Chapter 1659 - 1659. Hole
Time went by quickly. Noah rarely managed to keep track of how long he spent during seclusions, but he rarely cared about that.
Noah had a lot to do. His dantian begged him to push it toward the higher levels, but the organ required too long to reach the liquid stage. Mere centuries spent in seclusion wouldn't be enough to approach the breakthrough.
Instead, the other projects proceeded decently. Noah's understanding of the laws of s.p.a.ce continued to increase, and ideas on how to surpa.s.s the singularities also appeared in his mind once he began to focus on the issue.
Only his experiments with the chaotic laws didn't seem to lead anywhere. King Elbas had lent him a few inscribed items meant for the procedure, but his ambition failed to give the mutations a proper direction.
The chaotic laws seemed able to overpower Noah's ambition. His tests featured pellets that could absorb his ambition and display it in the open, but they always transformed into unclear materials during the mutations.
Noah didn't mind those outcomes for now. His focus was on the laws of s.p.a.ce, and that projects proceeded well. He only had to let his mind study the black marks to improve his understanding of that aspect of the world. Time would eventually give him what he needed.
It was strange to study laws that didn't belong to his existence. Noah was basically forcing his ambition to expand and envelop more true meanings, but the procedure was extremely slow since his cultivation level was already in the eighth rank.
It would have been easier if Noah had started studying those laws when he was an expert at the beginning of the divine ranks, but he didn't expect that twist in his life. After all, his ambition was already too vast compared to other cultivators.
Noah didn't mind how broad his law would get. He had rarely cared about that aspect of his existence since he couldn't help himself. He had to fulfill his d.e.s.i.r.es to respect his ambition.
The laws of s.p.a.ce were far from his understanding, but Noah slowly learnt how to deploy them. He already had abilities that involved similar features, but he needed to use them more actively now.
Miss Void's ability and movement techniques touched on s.p.a.ce-related matters, but they were only a consequence of spells and arts. They didn't use its laws to activate precise effects. They only exploited their behavior.
Instead, the creation of the dark s.p.a.ce required a deeper understanding. Noah had to review all the times when experts had managed to affect the fabric of the Immortal Lands to study those laws.
His movement techniques continued to improve as his understanding deepened. Noah even tested them on the strange surface of the other side of the Immortal Lands from time to time. He could sense that he was getting close to a turning point, but the enlightenment tried its best to remain hidden.
Harold imitated Noah. The expert cultivated while Noah was deep into his experiments. He even tried to break free of Noah's technique, but he could only trigger reactions from the sword-shaped energy inside his body.
Noah didn't know what to do with Harold. His situation with Fergie had been different since the expert had no strong ties with other forces in the human domain.
Fergie couldn't find a way out of Noah's control, but Harold had a chance to remove the spell. He only needed to endure until he returned to his family to regain his freedom.
"You really want me to kill you," Noah commented after his connection with his fake core warned him about another attempt to remove the spell.
Harold didn't look at Noah in the eyes. He felt awful about the whole situation. He was a mighty rank 8 existence who had reached the liquid stage, but Noah had managed to suppress him anyway.
Moreover, Harold couldn't break free of those restraints. Noah always sensed when his energy was fighting against Harold's law, and he didn't hesitate to intervene to stop the expert.
"Just kill me then," Harold eventually snorted. "I have lived for millennia. I don't want to survive as a slave."
"I can't kill you yet," Noah sighed. "You are a valuable hostage and spy. Also, I don't know if you have told me the truth. I need to check those spots before being sure about your value."
"The members of the Rotway family don't lie," Harold complained.
"I don't care what you say," Noah explained. "You are mine from now on. You can struggle and try to fight this condition, but it will only make it worse for you. I don't mind cutting your limbs and sealing your centers of power for millennia. I bet you don't want this."
A trace of fear appeared in Harold's eyes. Noah had enslaved him, but he didn't apply any absurd restriction. He even let Harold cultivate in peace.
"How would you justify my absence without someone to confirm your story?" Harold replied.
"I think you overestimate the other cultivators," Noah laughed while crouching toward the sitting Harold. "They will do anything to maintain peace. My team has the best experts, and we even have the backing of the strongest organization in the Immortal Lands. They will have their doubts, but they will never side against us as long as this mission continues."
"What will happen once the mission ends then?" Harold continued to launch questions.
"You don't understand," Noah said as growls fused with his chilling voice. "This mission won't end. The Devils will take over the entire plane, and Heaven and Earth will lose control of most of their materials. This is only a matter of survival now."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Harold asked.
"Because I've decided to cause a mess," Noah laughed. "Chaos usually spreads once I make my mind about it. I only have to find the right calamity to unleash here."
Harold wanted to complain again, but he didn't know how to react to such shameless arrogance. Noah was a legendary existence already, and his stories even failed to describe his real power.
Harold could see how monstrous Noah was. His power wasn't even his most fearsome feature. Noah was a complete madman who didn't care about the world. He was willing to sacrifice immense benefits to make his enemies suffer.
"How do you plan to defeat the three upper tier leaders?" Harold asked. "Don't tell me that you have been hiding your power."
"I always hide something," Noah continued to laugh. "Don't worry about them. Focus on accepting your condition. I still need you, but I won't hesitate to keep you inside my storage item for millennia if you keep trying to break free."
"I only need to succeed once," Harold said as a cold smile appeared on his face.
"You also have only one life," Noah laughed before returning to his training area.
Noah didn't mind those vague threats. It was normal for Harold to show more pride than Fergie, but he believed he could suppress the expert in time.
Still, his priority remained his power. No one would dare to oppose him as long as he became the strongest existence in the entire plane.
His studies of the laws of s.p.a.ce eventually led to a proper outcome. Noah was inspecting the black marks carried by the s.p.a.ce Hounds' fur when a lump of dark matter came out of his figure.
Noah wasn't controlling that energy. The black hole had sent dark matter out of his body on its own.
The dark matter condensed. It became a rotating sphere that resembled the black hole, but its fabric soon fused with the world.