A World Worth Protecting

As the forces within his body exploded into action, it was as if Wang Baole was suddenly transformed into a larva. Within the span of a dozen breath, the huge tree that Wang Baole was hugging showed signs of shriveling. The shriveling spread across a large area with Wang Baole as the focal point and throughout the entire fruit-laden tree hollow!

The fruits without any cultivators inside shriveled up as Wang Baole continued his devouring. It was as if inexhaustible Spirit Qi was flowing madly into Wang Baole’s body, sucking everything dry.

His cultivation level shot up in an instant, from nearing the fifth level of True Breath realm to breaking through suddenly from the fourth level to the fifth level of the True Breath realm!

At the moment of his breakthrough, Wang Baole’s body shook fiercely. The deep wells of Spirit Qi within his meridians expanded in a rush. It felt akin to an upheaval. As he endured the rapid changes and his meridians were forcibly widened, more Spirit Qi surged in; it rushed through every meridian in Wang Baole’s body and finally gathered at the devouring seed sitting within his dantian—becoming a great ocean!

The sea of Spirit Qi morphed into a huge whirlpool as the devouring seed churned. As it swept through Wang Baole’s entire body, he could feel the Spirit Qi forming waves inside him. In an instant, his body unleashed an overwhelming aura that sent tremors through Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng!

The intensity of the aura didn’t equal that of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, but amongst the True Breath realm cultivators, it was impressive beyond measure. After all, the rest only had at most eighty percent of their meridians transformed into spirit meridians, whereas Wang Baole’s was a hundred percent transformed!

Under the baptism of the Spirit Qi, and as his cultivation level climbed up, his physical body was affected as well. His muscles were more tightly knit, and his bones sturdier; his physical strength increased drastically!

Such improvement was clearly shown in his speed and strength, and the huge tree started showing signs of cracking under his powerful hold!

With a breakthrough in his cultivation and as the suction force of the devouring seed intensified, Wang Baole became a black hole. The huge tree started quaking under the devouring and suction forces. It howled madly and seemed as if it was trying to escape!

However, Wang Baole had it in a stranglehold and showed no signs of letting go. There was a vicious look in his eyes, and as his cultivation underwent a series of breakthroughs, an inexplicable excitement rose within him.

Zhuo Yifan witnessed the scene before him and was momentarily stunned speechless. His eyes widened, and waves of emotions rumbled within him. He had known Wang Baole was strong, but as he advanced to become a True Breath realm cultivator and went on to carry out numerous missions, Zhuo Yifan had grown equally confident of himself.

Yet… as he stared at Wang Baole, he had a sudden intense feeling that the other was not human, but that he was a monster in the form of a human!

If that wasn’t the case, how could he possibly absorb the vitality and Spirit Qi of the giant tree…

Zhao Yameng was equally dumbstruck. Despite her generally composed demeanor, she was flabbergasted. Especially when the fruits started drying up one after another and the shriveling spread across the entire tree hollow. The tree hollow had even started quaking as if it was struggling…

But the more it struggled, the stronger the force that burst forth from Wang Baole during the moment of crisis became. It thundered.

There’s no use in you fighting. I’m going to suck you dry! Wang Baole gave it his all. He growled and activated his cultivation, rousing the various forces within him, and intensifying the suction force.

Thunderous roars resounded all around them. As Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng looked on, stupefied, the tree hollow’s trembling grew fiercer. It was as if a raging roar was being unleashed from within the tree trunk!

Zhuo Yifan’s and Zhao Yameng’s hearts started pumping rapidly. When they looked at Wang Baole, they saw not only a monster in human skin, but they felt an aura of violence and brutality exuding from his person.

As the two of them stood, shaken to the depths of their souls, a roaring sound thundered from within Wang Baole once again. His cultivation level increased, from the fifth level of the True Breath realm, then to its completion, reaching… the peak of the True Breath realm!

Everything happened too quickly. Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng hadn’t yet come to terms with his breakthrough in cultivation; even Wang Baole himself had not come to terms with it. The moment his cultivation reached the peak of the True Breath realm, the entire tree hollow—seemingly unable to withstand it anymore—collapsed and exploded!

As the tree hollow collapsed into multiple parts, Wang Baole and the rest prepared to dash out, only to find that beyond the tree hollow was an even bigger tree hollow!

