A World Worth Protecting

The array formation set up by the Dao Palace cultivators stretched across Mercury’s black skies like a spiderweb. It looked like the honeycombs of a beehive. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran both looked like mere ants next to the vast web. However, such ant-like creatures had just unleashed an incredible power that had shaken the heavens and earth.

The skies and the land rumbled as the Stellar Nascent Soul inside Wang Baole opened its eyes. The planet seemed to tremble, then it released a sudden light that boosted Wang Baole’s power. A tear appeared in the Dao Palace array formation with his slash. It expanded, spreading across the skies like a gaping mouth!

Rumblings louder than thunder crashed all around them. Wang Baole, brimming with power, charged out of the tear. He was followed by Feng Qiuran, whose pupils had contracted in shock. The power that Wang Baole had just displayed sent her reeling back despite her being prepared for it!

What’s the cause behind such a transformation? Her breathing quickened. She couldn’t understand it at all. Wang Baole had displayed incredible, unbelievable power after appearing on Mercury.

She knew this wasn’t the time to think about it too deeply, though. She immediately caught up with Wang Baole and slipped out from the tear in the array formation. They were going to leave Mercury and head for space.

Wang Baole pulled out his voice transmission ring then and sent a voice transmission to Li Xingwen.

“Old man, your Baole is back! I brought your wife with me as well!”

Alarm flashed across Wang Baole’s face as soon as he said that. A similar expression appeared on Feng Qiuran’s face. Below them, in the spiderweb-like array formation, space was distorting itself. Loud thunderous booms erupted all around it, and the array formation seemed to blur.

In the next moment, it was transformed entirely. An enormous face appeared in the center of the array formation. It spanned a hundred thousand feet and had a dazed expression and lost eyes that stared at Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran.

Its aura could overpower a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. This was the power of a Soul Conduit realm cultivator!

“Mie Liezi!” Wang Baole’s face darkened, and a myriad of emotions flickered in Feng Qiuran’s eyes. Mie Liezi’s face burst out of the array formation with unexpected speed. The illusory, enormous face lunged at Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran.

The size of the face might not be as vast as the great land beneath them, but it was still as big as a really large island. And it was fast, very fast. It was going to hit them at any time. Wang Baole’s eyes glimmered, and he sucked in a deep breath.

Mercury shuddered as he took that breath. It was as if he had sucked in some strange power with that single breath. His Stellar Nascent Soul loosened its limbs and unleashed its full power. Starlight flooded its body and overflowed. At that moment, Wang Baole seemed to have transformed into a star.

“Get out of my way!” he roared. He raised his armored right hand, his cultivation flowing into his Divine Armament arm. Augmented by the power of a planet, it smashed its fist into the huge face!

The punch shook the heavens and earth. It seemed to have the force of a star behind it, whose starlight was now infused into Wang Baole. It was as if a planet had hurdled onto the expressionless face of Mie Liezi and crashed into it.

Deafening booms rumbled across Mercury, and Mie Liezi’s illusory face started to shatter. The cracks started from the spot that Wang Baole’s fist had landed on. They spread and finally split the face into parts with a loud crack. Then, they exploded. A figure was flung outwards thousands of feet away. It was expressionless and breathing quickly. It was Mie Liezi. Wang Baole’s punch showed that he was a real threat.

Wang Baole wasn’t doing that well. His cultivation was only at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. Even boosted by his Thearch Armor and a planet, it still couldn’t compete with a true cultivator at the Soul Conduit realm. He grunted. He might not be spitting blood out of his mouth, and his organs might not be churning at the moment, but nevertheless, he had still been driven back by the shock waves from the collision.

Feng Qiuran was about to seize the chance to attack while both of them were driven apart. It was then that Mie Liezi narrowed his eyes and shouted suddenly.

“Dao Palace cultivators, to your positions. Form an array formation to welcome the return of Elder Qiuran!”

Lightning laced the skies instantly as every Dao Palace cultivator on the planet unleashed their full cultivation.

Mercury’s array formation had a thousand focal points, each of them guarded by a hundred cultivators. There were a hundred thousand cultivators currently guarding and running the array formation, and their power surged into the array formation with Mie Liezi’s orders. The planetary array formation flared with a blinding light, and countless dandelion-like lights appeared, gathering together and transforming into a glowing man that towered a thousand feet!

It seemed to be the materialized form of the array formation. One could even call it the materialization of the combined consciousness of a hundred thousand Dao Palace cultivators. It stretched its arms out and lifted its head, roaring and immediately charging at Feng Qiuran, who was trying to get near Mie Liezi!

