King Elbas and Noah had remained on their own. They could theoretically start planning their insane mission right away, but they didn't dare to set off for that already.
The recent battle had given both of them new insights about their existences. King Elbas had transformed, while Noah had understood that his companions had to face their respective breakthroughs before him. That wasn't an actual requirement, but he believed that he wouldn't be able to obtain what his centers of power needed otherwise.
Noah knew that his dantian and body would only require more and more as he continued to advance on the cultivation journey. He didn't even want to think about the ninth rank for now since the previous level was already causing enough problems. He had even made things worse with the ethereal blackness, so the situation looked quite grim.