A World Worth Protecting

As Wang Baole dashed out, he raised his right hand and summoned the tri-colored flying swords. They flew around him, exuding a fearsome aura. One flew under his feet, and it was as if he was standing atop a flying sword as Wang Baole’s hair fluttered in the wind. On his left and right were two dazzling colored flying swords. They shot forward, like shooting stars, racing into the distance.

Kong Dao watched as Wang Baole left without another word, charging off like a force of nature. Alarm colored his face as he lifted his head and studied the aerial map above him. Somewhere near them, three keys had gathered and were approaching them. It was clear they were being targeted. The intruders had clearly noticed Wang Baole approaching them, but they didn’t stop in their tracks and instead sped up. The two would likely cross paths within half an hour!

The sight sent anxiety coursing through Kong Dao. He immediately chased after Wang Baole, yelling after him.

“Baole, wait. We don’t know who our opponents are or the level of their cultivation. We shouldn’t fight them head-on. An ambush is the best option!”

Zhao Yameng was stunned to see Wang Baole and Kong Dao dashing off one after another. All her planning had been for nothing. She could feel a headache coming on. With a leap into the air, she dashed off in pursuit, speaking hastily.

“Baole, be careful of the hidden cultivators. I did some calculations earlier. More than a hundred cultivators have disappeared from the map!”

Wang Baole’s speed picked up as Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao shouted behind him. He heard them, but he had his own views. This might seem reckless on his part, but Wang Baole felt that his way of doing things fit the cultivation techniques he was using. Most importantly… he was confident he could do it!

Even though he was only at the mid-stage Core Formation realm, and a majority of the participants were at the late-stage Core Formation realm, Wang Baole didn’t believe he was inferior to them. Even if… his opponent was at the perfected Core Formation realm, he was confident he could beat him with his Flame Snatch Thearch Armor!

I’ve kept a low profile in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace for too long. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in the public eye… Since Feng Qiuran cannot control Mie Liezi, and the Vast Expanse Dao Palace is unwilling to activate the teleportation for the second batch of Federation Seedlings, then… I’ll show them my true power. I’m going to give it my best shot for this trial!

Even though there are benefits to taking a step back and hiding one’s strength in the current situation, I will no longer choose to do that! A sharp glint flickered in Wang Baole’s eyes. He took a deep breath and sped up. Countless lightning bolts snaked around his body. He looked like a lightning bolt himself, dashing through the skies, ripping the heavens apart. He approached the three keys that were also racing towards him at full speed!

The aerial map showed that both parties were traveling at high speeds. They approached each other rapidly, with only a fifty kilometers separating them!

Beyond the fifty kilometers, in the air, two men and one woman were traveling swiftly. They had a cold and fearsome aura. One of the male cultivators was a middle-aged man with a fearsome look on his face. The other was a young man with narrow, long eyes and a cold, dark demeanor. As for the female cultivator, she was extremely beautiful.

They belonged to Mie Liezi’s faction. They knew one another very well and were rather well-known in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Based on their levels of cultivation, they were the stronger opponents in the trial. Even though they were only at the mid-stage Core Formation realm and not the late-stage Core Formation realm, when they worked together, they stood a fighting chance even if they were to cross paths with a late-stage Core Formation realm cultivator.

“The three of them know that we’re approaching and didn’t run off. One of them is even approaching us. He is coming at us fast…” As the three of them continued flying, the female cultivator amongst them frowned and said.

“I hope we don’t come across a late-stage Core Formation realm cultivator…”

“There’s no way we’re that unlucky. There are only a few dozen late-stage Core Formation realm cultivators this round, so don’t worry. There’s something strange about the person approaching us though. If it’s really a late-stage Core Formation realm cultivator, we can just escape. I believe our opponent won’t want to get injured right at the start of the trial either. If it’s not a late-stage Core Formation realm cultivator though… even though it’s not right to kill him, we can still break all of his limbs as a warning!” The fierce-looking middle-aged man in the team sneered, and an icy glint flashed in the eyes of his teammates.

“If it’s those three lowly lifeforms from the Federation, we can consider killing them!” The young woman smiled. A streak of cruelty lit her beautiful face.

