A World Worth Protecting

“I am Nan Zhou, third-grade Never-Ending Clan cultivator, third branch, under the second Divine King’s command. I hereby order you to join our team and support the extermination effort. Board the vehicle and give us your name!” The Never-Ending Clan member’s Soul Conduit realm-level cultivation surged out in powerful waves, sweeping outwards and carrying his voice into the distance. It rumbled like thunder.

Little Missy grew nervous suddenly. She said hastily, “He’s ordering you to board the vehicle. He’s asking you…”

Wang Baole didn’t wait for Little Missy to finish what she was saying. He appeared unfazed. He knew how dangerous his current predicament was. However, there was no point in being nervous. He shifted his feet calmly and flew into the air instantly, dashing straight for the combat vehicle hovering in mid-air. He landed in an instant and stood together with the other Never-Ending Clan members. His eyes swept past them quickly. Their armor was different from that of the Soul Conduit realm cultivator.

He recalled that the combat vehicles he had seen the previous few times had all had only one person onboard. He was fairly confident that these two had also just been recruited at a moment’s notice. There didn’t seem to be much mutual respect displayed between the two newly recruited and the Soul Conduit realm cultivator. The gears in Wang Baole’s head started spinning furiously. Just as Little Missy was done talking, Wang Baole, instead of saluting or bowing, lowered his head and spoke in the language of the Dark Sect.

“Baole!”

Little Missy fell silent as soon as he spoke.

The Soul Conduit realm cultivator didn’t seem bothered by Wang Baole’s attitude and simply nodded. The combat vehicle sped forward once more, dashing into the distance. It was then that Wang Baole secretly released a sigh of relief.

He wasn’t sure how Never-Ending Clan members greeted one another with their six arms. After observing the absence of deferential behavior between the other two new recruits and the Soul Conduit realm cultivator, he had decided not to extend any deferential greeting and to merely lower his head.

He had made the right call. The Never-Ending Clan was an alliance, and its members shared a complicated network of relationships with one another. The internal politics of the alliance were complex and messy. That was why, while it was the norm for the weak to extend a deferential greeting to the strong, Wang Baole could get away with a simple nod of his head.

The combat vehicle sped away from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s mountain gates. Wang Baole was silent throughout the journey. After an hour of speeding across the battlefield, the ruins of a vast city appeared ahead of them.

The ruins covered an expansive area. Many buildings within seemed to be fairly well-preserved and intact. They weren’t the only combat vehicles to have arrived. There were dozens of combat vehicles in the sky surrounding the city ruins.

“Your mission is to exterminate all survivors!” the Soul Conduit realm cultivator said coolly. Then, with a single step, he flew out of the combat vehicle and charged straight into the city ruins. The cultivators onboard their cluster of combat vehicles, including Wang Baole, did the same.

The Never-Ending Clan cultivators arriving from elsewhere did the same thing too. Wang Baole observed that the cultivation levels of the Never-Ending Clan members around him varied greatly. The strongest ones were at the Soul Conduit realm and the weakest at the Core Formation realm. There were also quite a few Nascent Soul realm cultivators.

Wang Baole landed soundlessly amidst his observation. As he advanced, he contemplated how he could leave these Never-Ending Clan members and return to the mountain gates.

He continued onward as vast hordes of Never-Ending Clan cultivators surged forward and attacked. A series of thundering booms erupted in the ruins. The howls of people fighting back, and the sounds of others blowing themselves up rang out without stopping.

It was clear that this ruined city was one of the assembly grounds where surviving cultivators of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace had gathered. They had not yielded to the Never-Ending Clan. After the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s core faction had carried hope with them as they left, these cultivators had chosen to stay behind and bind their fates with that of the Vast Expanse Dao Planet.

With the passing of time, they had seen new births. Even though the future seemed bleak, even though they saw traitors in their midst, a great majority of them had still chosen to fight to their last breath.

Deafening booms continued to echo in the air as Wang Baole advanced silently. There were two Never-Ending Clan cultivators around him, approximately a thousand feet apart from each other. One of them was at the Core Formation realm and the other at the Nascent Soul realm.

Just as Wang Baole was pondering how he might get away from the two and leave the city ruins, spirit waves at the Nascent Soul realm erupted from within a pavilion in their path. The waves of energy were tremendously powerful, and their eruption caused the pavilion to cave in. Someone dashed out from within and charged… towards the Never-Ending Clan cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm!

