been enough? It might work for a single cultivator or a small group, but my creation is far grander."

"You are dying to explain it to me," Noah laughed. "Just do it already."

Cursed Reality snorted, but he didn't contradict Noah. He let a few silent seconds pass before revealing the nature behind his blueprint. "I separated part of my world and fused it with Pellio's dreams to create a stronger power."

Noah couldn't hide his surprise. The answer actually left him speechless. He believed that Cursed Reality had simply permeated the whole Labyrinth and the separate reality with Pellio's power, but that explanation surpassed his expectations.

Fusing two different worlds was impossible. Noah and many other existences had different aspects, but their existence remained clear. Even the edgeless ethereal blackness only had the chance to expand. Annexing different meanings would only destabilize its power.

Heaven and Earth had succeeded in that project, but they had paid a hefty price, and they didn't even manage to obtain stable results. Moreover, the rulers had to fuse two different systems to force everything together. They were both part of the universe and existences that grew at its expenses.

However, Cursed Reality claimed to have succeeded in the impossible. He had fused two different worlds without creating instabilities or losing his true self. That achievement would put him above Heaven and Earth if he had told the truth.

"Don't look so stunned," Cursed Reality scolded. "The process has been more troublesome than you think, and even the results have been quite disappointing. That path is flawed, but I decided to keep it since it fulfilled my requirements."

"How can you remain yourself?" Noah asked. "You should be riddled with instabilities and personality issues."

"I didn't fuse Pellio's world to my existence," Cursed Reality explained. "I took a piece of my world and forced it to infect Pellio's power."

"Did you ruin two worlds just to keep the Labyrinth hidden?" Noah questioned.

Worlds were deep but relatively simple structures. They were the culmination of an expert's journey. Still, they were also frail.

Cutting away part of a world would make it lose all the experiences that had led to the creation of that chunk of power. The experts could refill those gaps, but they would never be able to achieve something identical to what they had severed.

Of course, that led to instabilities. Cultivators and hybrids couldn't add random powers or aspects to their world, even if their level and laws suited their existence. Those added pieces would always lack the initial harmony achieved with the breakthrough, and no amount of training could restore it.

Cursed Reality didn't only sever part of his world. He had also forced it to fuse with Pellio's power. He had ruined his journey and prevented Pellio from regaining his previous level for the sole sake of keeping the Labyrinth hidden.

"I didn't ruin anything," Cursed Reality shouted. "I won't hide it. I had to overcome my limits multiple times to complete the project, but I'm a genius, the greatest genius in the higher plain, so I eventually succeeded."

"How?" Noah couldn't contain his curiosity.

"I've created a separate reality with specific rules," Cursed Reality explained. "Well, multiple separate realities with different rules. The first had to preserve the integrity of my world even if I severed part of it. The second had to contain Pellio's power. The third had to make sure that the fusion was possible. The fourth had to create the conditions for the fusion. The fifth…"

Cursed Reality's explanation went on for a long time. In short, he had piled on multiple separate realities with simple rules to make sure that his insane project wouldn't backfire.

The dark world couldn't accomplish the same feats. Noah could create similar conditions when he used his technique inside Shafu, but Cursed Reality didn't stop to a single environment.. He had bent the very nature of the universe to make the impossible possible.