A World Worth Protecting

Dugu Lin was an extremely intelligent man. He knew that the Never-Ending Clan currently held the upper hand in the war. Daoist You Ran had exploited the greed inherent in the Dao Palace disciples’ nature, and they were now following him almost willingly into war.

The best option for him was to join them and fight for resources in this war that would allow him to build his cultivation.

However, he simply couldn’t get himself to cross that final hurdle. It wasn’t for the sake of the Federation or the sect, it was for his master. He couldn’t do it because of his master. Opinions of his master generally skewed towards the negative. His temperament was inconsistent, and he was vicious. But still… Dugu Lin couldn’t forget the care his master had given him, the time and energy he had poured into grooming him, and everything he had done for him.

There was only one way to save his master. Daoist You Ran had to be killed!

That was why Dugu Lin had been severely shaken when he sensed Feng Qiuran appearing in the teleportation array formation. He had hesitated then. He had no idea if Feng Qiuran had become like his master, a puppet. He dared not risk it.

Then, an enormous, fat figure had appeared next to Feng Qiuran. Alongside it had been those familiar red tentacle-like meridians. He had recognized Wang Baole then. That was when Dugu Lin had clenched his jaw and made a decision.

As a precautionary measure, he had first misled the others into approaching the array formation. Then, he had pulled out the jade slip that would sound the alarm. He had spoken calmly, his eyes shining brightly as he watched the two figures—one large and one small—step out slowly from the mist.

Feng Qiuran had a fierce look in her eyes, while Wang Baole’s thoughts appeared indiscernible. However, he was flooded with a myriad of emotions. Both of them surveyed the area as soon as they stepped out of the teleportation array formation. After being sure that Dugu Lin was the only person still alive and standing, and that the rest had all been killed, they turned towards Dugu Lin again.

Their eyes stared at the jade slip in his hand!

“Fellow Daoist Dugu Lin, it’s been a while.” Wang Baole had his Thearch Armor on. Red meridians swayed in the wind around the armor. As he spoke, his helmet shifted away and revealed his face.

Dugu Lin narrowed his eyes as he studied Wang Baole, then Feng Qiuran. Finally, assured that Feng Qiuran’s eyes weren’t dazed and lost but instead bright and clear, he released a sigh of relief. He immediately spoke.

“The Federation has retreated to Venus. The Never-Ending Clan battleship lacks resources for repair, so it is unable to be deployed for the time being. Daoist You Ran is inside the battleship, guarding it. Based on my observations, he won’t be able to split his attention between the battleship and other matters as long as the battleship remains damaged!

“My master, Mie Liezi, is being controlled. However, I’ve observed him for some time. He has shown signs of losing focus sometimes. It seems that his spirit is not completely destroyed!”

“Your humble disciple is willing to remain here. I will spy on the enemy and provide both Elders with military information. I only request that you… save my master when the time comes! Please leave immediately. The Never-Ending Clan will sweep the area with their spiritual senses every thirty minutes. There’s not much time left…” Dugu Lin said urgently. Then, he cupped his fists and bowed towards Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran!

Before Wang Baole or Feng Qiuran could speak, Dugu Lin raised his left hand and hit himself hard on the chest. There was a heavy thud. He shuddered, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

It was a brutal blow. He almost destroyed his own meridians. The injury was so severe that he staggered back and passed out instantly. The jade slip held tightly in his hand was now proof—he had been seriously injured and lost consciousness before he could sound the alarm.

“Elder Qiuran, let’s go!” Wang Baole spared the unconscious Dugu Lin a long, unfathomable look before he turned and raced towards the heavens. Beside him, Feng Qiuran hesitated, then said softly.

“There must be many other disciples like Dugu Lin still left in the Dao Palace. We could expose the truth and activate all Dao Palace cultivators. This might be more effective than escaping to the Federation.”

“If there are really cultivators who seek the truth in the Dao Palace, do you think they’re really so stupid that they haven’t found the answer for themselves yet?” Wang Baole said softly, an icy glint flickering in his eyes.

Feng Qiuran opened her mouth, ready to retort. Wang Baole shook his head.

“Elder Qiuran, I read this autobiography once. There was a line inside that went something like this: ‘once the gates of greed are opened, they can never be shut again!'” Wang Baole flew out and raced towards the skies as he spoke, his speed picking up.

Feng Qiuran fell silent. She looked around her, a torrent of emotions flashing across her eyes. Then, she sighed softly and went after Wang Baole. They transformed into twin rainbows that dashed into the dark heavens!