I’ll just keep sucking! Wang Baole gritted his teeth, undaunted. He raised both hands, pressed them on the walls of the tree, and started sucking again. The entire Coulomb Basin began to quake fiercely in that instant. The earth rose and fell, and trees swayed and bent. Even the seal spreading across the core of the Coulomb Basin started loosening.

The loosening of the seal sent Wang Baole and the others swaying. The feeling was akin to emerging from water and rising above. It caused their breathing to quicken. Given the opportunity, Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng didn’t hesitate; they pulled out their voice transmission rings immediately and sent out a call for help to the college!

“Coulomb Basin, a giant tree has gained sentience. Send help quickly!” Wang Baole had one hand on the giant tree, sucking, and the other hand holding the voice transmission ring as he yelled.

Next to him, Zhao Yameng hurriedly sent out a voice transmission as well. Their calls for help seemed to be transmitted almost simultaneously. They couldn’t tell if the transmissions had successfully reached the college, nor did they have time to receive a reply. All around them, a loud roar filled with pain and rage rang out!

If the giant tree could be compared to a human being, then at that moment, Wang Baole, who was inside it, would be a giant parasite. The tree hollow that was being drained dry would be an organ inside the giant tree. At that moment, the organ had shattered, and the resulting pain was driving the giant tree mad.

The strange powers of the purple ocean had numbed its senses earlier, but under such extreme agony, the paralysis had lost its effect. As the giant tree struggled to wakefulness, it howled in pain. Its agonized cries resounded underground, rose into the heavens, and rang throughout the air!

Roar!

The sound was deafening beyond measure. It was louder than thunder and exploded in their ears. Zhuo Yifan, who had already been weakened, immediately spat out a mouthful of blood under the shockwave. Even Zhao Yameng was shaking. Blood seeped out between her lips, and her face was pale.

Even Wang Baole, who had just had a breakthrough in his cultivation and was brimming with Spirit Qi, could hear a buzzing in his head after hearing the deafening roar. A streak of viciousness unfurled within him.

He had always been one who was brutal to himself, and even more merciless towards the enemy!

“Think I’m afraid of you?” Wang Baole glared and shouted angrily as he hugged the walls of the tree. As Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng approached him nervously, he prepared to start sucking fiercely again. He was instantly struck dumb…

A short length of black lightning bolt had grown inside him. It lay lazily, ignoring Wang Baole’s wishes, and dove straight within his meridians. It fused with his Spirit Qi and disappeared as if falling into a deep slumber.

Get to sucking, don’t sleep! Wang Baole panicked and tried activating the devouring seed.

The devouring seed was the same. With Wang Baole’s cultivation reaching the peak of True Breath realm, until he could break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, it had absorbed to its fullest and could no longer continue. The devouring seed stopped churning and, like the black lightning bolt, fell into a deep sleep.

It was the same with the purple ocean. It retreated slowly into the depths of Wang Baole’s eyes, settled down, and fell into silence.

What the hell, start sucking! Wang Baole’s face turned red. As if sensing Wang Baole’s panic, his nine mosquitoes flew out from his scabbard and flew in circles around him, buzzing.

My dear ancestors, you can’t do this to me. How can you go limp at such a critical moment? See that sumptuous spread before you? Come on, dig in! Wang Baole, on the verge of tears, started begging inwardly.

It was then that the howling from the giant tree intensified. As the entire tree hollow started quaking fiercely as it had never done before, the assimilated cultivators started emerging from the walls of the tree one after another, charging towards Wang Baole and the others.

Under the veil of death and violence, despite not knowing why Wang Baole was unable to continue his absorption, Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng could sense that something had gone wrong. They eyed the cultivators who had appeared around them. Their faces were pale again. Despite that, they didn’t give up. There was no need for words. Their eyes met, and they retreated almost at the same time, clustering together at a corner where they had set their battleground.

Wang Baole’s cultivation burst forth. Nine mosquitoes flew out, giving him an all-encompassing field of vision. His peak level True Breath realm cultivation and his physical strength augmented each other and gave his battle prowess an exponential boost. He stepped forward and with a thundering kick, sent the first cultivator who had charged forward flying.

“Yameng, support me with array formations. Yifan, you get the ones that I miss. Let’s give it all we’ve got!” Wang Baole’s eyes were alight with ferociousness. The instant he spoke, a baneful aura that had first appeared in the Pond Cloud Rainforest appeared once again!