Chapter 2003 - 2003. Inspection

Noah retreated and expanded the dark world to make sure that no drop of the black liquid ever came near him again. The dark matter filled the area and helped King Elbas' inscription with the suppression of the dragon, but the substance coming out of its mouth continued to cause problems.

The dark matter evaporated when the black liquid expanded among Noah's technique. Waves of ambition instantly empowered his mind and enhanced his inspection of that substance. He wanted to understand how that material could appear harmless while containing such immense destructive power, but his study failed to give answers.

King Elbas and Sepunia reached Noah inside the dark world in an instant. The latter had even allowed them to see its insides on purpose because he needed their help.

The two experts had seen everything that had happened with the black liquid, but they shared Noah's confusion. Still, King Elbas didn't hesitate to take out a series of flasks from his figure to see if they could succeed where the dark matter was failing.

Twelve flasks with different shapes and inscriptions flew through the dark world and reached the tiny waterfall that the dragon was releasing. King Elbas and Noah didn't even need to talk to coordinate that approach. The latter took care of moving the items, while the former made sure that the golden lines on them adapted to the unique features of that substance.

The approach soon led to failure. King Elbas tried his best, but his items melted in less than a second. He didn't even have the time to test different meanings for his inscriptions before the flasks vanished.

"What is that?" King Elbas asked.

The liquid carried a strange aura that seemed able to attract the experts' attention, but the reason for that feature was impossible to study. Noah, King Elbas, and Sepunia were using their mental waves to inspect the substance, but their thoughts also melted before gathering valuable information.

'Why do I even trust it?' Noah wondered as he let the black hole perform a complete check of his body.

Everything was fine inside Noah. Only the black liquid was to blame for his unreliable sensations, which made it even more interesting. Noah and King Elbas couldn't wait to get their hands on that material, but it seemed that the task would be far from easy.

"Hand me something for my mind," Noah ordered as he performed a grabbing motion with his remaining hand.

"You should drop this habit," King Elbas snorted while taking out a pill in the middle tier.

"And you can avoid complaining sooner or later," Noah responded before taking the pill and throwing it above him.

The ethereal blackness quickly unleashed its energy. Noah's mind reached a level of power that would leave even liquid stage cultivators stunned. The world seemed to open in his eyes and reveal its truth, but he kept his focus on the black liquid.

The dark matter synchronized with Noah's mental state and worked as an extension of his mind to gather information about the black liquid. Strange images and feelings filled his vision as he moved his eyes to the dragon. The strange substance and the creature had a connection that Noah struggled to describe. It was deep but also forced.

The empowered state vanished and tried to make Noah fall into the usual mental coma. He wanted to oppose it, but the drawbacks inevitably won. He was getting stronger, but his existence still couldn't handle that level of power.

The dark world melted King Elbas' pill and sent its nutrients toward Noah. He suddenly woke up and activated his ambition again to empower his mind. Everything learnt during the superior state slowly transformed into orders for the dark matter that did its best to follow them.

King Elbas and Sepunia were dying to know what Noah had learnt, but they remained silent for the time being. The ability was draining the dragon's immense stamina, and the black liquid falling into the dark world disappeared to destroy the dark matter. Noah had to hurry if he wanted to seize a sample of that material.

Noah worked at full speed. His mind studied everything and came up with a container capable of surviving the black liquid's destructiveness. The dark matter churned and condensed before creating something that his companions inspected in confusion. They saw a chunk of his higher energy transforming into a large jar that radiated an aura similar to Heaven and Earth.

The jar flew toward the tiny waterfall created by the dragon, but its structure started to melt. Noah cursed in his mind before modifying the item while it fought against the threatening substance. The aura that reminded everyone of Heaven and Earth intensified, but the container continued to suffer from the destructive effects.

"Elbas!" Noah shouted, and King Elbas didn't hesitate to step forward.

The two didn't need words there either. King Elbas took a series of glowing orbs that radiated an aura almost identical to the sky and threw them toward the jar. Noah used the dark world to dissolve those items into waves of energy that flowed inside his creation. His container turned dark-grey before radiating a clear light that tried to copy Heaven and Earth's whiteness.

The jar finally stopped falling apart, but the dragon also put an end to its ability and abandoned itself to its restrictions. Noah didn't care about the creature for now and focused on his item. The container shrunk and closed to seal the liquid in its insides. He had only managed to seize a few drops in the end, but that remained a clear success.

The jar had transformed into a small flask that radiated a pale light after the process. The dark matter sent it to Noah, and he grabbed it to inspect the black drops in its insides. King Elbas and Sepunia peeked at the item from behind his shoulders, but they remained clueless about the situation. They only understood that Heaven and Earth's aura seemed to counter the substance's destructive properties.

"Do you plan to give us an explanation?" King Elbas asked when his patience reached its limits.

"I can't resist keeping you on edge," Noah mocked before wearing a serious expression.

"Is it bad?" Sepunia questioned when she noticed Noah's expression.

"It might be as bad as it can get," Noah sighed before pointing at the flask. "This is the counter to the sky."

"That's impossible," Sepunia promptly declared. "I recall the appearance of that material. It had the form of a dark metal able to destroy the sky with a mere touch."

"Your description sounds awfully similar to this liquid," King Elbas stated. "The only difference is in the target. This substance seems able to destroy everything but things connected to Heaven and Earth."

"They corrupted it," Noah revealed. "They couldn't get rid of the material since something capable of countering their sky had to exist in the world. So, they decided to contain and alter it."

"I bet they altered to counter their opponents," King Elbas guessed. "Still, how could they even work with a material that could melt their whiteness with a single touch?"

"They didn't need to do much after creating the right environment," Noah explained while pointing at the dragon. "Heaven and Earth have used the dragons as the vessels for the corruption. That's why they have different elements. They belonged to different species, but this liquid has changed their core and bodies."