A World Worth Protecting

Wang Baole was immensely pleased at the moment, having acquired his own cave abode on the ancient greenish-bronze sword. He was clearly pleased with the cave abode he had gotten as well. It had eight rooms, and aside from an area for seclusion, there was also a Spirit Pool in the center of the cave abode. The water was formed from Spirit Qi and filled the area with a thick and rich Spirit Qi.

The other rooms were all set aside for specific uses. There was a room for growing herbs, another for rearing Spirit Beasts, and yet another for refining pills. What pleasantly surprised Wang Baole was the room with a stone slab in it. It was synced to the stone slab on the main Vast Expanse Dao Palace island that issued missions. He would be able to accept all his missions here.

He could only accept missions though. Once a mission was completed, he would still need to return to the main island for evaluation before he could receive his battle credits. Even so, this was already a pleasant surprise. It would save a great deal of traveling time for him.

The cave abode took care of all the daily needs of a cultivator.

In addition, when he stepped outside the cave abode and stood atop the mountain peak, he was greeted with a clear view of his surroundings. Besides having a view that went on for miles, the cave abode was also the center of the island’s defensive array formation.

After looking around, Wang Baole decided on one room as his main area of residence. He tidied it up, then sat down cross-legged. He began to think about his future plans.

I have to earn some battle credits quickly. At the same time, I have to gain a better understanding of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace as well as the ancient greenish-bronze sword… After some thought, Wang Baole went into the room with the mission stone slab. He pressed his right hand onto the stone, and a long list of missions appeared in his mind instantly.

Wang Baole disregarded the missions awarding single-digit battle credits. He planned to focus on missions that awarded battle credits in the range of fifty points. Those awarding more battle credits were either too challenging or time-consuming, so Wang Baole didn’t consider them at all.

After a round of selection, Wang Baole’s eyes lit up as they locked onto a particular mission.

The extermination of Inferno Rats and the collection of fresh beast cores. One beast core was worth thirty battle credits!

The mission also provided some brief information on the Inferno Rat. It was a beast that lived in the Sea of Fire, and its appearance resembled a rat. It wasn’t a powerful fighter, with most Inferno Rats being at the Foundation Establishment realm. Only the Inferno Rat King was at the Core Formation realm.

Foundation Establishment realm cultivators might have been able to complete this mission if the only difficulty came from the Inferno Rat itself. However, only Core Formation realm cultivators could carry out this mission. This was because Inferno Rats rarely left the Sea of Fire. They could only be found in the sea.

Foundation Establishment realms were unable to enter the Sea of Fire. They would only be able to last a span of a dozen breaths or so before they were burned to death. Only Core Formation realm cultivators, with the aid of protective spells, could remain in the Sea of Fire for long periods of time.

That was why any mission that involved the Sea of Fire could only be carried out by a Core Formation realm cultivator.

Wang Baole thought for a while as he studied the mission details. He sent a voice transmission to his only friend in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, the fat cultivator, to ask him for more information on the Inferno Rat. The fat cultivator sent over whatever information he had to Wang Baole without hesitation.

Wang Baole thanked him and then studied the contents of the mission. His eyes narrowed gradually.

“The Inferno Rat might not be a strong fighter, but it’s extremely fast when in the Sea of Fire… In addition, when a cultivator enters the Sea of Fire, he will continue to suffer the corrosive poison of the fiery sea despite the defenses he has on. The Spirit Qi in the Sea of Fire is unstable and cannot be absorbed. That is why one should not overuse their spells. Note that one’s speed will also be affected when in the Sea of Fire.”

Wang Baole read through the information and fell into a contemplative silence. Then, decisiveness flashed in his eyes. He didn’t hesitate and immediately accepted the Inferno Rat mission.

Then, Wang Baole took a look at the sky. It was near evening. Based on what the fat cultivator had given him, the Sea of Fire was least corrosive and toxic at night. Even though Foundation Establishment realm cultivators would still be unable to enter, a Core Formation realm cultivator would be able to stay in the sea for a longer period of time.

He didn’t waste any time at all. He walked out of his cave abode, then transformed into a rainbow and dashed off. Liang Long, who was still trapped in his huge bell, had long been forgotten.

