Birth of the Demonic Sword

The bloodlines had never disclosed the actual timeline of their society. They limited themselves to reveal the existence of the ancestors and that they had been forced to retreat when the Heaven Tribulation killed them.

Noah and the others knew that those events had probably happened millennia in the past, but the structures of the natives were amazing in fending off magical beasts.

There was a chance that they hid secrets that the Elite cultivators didn't want to reveal and that they didn't bother to retrieve during their escape.

Of course, the trio didn't have high hopes for that mission, but they felt like exploring the world after spending almost three years in the area with the blue forest. There wasn't much left to discover and catalog in that territory, so they decided that it was time to move.

Each of them had their reasons to explore too.

Noah wanted to find more rank 5 magical beasts to hunt since his breakthrough to the middle tier was drawing near, and Faith wanted to experience the life of a lone cultivator without the protection of the Council.

As for June, her centers of power were improving at high speed since she began to live in the wilderness.

She could spend all the time that she wanted with her lover, and spar with Faith to fuel her battle intent. Also, she could reveal her real character in her daily life, which was something that she had never been able to do inside her family and with the Royals around her.

Faith had benefitted from that environment too. Having a friend that she could treat as her equal made her experience feelings that she didn't think existed.

Even Noah's presence had contributed to her improvements since he was the only man that didn't seem affected by her beauty. He had eyes only for June, and his aura changed too when he was with her.

The sharp coldness that usually surrounded him became a violent gale that didn't radiate any dangerous sensation. Instead, it expressed a perpetual mutation.

The truth behind Noah's aura was linked to his individuality, but he didn't completely understand the changes happening inside him either.

He knew that he was happy. His family was dead, he was improving steadily, and he could spend his daily life with the woman that he loved.

Yet, his current happiness was different from that felt whenever he had a breakthrough or managed to improve his power drastically.

'Destruction and creation, coldness and warmth,' Noah thought as he walked in front of the two women in his group, 'My feelings take different shapes according to which part of my individuality fuels them.'

There was a duality inside him that his recent period spent with June had helped in enhancing. The quiet and peaceful happiness that he felt in those years was different from the avid and violent one felt when he was a lone cultivator.

'I'm a complex existence due to my hybrid status and my transmigration,' Noah's mind continued to wander, 'But I'm still one. These parts of me shouldn't be separated so clearly.'

He was different from other heroic cultivators since he could study his individuality retroactively. However, that made him advance so quickly that he had disregarded the natural harmony that his existence should have.

That was a common issue when it came to Noah, but it was a problem that he was slowly fixing as his understanding improved.

"We should manage to snatch more years since our factions find an agreement only every six months," June said as she wrapped her arm around Noah's waist and laid her head over his shoulder.

"To think that we would have to thank the same political issues that keep us separated," Noah said as he embraced her too.

Faith had become used to those scenes by then, but she giggled anyway when she saw the couple walking embraced in those unknown territories.

"Unluckily, we have a third wheel," June said when she heard Faith's laugh.

"You have yet to pierce this third wheel's defenses." Faith replied.

"Hmph," June snorted, "We never go all out, and you barely attack. I wonder who would really win in that scenario."

Her aura started to radiate battle intent as her mind imagined a deadly battle against her friend, but Faith quickly reached for her and pulled the sleeve of her free arm.

"You are doing it again!" Faith exclaimed, "Are you sure that you want to spend your life with this maniac?"

Her question was for Noah, who caressed June hair before answering in a dull tone. "She has stabbed my shoulder in one of our first meetings. Her nature has never been a secret to me or anyone."

"I can't imagine you being on her same level," Faith said as curiosity rose inside her.

"I wasn't," June said, "He was simply holding back to hide his spells."

The memories of their battle in the air-ship made Noah and June feel warm when they saw how their relationship had evolved through the years. Yet, Noah suddenly noticed something and felt forced to escape June's embrace to investigate the areas in front of them.

Noah flew in the air and followed the dangerous sensation that his body had noticed. His consciousness expanded and focused in the territory ahead, where he discovered that a pack of White lions had created their lair next to a series of debris.

Noah didn't need any item to understand that the lions were Elite beasts, and he couldn't help but smile when he sensed that their leader had a power in the lower tier of the fifth rank.

Also, the debris hinted to something built by humans, even if there wasn't much left in that area. The smell that fended off magical beasts had mostly vanished too, which was why the White lions could live so close to them.

Noah warned Faith and June before launching himself against the rank 5 beast.

The White lions weren't weak. Their mane had abilities similar to Noah's lungs since it absorbed the sunlight and used it to fuel powerful white beams.

However, even those Elite beasts of the light element couldn't do anything against Noah's prowess, especially since his body had begun to near the limits of the lower tier.

Noah stored everything in his space-ring when the battle was over, and he even gathered the debris to give them to the Hive when he returned to the volcano.

As he expected, he didn't find anything valuable among those old remains. Still, when the area was clear, he noticed a series of lines on the terrain that radiated a feeling that didn't match the environment.

Noah soon understood that the lines were, in fact, a drawing, and he shot in the sky to obtain a complete view.

The images were a bit confused since a lot of lines had disappeared due to the passage of time. Nevertheless, he recognized a Flying snake with a human face among them.