Having come to a consensus, they deliberately slowed down their pace. It was clear that their opponent wasn’t going to run away. Staying put and waiting for his arrival was the best course of action. They slowed down and activated their cultivation, bringing it to peak condition. The three of them spread out slightly, and their artifacts circled them. Wang Baole, who had been a fifty kilometers away, was now fewer than thirty-five kilometers away from them!

“Thirty-five kilometers… We have approximately ten minutes. He’s in such a rush to give us our keys. Let’s take our time when we break his limbs later. Consider that our token of appreciation to him.” The fearsome-looking middle-aged cultivator licked his lips. He turned and looked around him. He wanted to find somewhere suitable for surrounding their opponent, to prevent the latter from escaping after being defeated.

As he turned around and surveyed the surroundings, trying to find a good spot, the beautiful female cultivator at his side suddenly gasped. Her breathing quickened, and her voice seemed different.

“It’s not thirty-five kilometers… My god, this person’s speed…”

The woman gasped. The young man beside her also let out a shout of shock.

“Fifteen kilometers!”

Everything happened unexpectedly quickly. When the middle-aged cultivator raised his head and looked over, his pupils suddenly contracted. He didn’t need to look at the aerial map. In the distant horizon, he could see a bolt of lightning rumbling loudly. It charged towards them thundering!

It moved incredibly swiftly. One moment, it had been at the distant horizon, the next… it was right before them!

Thunder crashed as lightning formed from Wang Baole’s Lightning Dao surged in the air. His startling speed made it seem as if the entire region of spanning thousands of feet was filled with lightning bolts. They danced in the air. From afar, he looked like a moving electromagnetic storm!

The three of them had no time to react. They felt a terrifying spirit energy flooding their surrounding area, enveloping them. It did that so quickly that they didn’t know how it had happened. They only felt the descent of what seemed like a heavenly punishment—a lightning strike of legends and myths. Countless lightning bolts surrounded them and exploded before their eyes, and a piercing wind blasted them in their faces!

Thunder rumbled in the skies and resonated in the air. The female cultivator screamed as, all around her, her artifacts disintegrated. She spat out a mouthful of blood, and her body fell limply to the ground, like a kite cut from its string. The young man beside her suffered the same fate. The weapons that he had taken out earlier seemed like fragile things that couldn’t withstand a single blow from the lightning. They exploded. His body was flung backwards.

The middle-aged cultivator was at the peak of the mid-stage Core Formation realm. That was why he had fared better. But blood still spilled from his lips. He staggered backwards, shock and alarm surging inside him.

“I wonder which personal disciple this is. I am Lu Song. We seek your forgiveness for offending you in any way…” Lu Song trembled and shouted out hastily. Their opponent was simply too powerful. He was alarmed and terrified. He could see, amidst the countless lightning bolts, the indistinct silhouette of a god-like figure. He couldn’t see his face though, and couldn’t identify who he was speaking to.

The person seemed slightly plump and didn’t look like any of those personal disciples who he couldn’t afford to offend and remembered. He didn’t spare too much thought on that though. He instinctively believed that their opponent must be a personal disciple!

He wasn’t the only one who thought that. His teammates thought the same. Their eyes were bright with terror, and they seemed ready to appease the new arrival.

However, as soon as Lu Song’s words rang out, Wang Baole’s calm voice sounded amidst the lightning bolts.

“Personal disciple? What’s that? Can it be eaten?” Wang Baole stepped out as soon as his voice entered Lu Song’s and the other two cultivators’ ears, buzzing. He approached Lu Song, whose lips were stained with blood and face colored with terror. He didn’t even take a close look at Lu Song’s face before he raised his right hand and yanked Lu Song’s key away. Then, with a stomp of his foot, he stepped on Lu Song’s right leg. There was a loud crack. Lu Song screamed as his leg was broken!

Wang Baole didn’t stop. He did the same to the woman and young man, taking their keys and breaking their legs. Then, he stood in mid-air and stared coldly down at the pale-faced cultivators who finally saw clearly who he was. Their faces were filled with shock and incredulity!

“You… you’re… how is that possible!”

“Federation’s lowly…”

“Wang Baole!”

Their heads began to buzz loudly as an incredulous, surreal feeling overwhelmed them. However, as soon as it surged inside them, they heard Wang Baole’s icy voice in the ears.

“What were you saying about the Federation?”

The three of them saw the ice in Wang Baole’s eyes and shuddered. The surreal feeling they had was swept away by renewed horror!