Wang Baole left the Green Fire Island and raced above the Sea of Fire. He monitored movements in the sea, hoping to find Inferno Rats that might have surfaced. He also kept looking to the skies. The skies darkened visibly an hour later. Wang Baole thought for a bit, then stopped in his tracks. He slowly descended until he stood above the Sea of Fire. He wasn’t so brash as to charge straight into the ocean. Instead, he floated above it, inspecting and checking to ensure that he wouldn’t suffer severe injury before slowly sinking into the sea.

The world around him turned into a dark maroon as he sank gradually downward. The sound of flames dancing resounded in his ears as a scorching heat surged inward from all directions and surrounded him.

Fortunately, Wang Baole wasn’t only a Core Formation realm cultivator; his physical form was also at the Core Formation realm. His level of defense and protection vastly surpassed that of other early-stage Core Formation realm cultivators. He only felt mild discomfort after sinking into the lava and soon recovered.

Everywhere around him was lava. Even though it hindered vision, even without sight, a Core Formation realm cultivator could have a clear grasp of everything happening around him just by relying on his other senses. His senses simply might not extend as far.

When Wang Baole had formed his Heart Core, he had formed a sliver of Spiritual Sense that startled even Li Xingwen. He hadn’t been all that aware of it at first. However, now that he was in the lava, he could clearly sense that there was something different.

He was pleasantly surprised by the discovery that he didn’t need his eyes to see through the obstruction of the lava. Images of his surroundings appeared naturally in his mind, and he could see as far as ten yards away.

This would definitely shock other Core Formation realm cultivators if they found out. Their senses could only extend as far as one to two yards in the lava. This was one of the reasons why the Inferno Rat’s beast core was worth so much.

Let’s test out the mosquitoes… After he could see his surroundings clearly in his mind, Wang Baole immediately summoned his mosquitoes. Ten mosquitoes flew out from inside his body instantly. Unfortunately, some were unable to withstand the lava when they appeared and seemed ready to disintegrate and melt away. Only the gray mosquito appeared unaffected.

After a series of attempts, Wang Baole realized that the ordinary mosquitoes could only survive for a span of forty breaths before dying.

Fortunately, I can keep on summoning those ordinary mosquitoes… Wang Baole’s eyes flashed. He got the mosquitoes to spread out, and his line of vision expanded swiftly and exponentially to a hundred yards. He took a step forward and dashed deeper into the Sea of Fire, in search of Inferno Rats.

He would summon a new batch of mosquitoes after every thirty breaths to replace the previous batch. This allowed him to sustain his hundred-yard vision.

Such a field of vision, which surpassed his peers nearly a hundred times, allowed Wang Baole to search for Inferno Rats with startling speed. The only flaw was that it took up too much Spirit Qi. After assessing the amount of Spirit Qi he had expended and calculating the maximum duration he could remain in the Sea of Fire, Wang Baole called back a few of his mosquitoes. With three mosquitoes left to support the gray mosquito, the four barely covered the area as he continued his search.

Two hours passed, and Wang Baole had less than an hour before he reached his limits. It was then that his senses stirred. He saw a dark red form in the gray mosquito’s vision. It was extremely quick and sped past in a blur. However, Wang Baole still caught a glimpse of its rat-like form.

It was the Inferno Rat!

Found it! Delight shone in Wang Baole’s eyes. He didn’t hesitate and released all his mosquitoes. They spread out instantly, widening his field of vision. He saw immediately, a short distance away, an Inferno Rat rapidly racing into the distance.

It seemed to have sensed danger. With a sudden burst of speed, the Inferno Rat attempted to make an escape.

Trying to run? Wang Baole’s eyes flashed as he dashed forward with a burst of speed. He maneuvered his mosquitoes to stop the monster. The Inferno Rat struggled, but to no avail. Wang Baole had a sufficient field of vision and speed boosted by his Core Formation realm physical body. The Inferno Rat roared as the mosquitoes intercepted it, and before Wang Baole could even draw near, the gray mosquito charged forward and pierced it through its skull. The Inferno Rat shriveled instantly.

Wang Baole finally approached, and his right hand made a grabbing motion. A dark red beast core resembling a crystal flew out from the Inferno Rat’s body and landed in Wang Baole’s hand.

Got it! Wang Baole was overjoyed. He was about to inspect the beast core when suddenly, at that moment, Little Missy’s flustered voice rang in his mind.

“Baole, go deeper down. I can sense the aura of a mask fragment below!”