1663 1663. Average

A blinding white halo spread from Ottos position and expanded through the dark world. It was cancer that spread inside Noahs technique and destroyed the currents of dark matter that were suppressing the expert.

Is he like Sword Saint? Noah wondered while large chunks of his dark world fell apart.

In theory, Noahs dark matter had already touched the liquid stage in terms of power. It could suppress cultivators at that level as long as Noah could focus his entire efforts on one of them.

Yet, liquid stage cultivators still had access to better "Breath". The amount of power carried by those energies was almost the same, but their quality was far different.

The dark matter was denser, but the liquid stage "Breath" had a superior structure. Experts on Sword Saints level could rely on that quality to overpower Noahs dark world and destroy the technique with massive discharges of energy.

Noah couldnt see gaseous stage cultivators as worthy opponents anymore. His battle prowess also allowed him to overpower most liquid stage experts, but some existences were the same when it came to fighting warriors at the same level.

Noah couldnt be the only genius. Some cultivators were far above the average in terms of battle prowess. Sword Saint was one of them, and it seemed that Otto also stood near that realm.

Branches made of white light continued to spread through the dark world. Noah tried to stop them with his flames, but their energy was too intense for him.

The dark world couldnt apply its suppression on that light. It struggled to slow down the expansion of that blinding halo, and it often failed to obtain decent results.

I need the cursed sword to stop it, Noah concluded in his mind, but he still decided to store his weapon.

Noahs body could endure the drawbacks generated by the cursed sword far better now, but he still preferred to avoid using it blindly. He didnt want to reach his mental limit before being sure that he could kill his opponent.

Lets see if I can do this, Noah thought before raising his hand.

His palm landed on solid air at some point, and cracks spread from its edges. A connection to the void appeared, but Noah didnt let his hand enter that realm.

His aura promptly seeped inside that firm layer that divided the Immortal Lands from the void. A third dimension slowly opened, and the dark matter didnt hesitate to enter it.

The Shadow Domain expanded at an unfathomable speed. Miss Voids normal spell was nothing compared to Noahs new version, but the consumption of darkness was far higher.

Still, Noah didnt care as long as he could obtain better effects. Moreover, he could rely on the dark matter to fill part of the requirements.

The Shadow Domain spread in a dimension that Otto couldnt sense. It reached the areas invaded by the blinding light and eventually arrived where the cultivator was releasing his energy.

The dark world was falling into pieces, but Noah disregarded it and entered the Shadow Domain. A massive chunk of his energy vanished to perform the technique, but its activation was a success.

The light around Noah dimmed. He found himself on the same battlefield, but everything was darker there. It was as if he had entered a dark version of the Immortal Lands.

Noah shot forward. Ottos dim light didnt do anything to his figure. Noah could cross it while inside the Shadow Domain, and he eventually ended up in front of his opponent.

The Demonic Sword came out of the separate space and ended up in his hand. Noah pulled his weapon back and gathered energy on its sharp edges. Dark matter covered the blade, and roots also spread over its surface.

The dark world was suppressing Ottos senses, so he couldnt see that Noah had left the battlefield. He was completely unaware that his opponent had prepared one of his stronger attacks and was aiming for his head.

Noah thrust the weapon forward, and a crack appeared inside the Shadow Domain. The fissure was inside Ottos head, and the Demonic Sword pierced his mind when it reappeared in the outside world.

A straight singularity shot out of the Demonic Sword and destroyed Ottos head. Most of his upper body also vanished during the attack.

The white light suddenly stopped expanding. It lost its source of power, so its structure began to crumble under the suppression of the dark world.

Noah transferred himself into the real world. The dark matter in the distance began to pierce the crumbling branches of light and reach for what remained of Ottos body.

It only took a second to devour Ottos lower body. The dark matter transformed it into energy before that flesh could disperse anything.

I bet Sword Saint was stronger than this, Noah laughed in his mind.

Noah felt that he had overestimated Otto. Dodging a surprise attack and being able to deal with the dark world were average achievements in Noahs mind.

The effects related to the Shadow Domain were hard to handle, but many experts could easily develop countermeasures. The other side of the Immortal Lands was unaware of Noah, but that still didnt justify such an easy killing of a rank 8 cultivator.

The dark world alone would have deployed countermeasures to these techniques, Noah thought while inspecting the battlefield. Doing something about the Shadow Domain during the seventh rank is almost impossible, but the eighth rank should feature only the best of the best. Heaven and Earth have created a weak system founded only on laws.

Noah couldnt help but consider Heaven and Earths system as a whole. The various organizations, forces, and teams in the Immortal Lands often featured experts that had reached that level due to external resources.

That obviously led to weaker experts, but Heaven and Earth seemed to agree with that behavior. They didnt care about the human domain as long as they obtained new laws.

What are they even trying to accomplish? Noah wondered while dispersing the dark world and glaring at the sky.

Noah knew almost nothing certain about Heaven and Earth. His knowledge about those existences came from rumors and deductions, but he could question every single piece of information.

Still, it was clear that Heaven and Earth had a goal. The Tribulations and the many harsh environments of the Immortal Lands would have no meaning otherwise. Those mighty existences were looking for something, and Noah felt disappointed to learn that they settled for such weak experts.

Maybe I can handle solid stage cultivators, Noah sighed in his mind.

The Shadow Domain gave Noah the chance to kill every expert in the world. Miss Void was right. Her technique was perfect, and Noahs understanding had even managed to remove its only drawback.

Yet, the sky began to behave strangely after Noah won his battle. Lumps of light condensed among that whiteness and gave birth to uneven shapes gathered in the same spot.

Noah felt the need to attack that mass of light, but his instincts soon sensed a massive barrier between him and that structure. He didnt know when that defense had appeared, but something told him that it was better to avoid launching singularities there.

Light continued to acc.u.mulate until it took the shape of a humanoid figure. Noah almost opened his mouth at the sight of his previous opponent. The whiteness had given birth to Otto, and even his existence seemed to match the expert.