The old rulers had yet to point on the map where they intended to attack. Noah guessed that they were waiting for him to make a decision, but he didn't know how he could even refuse that offer.

Traveling on his own and the quasi-living workshops were good plans, but they would require a long time to show their benefits. Noah wanted to do something in-between that long and dull wait, and attacking the sky with the old rulers definitely suited his character.

"How long will Heaven and Earth remain unable to gaze at the arrays after we destroy the place?" Noah asked.

"Heaven and Earth always have their eyes set on the realms above them," The old rulers explained. "We might slow them down a little, but the damage will mostly involve the cultivators striving to remain ahead of the system."

"So much for a mere glance," Noah sighed before nodding. "Let's go for it. I was already growing bored of taking it easy."

"What's your current power level?" The old rulers asked.

"You'll have to find that out," Noah smirked.

The old rulers fell silent, but a change eventually happened on the map. A spot on the sky turned white before expanding and adding a few details on the side that shone on the higher plane.

Noah didn't really care about those details. They didn't describe much anyway, and they didn't reveal the danger hidden inside the actual sky either. Even the old rulers couldn't predict what would wait for them once they entered that environment.

"How do you intend to proceed?" Noah asked.

"The attack must be swift," The old rulers explained. "We have developed three powerful weapons from the dark metal, and two of them will be necessary for the mission. We would prefer to keep the third for unexpected situations, but we are ready to use it if something goes wrong."

Noah could immediately guess that the power of those weapons was immense. After all, he knew how much dark metal he had given to the old rulers. The fact that they had split it into only three assets described their might.

"I'll rely on you for the direction," Noah stated. "I don't know where we are right now."

"We have moved toward that target for a few decades by now," The old rulers announced. "Still, Heaven and Earth keep sending Tribulations toward us. They are slowing us down as they prepare defenses."

"I think it's better if I remain hidden," Noah suggested. "Heaven and Earth can't confirm that I've joined the mission. We should keep things like this."

"We agree," The old rulers exclaimed as rumbling noises started to resound from above the pit. "We have already prepared a suitable training hall for your seclusion. Do you have other requests?"

"I need a connection with the outside world every few years," Noah responded. "I don't need to go out. You can close the connection as soon as I drop something."

"Deal," The old rulers agreed.

Noah turned to fly out of the pit, but a doubt appeared in his mind. He didn't worry about the Tribulations along the way, but the orange city probably was too big for the actual mission. The old rulers could shrink the structure, but he didn't know whether they had something better to send inside the sky.

"How do you plan on gazing at the areas outside the sky?" Noah asked. "Recording the scene from inside the city shouldn't be ideal."

"Don't worry about us," The old rulers stated as the humanoid puppet started to shake. "We'll be ready by then."

Noah could only nod. It seemed that the old rulers were going all-out for the mission, and he could only like that outcome.

When Noah left the pit, he saw that most buildings had retreated except for a single palace. He didn't hesitate to enter it, and a cold smile appeared on his face when he confirmed the firmness of the structure. The training area wouldn't be able to contain his power if he went all-out, but it was sturdy enough to endure his normal absorption.

The structure also had a pool that seemed to work as a dimensional passage for the outside world. Noah could meditate while hovering above the opening to draw energy from the weak sky. Even dropping the quasi-living workshops wasn't a problem with that asset.

A long meditation inevitably started. Noah didn't do much except study his current power and expand his influence on the other side of the passage. Heaven and Earth might notice his presence inside the orange city like that, but he couldn't stop training altogether just to preserve some secrecy.

The training hall also lit up every few years. Noah used that signal to drop the quasi-living workshops. He even experienced something that he had waited for a while during his seclusion. Someone had picked up one of his fake cores, and his world had started to benefit from it.

Unluckily for Noah, he experienced that sensation only once during his stay inside the orange city. He didn't mind that too much since his project had just started, but he also wished that everything went faster.

Noah knew that the project would pick up speed once he filled the entirety of the higher plane with quasi-living workshops. Still, the current effectiveness of his items told him that the world had fewer experts than he had initially expected.

That realization wasn't exactly terrible. There was a chance that many packs, forces, or experts had simply decided to seclude themselves now that the weak sky filled the higher plane. Still, Noah remained disappointed about it. He wanted to improve quickly and become able to touch Caesar's realm, but wishes alone couldn't expand his world.

The seclusion came to an end when the training area lit up and continued to illuminate Noah. He understood that the time to go had arrived, and a peculiar scene unfolded in his vision when he left the structure.

An army of improved magical beasts had gathered around the pit. The iconic orange color of the old rulers filled the area due to the fur, skin, and features that shared that shade. The orange city seemed ready to go to war, and Noah could only feel happy about it.

Noah didn't hide his doubts even in front of the old rulers, but the current orange spectacle was reassuring. The orange city was willing to deploy the entirety of its assets, which proved how serious it was about the whole mission.

"We will open the path," The old rulers' androgynous voice resounded throughout the area as an orange halo started to come out of the pit. "You must come out only after we pierce the sky."

Noah knew that the old rulers were talking to him, so he nodded and started to ascend to place himself on top of a building. He could see the defensive array of lightning bolts from there, and the orange city quickly provided him with tools to inspect the situation on the outside world.

A series of lights came out of the roof and started to depict familiar images. Noah saw the orange city in a large area without weak sky. The real white layer was right in front of the buildings, but a sea of crackling avatars and black clouds prevented them from advancing.

"Rise," The old rulers ordered, and the army of magical beasts started to ascend past the defensive array of lightning bolts. Noah could inspect as a massive battle between those assets and the avatars began.

****

Author's notes: As you can probably guess, the chapters tomorrow will be quite late.

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