The statement was beyond arrogant, but none of the privileged cultivators felt able to contradict it.
A final battle would have happened even if Noah didn't affect the higher plane. Yet, Heaven and Earth would have only faced the dragons in their previous form, the hybrids, and the cultivators who had remained hidden in that case.
There wouldn't have been any organization, army, or actual joint front against Heaven and Earth. The rulers would have won without needing to unleash the entirety of their assets. Their sole presence would have been enough to win that final battle.
The privileged cultivars couldn't help but compare that version of the final battle with what was standing right before their eyes.
Heaven and Earth couldn't join the battlefield due to the seals. The sky could only watch as its army fought and the landmass sent attacks toward its powerless surface.
The many underlings, weaker avatars, and countless creations had significantly shrunk due to all the defenses that they had to face. Their numbers now matched their opponents, and Heaven and Earth couldn't do anything about that issue.
The leaders of Heaven and Earth's army couldn't show their power either. Noah's forces were keeping them locked in battles that prevented them from affecting the battlefield.
The major battles were still in Heaven and Earth's favor, but the privileged cultivators never expected the situation to reach that point. Divine Architect, Decumia, Marcella, the Rulers' Resolve, and the old man were facing relatively strong opponents. That alone was astonishing.
The other privileged cultivators in the solid stage couldn't affect the battlefield either. Noah, Alexander, the time dragon, and Divine Demon were simply too strong and required their full attention.
It felt simply incredible that such a small organization had managed to force Heaven and Earth into that state, but the reality of the battlefield was undeniable. Noah's forces had given birth to something worthy of its name, and things were far from over.
The eight experts watched as the many creations slowly approached their position. Noah wasn't flying with his army, but that didn't make the scene less threatening.
The dragons, the avatars, and the swords released faint high-pitched noises that revealed their ability to summon the Cursed Sword's power. Still, it was safe to assume that they could also generate the parasite's seeds.
The eight experts didn't fear those abilities, but their sum could be troublesome. Snore was also showing the results of Noah's recent improvement, so the privileged cultivators knew that they couldn't treat those creations like mere disposable weapons.
"Let's not play by his rules," The old man eventually ordered while pointing his arms forward.
His seven companions understood the meaning of that order and raised their hands to summon their energy. A series of abilities quickly shot forward and flew toward the incoming army to stop its advance.
The high-pitched noises grew louder as the army split to avoid the incoming attacks. Multiple teams formed and accelerated to reach their opponents faster, but the latter had predicted a similar event.
The privileged cultivators had sent simple energy beams, but those attacks transformed once the army split. Some turned into walls that aimed to seal every path, while others gave birth to different abilities that targeted specific teams.
One of the attacks transformed into a grey gas that expanded at unfathomable speed. Even Noah struggled to keep track of its movements. The technique only took an instant to reach the nearest team, but the entire army disappeared at that point.
The privileged cultivators expanded their consciousness while their techniques exploded or dispersed into the void. They even activated all the abilities meant to counter the Shadow Domain, but they didn't get the chance to show their power since the army reappeared above the platoon.
The unfolded mental waves warned the eight experts and allowed them to unleash abilities above them, but the army disappeared again. Still, the swords materialized around the platoon and launched themselves forward in a reckless assault.
The privileged cultivators didn't let the swords take them by surprise. They immediately launched more attacks at the incoming weapons and overwhelmed them with energy that they couldn't hope to overcome.
However, the swords gathered into small groups before the waves of energy could hit them. High-pitched noises also filled the area before a series of figures materialized before the flying blades.
The dragons and the avatars reappeared, but the swords in their hands had already gathered enough energy to launch attacks. Sharp waves of power shot out of them as soon as their figures became completely clear, and silence followed as soon as those techniques hit the incoming abilities.
The multicolored waves of energy released by the experts saw black lines invading their fabric even before they touched the incoming attacks. The clash made all of them unleash their destruction, and massive holes inevitably appeared in the offensive.
The swords shot forward at that point. They used the holes created by their companions to sever the destabilized fabric of their opponents' attacks and dig a path where the army could pass.
The privileged cultivators didn't hesitate to launch more attacks, but the army disappeared again. Still, a rain of black slashes fell on their techniques and surroundings, destroying every trace of their power.
The experts couldn't help but glance in the distance. Their expression became ugly when they saw Noah with his swords on his forehead. His mocking smirk was more than enough to explain what had happened.
The army had allowed Noah to prepare an attack without getting noticed by the privileged cultivators, but he couldn't simply unleash it on his opponents. They would have seen and reacted to it.
Still, the situation was different when it came to the attacks. Noah could destroy them without alerting the experts' survival instincts.
The army could safely materialize around the privileged cultivators and resume their offensive. The experts found their battle formation shattered with the swords, dragons, and avatars flying everywhere around them.
The swords began to fill the entire area with black lines as high-pitched noises continued to leave their structures. Instead, the avatars voiced cruel laughs as they waved their arms and sent countless slashes in every direction.
As for the dragons, they launched slashes, but they also released black flames that burnt every lingering trace of energy and used them to add power to their attacks.
The privileged cultivators couldn't avoid suffering injuries in that chaos, but they soon discovered that their opponents were too frail to stand a chance against them.
The first counterattacks from the privileged cultivators' side shattered many creatures, but that destruction only released seeds and even more slashes. Those attacks came directly from Noah, so the experts couldn't prevent the birth of roots and more branches of the parasite.
The situation was still manageable. After all, there were eight privileged cultivators on the scene. Destroying the roots and a few upper tier creatures was challenging but doable.
Yet, multiple pulling forces suddenly came out of the dragons and drained the cultivators of their energy. That effect only lasted for an instant, but the parasite used it to expand the roots and create a spherical cage.
The privileged cultivators could only accept that they had fallen into a second trap. They found themselves surrounded by disposable creatures and isolated from the rest of the battlefield. Getting out would take time, and they couldn't imagine what Noah would do in that period.
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