Summoning the insect army, Noah led them to the exit of the cave, where a group of cultivators of the crimson cloud sect were standing.
Noah ordered his new soldiers to begin their massacre without giving the opponent a chance to react.
The group tried to resist but ended up quickly falling to the clutches of the insect army.
As he continued marching with his army, suddenly a shout was heard coming from a certain direction.
Turning to see what was happening, Noah saw a giant eagle the size of an airplane flying overhead.
"It's that way then."
Heading in the direction of the scream, Noah found himself facing a stone gate embedded in a mountain wall.
"Soldiers, break down that door."
The insect soldiers obeyed the order and broke down the stone door with ease.
"Don't let anyone in."
Leaving them one last order, Noah stepped into the cave on the other side of the door.
Following the cave's long passageway, he came to a subway chamber filled with cultivation manuals, secret techniques and magical artifacts.
"These are..."
"Stolen artifacts from various sects."
Noah said as he pulled out his magic gourd and sucked inside all the items in the place before ducking into a separate room.
"Soul-warming lotus, this is the main purpose for which I am here."
The soul-warming lotus was an object of spiritual character that nourished the soul.
It was one of Yang Kai's most valuable treasures and saved him on multiple occasions.
The soul-warming lotus was coveted by absolutely every cultivator in this universe because regardless of cultivation, the lotus could help nourish your soul.
A soul-warming lotus started out having only one color and could grow as it was fed with treasures of a spiritual nature, and could reach up to 7 colors.
This particular one already had 5 colors.
Noah approached the soul-warming lotus and watched it carefully before commanding the demonic spirit to debug the residual spiritual energy protecting the lotus.
He could do it himself but from the beginning but the residual soul power was too much for him and could overwhelm his soul.
A month later, the demonic spirit had consumed all the spiritual energy.
Now with the soul-warming lotus without any protection, Noah grabbed it directly, causing the lotus to melt in his palm.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he could slightly feel the lotus being transported to a place inside his soul, floating next to the black book and the magic gourd.
With the absorption of the soul-warming lotus, Noah felt he could advance to the next rank whenever he wanted.
"I shouldn't advance here, it would be too flashy."
He teleported to the outskirts of Sea City before flying off towards a mountain in the distance and releasing his pent up energy, beginning with the advance to the next range.
A couple of hours later, Noah stood up and returned to the island before leading his army against a wolf with a broken horn on its forehead protecting a huge red crystal behind it.
Half an hour later, most of the insects had been killed but in return, the demonic wolf was gravely wounded.
Noah activated his wings and appeared over the wolf's head in a second.
With a clean cut, the wolf's head flew off.
Staring at the huge red crystal that gave off a strong Yang aura, Noah cast a spell that caused the earth around the crystal to split, separating it from the ground before storing it in his magical gourd as well.
Having nothing else to do in this place, he returned to his lair.
He first collected the sun fruits before feeding the ginseng a drop of his blood.
Then he teleported to the coiling dragon stream before starting his cultivation again.
Half a month later, he managed to reach the third stage of separation and reunion.
After exiting his closed door cultivation, he entered the High Heaven Pavilion, noticing immediately how it was still full of families wanting to steal the talents that went into the inheritance cave.
He ignored everyone and made his way to one particular store, noticing the old man sitting at the counter, waving a fan with a bored look on his face that changed as soon as he saw Noah walk through the door.
His features, his robe, his demeanor, all matched what his disciple had described to him.
Her aura exploded and the wooden counter shattered as the old man arrived in front of Noah in a second.
"Brat, you better tell me how you know who I am before I kill you right now!"
Noah turned a deaf ear to the old man's threat and instead headed for the courtyard outside.
"Can you relax a little? Why don't we sit down and talk like normal people?"
Noah motioned for the old man to follow him into the courtyard of his own store as he strolled around the place as if he owned the place.
A vein bulged in the old man's forehead and he was about to lash out but restrained himself.
Noah sat in one chair and waited for the old man to sit in the other.
The old man tried to calm his growing frustration and sat back, leaning back on the table as he pinned his gaze on Noah.
"First of all, how should I address you? Treasurer Meng or Meng Wu Ya?"
"Does that matter now?"
"I guess it doesn't. Beno looks like I managed to capture your interest quite successfully eh?"
"So all that nonsense you told my disciple was all talk?"
"No. I really think you're a lucky old bastard who managed to conecuir a great disciple, it's a pity you're too strong and she has too strong a bond with you to the level where she considers you as her father.....
You win, first come first served."
Noah threw his hands up in defeat, bemoaning his fate as a loser.
"You irritate me more and more."
"That's why I told you you had to relax.
Well, as you may have guessed, I told your disciple of my knowledge of your history in order to capture your interest.