It was a woman that looked like she was in her forties. Her cultivation seemed unstable. Even though she was at the Nascent Soul realm, she was also injured. As she dashed out, she headed straight for the Never-Ending Clan cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm and collided with him.

The collision sparked a loud sound. The woman spat out a mouthful of blood, and her face was drained of color. She shifted and sped into the distance in an attempt to escape. The Never-Ending Clan cultivator, despite being forced back, had sustained only minor injuries from the earlier attack. A violent gleam flashed across his eyes as he went after her.

The entire series of events happened before Wang Baole’s eyes. He revealed nothing of his emotions on his face. He simply glanced, then turned and scanned the caved-in pavilion discreetly. He intentionally avoided walking towards the pavilion and instead headed in another direction.

However, besides Wang Baole, there was another Core Formation realm cultivator present. After some thought, the Never-Ending Clan cultivator dashed towards the pavilion. He approached instantly. It was then that another series of energy waves erupted from within the pavilion.

There was a loud explosion, followed by fragments of shattered rock spewing in the air. Someone flew out of the pavilion. This time, the aura was clearly weaker and at the Core Formation realm. The figure charged towards the Never-Ending Clan cultivator!

He looked to be in his twenties. To have achieved a Core Formation realm cultivation at such an age was an exceptional feat. Even though he was also clearly injured, his attacks remained vicious and brutal. However, the Never-Ending Clan cultivator was also equally powerful. It seemed that it would be difficult to identify a clear victor as they continued to battle it out.

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator immediately barked at Wang Baole and summoned the latter to lend a hand. The youth clearly saw that. Despair flashed across his eyes. He seemed like he was about to turn and look at the pavilion behind him but stopped himself at the last moment.

There was no need for him to look. A short distance away, Wang Baole had already seen what he had been looking for. In the pavilion was a girl—squatting under broken stone, hugging her knees, and trembling.

Her clothes were dirty and dusty, like a beggar’s. She stared at the youth who was currently engaged in battle with tears streaming down her cheeks. Then, she saw Wang Baole. Her trembling intensified.

Wang Baole observed the sight silently, then stared at the surrounding area. After making sure that there were no other Never-Ending Clan members around, he began to make his way forward with a straight face. His speed picked up. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he approached the two cultivators engaged in battle.

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator was galvanized by his approach while the youth howled in despair. Just as the latter prepared to blow himself up, Wang Baole sped up again, transforming into an afterimage that swept past the Never-Ending Clan cultivator!

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator didn’t even have time to react before his three heads fell off his body. Blood spurted out from the cut as his headless body fell to the ground.

The sight stunned the youth. He retreated hastily, staring at Wang Baole with a bewildered and wary look in his eyes.

Wang Baole didn’t look at them. He turned and was about to leave. As he turned, Little Missy, who had been silent since he had spoken in the Never-Ending Clan’s language, sighed softly. He had no idea how she managed to do it, but a Stellar Source’s light suddenly enveloped the bodies of the confused, wary youth and the young girl. Their bodies transformed instantaneously and right before Wang Baole’s eyes into that of Never-Ending Clan members!

“Help me tell them. The illusion will only last for half an hour. They have to… hurry up and escape.”

There was a faint crease in his brow. Little Missy’s actions were irrational. In addition, should the two be discovered by the Never-Ending Clan, even he would be implicated and placed in danger.

Little Missy seemed to realize the rashness of her actions. After a moment of silence, she lowered her head and uttered, for the very first time.

“I’m sorry.”

Wang Baole sighed. He turned and looked at the youth, who had recovered swiftly from his shock at witnessing Wang Baole’s transformation. Wang Baole was pleased with his speedy recovery. He said, in a low voice and in the language of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace.

“The illusion will disappear after half an hour. Leave quickly!”

The youth trembled when he heard that. He gave Wang Baole an unfathomable look before tugging at the quivering young girl. They were about to leave when the young girl, who now appeared as one of the Never-Ending Clan, turned her head as she was dragged away and looked at Wang Baole. She asked suddenly, “Senior, what’s your name?”

Wang Baole frowned slightly. He stared at the girl whose appearance had transformed into that of an Never-Ending Clan member and whose eyes remained clear and bright. He thought of the Federation’s future and said in a low voice.

“Baole!”

Having said that, Wang Baole turned and sped into the distance without looking back.