They were fast. Regardless, Mercury was now the Never-Ending Clan’s base. No matter how high their level of cultivation and how swift they were, they couldn’t avoid eventual discovery. They hadn’t even breached Mercury’s array formation before Daoist You Ran, meditating in the Never-Ending Clan battleship, discovered their presence.

Inside the battleship, the third level, which had been destroyed by Wang Baole when he had blown himself up, had been restored to a great extent. The blood and flesh passageway, as well as the pool, looked no different than they had prior to the explosion. Only one thing had changed… the former battle robes no longer sat in the center of the pool. They had been replaced by… Daoist You Ran!

Daoist You Ran’s eyes had been shut, and his breathing even, as he had meditated. Having sensed something amiss, his breathing quickened. Then, his eyes opened!

Wang Baole! Feng Qiuran! A ghostly light flickered inside Daoist You Ran’s eyes. He had no idea that he had died and been resurrected. There was hatred in his words, but it was mainly due to the battleship’s damage at Wang Baole’s hand.

“Summoning all Dao Palace disciples. Wang Baole has conspired against Elder Feng Qiuran. Elder Feng Qiuran has fallen under his influence. Unleash your full power to kill Wang Baole and rescue Elder Feng Qiuran!”

His voice resounded everywhere, creating a loud buzz that resonated in the battleship. His will extended through the battleship, into Mercury’s array formation. It blanketed the entire planet. Every Dao Palace cultivator on the planet trembled when they heard his commands. The planet’s array formation activated fully and locked onto Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran’s location!

Daoist You Ran, who was unable to leave the Never-Ending Clan battleship, narrowed his eyes and barked out another order.

“Mie Liezi, capture Feng Qiuran, and kill Wang Baole!”

His orders erupted in Mie Liezi’s mind, echoing endlessly as he sat deep in meditation in the main building of the base.

Mie Liezi was inside a pitch-black secret chamber. He lifted his head slowly after receiving Daoist You Ran’s orders. There was a dazed expression on his face. He stood up and took a step forward, disappearing from the secret chamber and reappearing in mid-air. With the aid of the Greater Mercury Array Formation, he locked onto Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran’s location. The cultivation inside his body churned, unleashing waves of Soul Conduit realm Spirit Qi. The air around him warped and contorted out of shape. He took another step forward, ripping space itself apart and rushing towards his target.

Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran had been speeding through Mercury’s skies and were about to break through its atmosphere and enter space. However, they shuddered suddenly as they felt a sudden power surging towards them and blanketing them. An invisible force seemed to have descended upon them, trying to imprison them. It was slowing them down and trying to prevent them from escaping.

“We’ve been discovered. This is the Dao Palace’s regional array formation, it’s immensely powerful. I need thirty minutes to dispel it…” Alarm flashed across Feng Qiuran’s face. As soon as she said that, Wang Baole lifted his right hand without saying a word. He looked like a war god with his Thearch Armor on.

He had repeatedly been trying to reach Li Xingwen and the others via his voice transmission ring this whole time. However, it was clear that his voice transmission ring wasn’t going to work while he remained on Mercury. He had to exit its atmosphere.

He gave up on trying the voice transmission ring again. He roared as he raised his right hand, and his cultivation erupted from his person. His Nascent Soul shook and released waves of spirit energy more powerful than what he had displayed on the ancient sword.

He had felt a change over his Nascent Soul when he had stepped out of the teleportation array formation. It had felt as if the heavens and earth themselves had lent their powers to him… The planet beneath his feet had rejoiced upon his arrival.

He hadn’t had the time to study the sensation in detail then, but now, as the planet’s array formation descended upon them, Wang Baole unleashed his Nascent Soul. The result was a seeming resonance between his Nascent Soul and the planet. His Spirit Qi erupted and rose to the skies. It was given another boost by the Thearch Armor before flowing into his right arm, where the Divine Armament was!

An overwhelming power that shook the entire planet surged outwards in waves of spirit energy instantly. It erupted and transformed into a tornado that seemed to connect the sky and the land. The heavens rumbled as Wang Baole roared.

“Dispel!”

The Divine Armament arm swung forward in a slash!

The heavens and earth shifted. The winds howled, and the clouds rolled back. The regional Dao Palace array formation, which had overpowered Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran earlier… was forced to reveal its illusory, spiderweb-like form. It seemed unable to withstand the sudden incredible power that Wang Baole had unleashed. Layer by layer, it was ripped apart, breaking down and collapsing instantly!