What I want is to strike a deal with you."
"Oh? What kind of deal would I want to make with a mere cultivator of the third stage of separation?"
"Not you, but I know the place for an alchemy inheritance that could be of great benefit to your disciple."
"What's to stop me from torturing you and obtaining the location of that inheritance before I kill you right here?"
A ruthless, maniacal aura surrounded Noah upon hearing that threat and he laughed out loud as he replied.
"Because it would simply destroy me and believe me, if it did, everyone in this cult, including your precious disciple, would follow me to the grave."
"You...you're crazy."
"I am determined, since the day I took the first step to walk the path to power, I psyched myself up to expect my death at any moment, but that doesn't mean I will go down without a fight."
A big smile full of confidence appeared on Noah's face.
"Fine, I hear you.
I don't care how you got the information regarding Ning Chang's body or about my seals, for the moment explain to me about your deal."
"It's simple, you convince the master of the high heaven pavilion to let me enter the ghost mountain and in return I will give your disciple an inheritance from a saint alchemist."
"And how can I believe you? You possess such an inheritance in your hands right now?"
"That's simple."
Noah rose from his chair and shouted aloud.
"I swear on my name with the heavens as my witnesses, as long as Meng Wu Ya allows me to reach the ghost mountain safely, I will hand over an inheritance of a saint grade alchemist to you!"
Finishing his oath, Noah felt as if a chain had been wrapped around his soul.
"You... You're really crazy."
Shaking his head, Treasurer Meng stood up from his chair and lamented.
"It seems I'm getting old, in my time I was also as passionate as you.
Come back tomorrow and I'll give you an answer."
Noah nodded before leaving the store.
Ducking into an alley, he opened a doorway and returned to his growing cave, waiting until the next day arrived.
Entering Treasurer Meng's rein courtyard, he found him drinking tea with another elder.
Noah approached the duo and greeted the elder before sitting down next to them.
"Brat, this is the leader of the high heaven pavilion, Ling Tai Xu.
It took a lot of effort to convince him to let you enter the ghost mountain so be grateful."
Noah just nodded to the chattering old man before focusing on Lin Tai Xu.
"Well, when are we leaving?"
"Right now."
Lin Tai Xu and Treasurer Meng rose from their seats and took to the sky.
Noah activated his wings and followed closely behind them.
The three of them entered the coiling dragon stream and descended until they arrived in front of a stone gate.
Lin Tai Xu and Treasurer Meng channeled their energies before focusing them on the stone gate.
An invisible ripple appeared on the surface of the stone door before a wormhole appeared through which Lin Tai Xu and Noah entered.
As they passed to the other side, Lin Tai Xu sat down to meditate to regain his energy before continuing on their way.
As they flew, Lin Tai Xu looked at Noah and asked somewhat curiously.
"Could you tell me your name young friend?"
"My name is Chu Feng."
Noah made up a cliché cultivator name.
"Chu Feng? I don't sound to me like there were any geniuses with that name on the western continent."
"It's normal that the elder hasn't heard of me, I'm from another continent.
I'm traveling to gain experience and just happened to hear about some things."
"Well, I have to thank you for saving the disciples of my sect in the inheritance cave.
If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have allowed you to enter the ghost mountain."
"And I am sincerely grateful that the elder gave me this opportunity."
Lin Tai Xu nodded before falling silent again and flying on.
As they flew, Lin Tai Xu noticed how Noah was relaxed throughout the entire journey.
"If his goal is to reach the ghost mountain then he must be aware of the dangers it hides and yet he is so relaxed.
Is he so confident in his strength or is it simply arrogance?"
A long while later, the two landed on the ground.
A gray mist materialized in front of them before a group of young girls led by an old woman revealed themselves from
from within.
"Hehe. Old Lin, since we're gathered here that makes us enemies doesn't it?"
The old woman smiled a sly smile.
Lin Tai Xu turned to Noah and spoke to him in a low voice.
"These people are from the valley of a thousand flowers, you should be careful with those girls, despite looking beautiful they can be lethal."
Noah just nodded as he gave the group a cursory glance before focusing on a new group that seemed to be from somewhere else.
"These people are from the valley of the ghost king, an evil sect.
You should be wary of them."
Lin Tai Xu warned Noah before he started arguing with the old man leading the new group.
As they were about to start a fight, the old woman from the valley of a thousand flowers stepped between them and urged them to enter the mountain.
The old man from the valley of the ghost king looked at Noah before ordering his disciples to kill him the first chance they got.
Suddenly, a gigantic silver snake appeared before the group and lunged at them but the group of cultivators from the valley of a thousand flowers dealt with it.
When they thought the matter was over, it suddenly looked like a swarm of snakes similar to the previous one.
They all started to attack but the number of snakes was too high.