The castle on the island wasn't old, but there wasn't even the slightest crack on its surface. There wasn't also any black mark on it. It was as if the Heaven Tribulation didn't attack that place at all.

Yet, Noah and the others were sure that the lightning storm had fallen there due to the marks on the ruins. It seemed that the bolts of lightning had just avoided the castle on purpose.

It was needless to say that the discovery surprised the three of them, but it also kindled their curiosity. That was the first time in almost fifteen years of exploration that they found an intact structure in the magical beasts' domain.

"I don't sense any danger," Noah said as his consciousness spread in the environment.

The island was small, so the aura radiated by the castle managed to cover its entire surface. There wasn't even one magical beast there. The place was empty except for the ruins and the castle.

"Let's search for the other habitations first." Faith said, and her two companions agreed to her suggestion.

They didn't wholly trust the intact structure even if their senses weren't able to pick any kind of danger. However, something that had been able to survive a Heaven Tribulation that had presumably destroyed all the ancestors couldn't be simple.

The ruins didn't hide any surprise, and they had no drawings under their floors. They seemed to be the same kind of destroyed habitations seen in the various cities that they had explored.

Only the castle remained at that point, and their mission would be over.

"They are pressing us to enter," June said as she stored her inscribed notebook.

The three of them had contacted their leaders when they discovered that unusual structure, and they felt curious too when they learnt about it. That place could contain remains not limited to bones and broken cells since it was still in one piece.

Also, if it turned out to be that the castle could protect from the Heaven Tribulation, the leaders would just seize the entirety of the building and bring it to their world.

"To think that they wanted us to come back just a few years ago." Faith said as she followed her words with a snort.

The freedom that she had learnt to appreciate during that journey had made her see her higher-ups in a new light, and she didn't entirely like their approach.

There was so much that she had lost just because they didn't want her to end up in dangerous situations, and she had begun to resent them for their actions. Her understanding of her individuality had improved by a lot in those years of exploration. Her peace had even started to change as she piled up experiences.

She had understood that she was on the wrong path, but she had already set foot on a road that suited her more. Also, as the three of them started to master the training method, they could see the effects that their individualities had on the environment more clearly.

Of course, that didn't affect Noah too much since he could already study his individuality retroactively thanks to his cultivation technique.

"Let's go," Noah said after he had used his full focus to a.n.a.lyze the castle again.

Both his mental energy and instincts were telling him that the structure was harmless, and he didn't want to leave the chance to obtain something valuable to someone else.

The metal door screeched when Noah opened it, and the smell of dust reached his nose when the air came from its insides. The place seemed abandoned, but the trio still waited before stepping inside.

Noah expanded his consciousness, but he didn't sense anything dangerous even when his mental waves spread inside the castle. That last confirmation was enough to make him cross the door and begin the exploration of the only intact structure in the magical beasts' domain.

Its layout was similar to the other castles that they had explored. There was a large hall that led to a series of staircases connected to the upper floors, and a few doors that led to the prisons.

The trio directly went for the cells, but they returned empty-handed since all of them turned out to be vacant of skeletons. However, it didn't seem as if someone had escaped from them since their metal bars were intact.

When the three of them went on the upper floors though, they discovered that a large stash of books and scrolls had survived through the years inside bookcases made by a transparent material.

They didn't hesitate to inspect those tomes, and their amazement surged when they saw that they contained researches and records concerning the history of that world!

"You could greet the master of the castle since you have interrupted his sleep." An aged, male voice suddenly spread through the floors, and a powerful aura accompanied those words.

Noah instincts began to scream at that point. It was as if an immense danger had appeared out of nowhere in an area that wasn't supposed to have anything. Also, he couldn't fail to identify the power of the ent.i.ty releasing that aura.

It belonged to a rank 6 existence!

Noah's survival instincts kicked in, and he reviewed all his possible options in that situation. However, he soon accepted that there wasn't anything that he could do against someone in the sixth rank.

His mental energy was enough to kill him on the spot. Tricks, talismans, and distractions would only enrage him.

Nevertheless, there was no threat in that voice. Actually, it seemed that the mighty being was happy about their presence there.

Noah placed the tome in his hands back in the bookcase and moved toward the source of the aura. He would just do as the existence said since it was pointless to try anything else.

June and Faith followed his example and walked right behind him. They wore expressionless faces, but it was clear that they were anxious about the imminent meeting.

'Did he cover his presence before we entered the castle?' Noah questioned himself.

It was the first time that his instincts didn't manage to notice such a powerful presence. The only explanation was that the existence on the last floor of the castle had hidden on purpose.

Reaching the last floor took only a few minutes, but Noah and the others felt as if hours had pa.s.sed as they walked to meet the being waiting for them.

A large, reinforced door appeared when they reached the top of the castle, and Noah didn't hesitate to open it and take a look at its insides. His consciousness couldn't help him there. The aura of the rank 6 being was so strong that his mental waves couldn't give him any kind of information.

What he saw though, confirmed every clue that they had found during their long exploration.

A colossal snake appeared in his vision, and he could barely contain his excitement when he heard it speak with a human voice. "Don't worry. It would be pointless to eat you all at my level."