“Daoist You Ran is a surviving Never-Ending Clan member who’s controlling Mie Liezi’s mind. I understand that you find it difficult what I’m telling you, but should you believe the wrong side, you will be aiding evil with its plans. Stand down and stop fighting. You can still choose to not help either one of us!” Feng Qiuran said. Her eyes were clear and filled with anxiety, drastically different from Mie Liezi’s lost and dazed look. The glowing man, formed from the consciousness of a hundred thousand cultivators, froze momentarily and lowered its head. It seemed to be mirroring the apprehension that had emerged amongst the hundred thousand controlling the array formation!

It was then that Daoist You Ran’s voice, boosted by the power of the array formation, resonated in the air.

“Let’s welcome Elder Qiuran’s return. Participants in the process will be awarded three hundred battle credits, and those who succeed will be awarded ten thousand battle credits!”

Those words rumbled in the air. The glowing man shuddered, then lifted its head, its eyes shining with intense light. The desire to earn battle credits seemed to have won over many of the hundred thousand minds that steered the glowing man. It started charging at Feng Qiuran again.

It surged forward, breaking the sound barrier and emanating a power that rivaled a Soul Conduit realm cultivator as it crashed into Feng Qiuran.

Wang Baole threw a glance at Feng Qiuran, who was being forced to fight the glowing man. He saw the sorrow in her eyes. Even so, she was not using any offensive or lethal attacks. She was still only trying to defend herself.

Wang Baole frowned as anxiety raged inside him. He needed to leave Mercury as soon as possible. Any delay might allow Never-Ending Clan members more opportunities to join forces with the other Dao Palace cultivators. When that happened, escape might no longer be possible. In fact, death might be the only option left for him.

“Elder Qiuran, we need to get out of here, fast!” Wang Baole shouted. Mie Liezi had approached then, his full cultivation unleashed as he rushed at Wang Baole like a shooting star.

Wang Baole didn’t have the luxury to remind Feng Qiuran of their situation anymore. He raised his right hand and formed a series of hand seals. His storage bracelet trembled, and a black pike flew out and surged towards Mie Liezi with a force that could slice through the air itself. A mirror of himself also materialized and separated from his person. He had summoned his avatar.

His avatar rushed head-on towards the heavens. His real form, on the other hand, tightened its fist. The power of his Stellar Nascent Soul and his Thearch Armor gathered in his fist. His Supernova punch followed swiftly behind his Dharmic Armament, both headed for Mie Liezi!

The two opponents collided. The black pike was an incredible artifact that had been given a boost of power by Wang Baole’s inherent strength. It was a black beam of light that seemed capable of tearing through space with its sharpness. The power that it exuded was that of a ninth-grade Dharmic Armament. In the face of such power, even Mie Liezi was slightly intimidated. His pupils contracted.

Wang Baole’s Supernova combined his cultivation and his physical strength. It was augmented by the endless Spirit Qi housed in the spirit fat in Wang Baole’s body. Wang Baole was like a literal walking Spirit Stone.

“Eat that! I have plenty more spirit energy to spare!” Wang Baole roared. He unleashed ten punches consecutively. His fists looked large, a thousand feet wide, as they hit the air, and the incredible force of those hits rushed at Mie Liezi!

The punches exploded in the air, the explosions resonating loudly in the sky. The two cultivators began to battle it out. The black pike got the first hit in. Wang Baole gritted his teeth and triggered its self-destruction without hesitation!

Thunderous booms rumbled in the air!

The force of the Dharmic Armament’s explosion surged outwards, forming a shock wave that combined with Wang Baole’s Supernova punches and resulted in incredible power. Wang Baole had given everything he had in those Supernova punches. Mie Liezi shuddered violently and was driven back by the fierce attack!

Wang Baole yelled as Mie Liezi retreated in evasion.

“Feng Qiuran, why aren’t you moving?” Wang Baole turned as he spoke, then unleashed ten Supernovas at the glowing man engaged in battle with Feng Qiuran!

The assault sent the heavens quaking. Winds lashed out while clouds rolled back. Under Wang Baole’s control, the attack drove the glowing man back while giving Feng Qiuran a helpful boost.

A resolute look appeared in Feng Qiuran’s eyes. She unleashed her power, and with a hard shove, sped up and shot towards the heavens!

Wang Baole’s breathing quickened, and he switched places with his avatar, who had reached the edge of the sky, instantly!

He gave Mie Liezi and the glowing man no chance to come after them. A vicious light flashed across the avatar’s eyes. Without sparing a second thought, it self-destructed!