A World Worth Protecting

“The talisman looks like an ordinary talisman, drawn haphazardly and made of a material that seems no different from ordinary paper. It’s been placed at the bottom of the lake in the Ethereal Dao College. If the Federation should fall apart after this war, you are to take it away and become the guardian of our civilization. Also… I’ve examined the talisman before. It seems to be… some sort of memento!” Li Xingwen gave Wang Baole a long, unfathomable look as he spoke in a serious manner.

Wang Baole reeled back from shock. He found that unimaginable. What kind of being could imbue an object with such an immense power—power that could defend an entire civilization—just by painting some characters on a piece of paper?

I wonder if Senior Brother has the power to do that… Wang Baole’s breathing quickened. Stunned by what he had just heard, he didn’t notice the complicated looks of hesitation exchanged between Li Xingwen and Duan Muque.

It took a while for Wang Baole to digest what he had just heard. Then, Li Xingwen, seemingly having come to a decision, spoke again.

“That’s why we have to defend Venus with our lives, even though it will eventually fall to the enemy. It’s to prepare for the final battle, and our final sacrifice, on Mars!

“Baole, I know that there are secrets buried on Mars. Various signs on Mars have shown that you have now mastered those secrets. I hope that you will give your all during the battle on Mars!”

Wang Baole took a deep breath, then nodded solemnly. Li Xingwen had already realized something was going on with the Dark Artifact on Mars. Wang Baole had known that. He knew that if Li Xingwen hadn’t helped him with his cover-up, he couldn’t have kept the Dark Artifact under wraps. It would have been usurped by others.

Li Xingwen passed down a few other instructions to Wang Baole. As night drew close, Wang Baole finally left the secret chamber with a heavy heart.

Duan Muque couldn’t hold it in any longer. He turned towards Li Xingwen and opened his mouth. He couldn’t find the words. After a moment, he finally asked, “Are we really not going to tell him the whole truth?”

“What should we tell him? About the statues in the main capital city? Those statues that are from an ancient civilization on Earth? There’s not enough time for us to awaken them. We can only activate them once. Both of us have run through this. They won’t be able to hold back the enemy forces. Instead of using them as an offensive weapon, we should keep them as a means to protect the survivors!” Determination flashed across Li Xingwen’s eyes. As he spoke softly, his right hand was forming hand seals as well. He was drawing power from the Solar System Array Formation, gathering it around them and forming a barrier.

“Besides, what he doesn’t know is the final part to the secret, and that incident… has been buried for decades. He shouldn’t have to bear that burden. It’s fine if we win the war, but should we lose, I want the past to remain the past, to turn to dust and scatter to the wind. What remains should be new life and new hope!” Li Xingwen stared at Duan Muque as he spoke resolutely. Determination shone in his eyes. Hidden deep underneath was a tinge of unwillingness, as if he had not yet given up on something.

Duan Muque saw both emotions clearly in Li Xingwen’s eyes. He fell silent. Then, after a long while, he sighed. His spirits seemed to have fallen, and his face looked older.

“Those people… chose to leave all those years ago. They chose to abandon this place. Why did they leave the talisman behind then… You gave Wang Baole a hint and told him it was a memento. Isn’t that proof that you still have hope?” Duan Muque asked softly. Li Xingwen’s eyes fell shut. He didn’t answer Duan Muque’s question.

The secret chamber fell into a deep silence. Neither of them spoke. Li Xingwen sighed inwardly, bitterness filling his heart and leaving a sour taste in his mouth. He hadn’t shared the final part of Earth’s secret with Wang Baole. Even Duan Muque didn’t know the whole truth. He was the only one who did.

He could tell them, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to tell Wang Baole. When he had unearthed the talisman then, all those years ago, he had studied and researched it. He dug up all historical records and excavated all ancient sites that had ever appeared on the planet, uncovered many artifacts and information. In the end, he had made a single discovery.

The cultivators who had first appeared during the Spirit Inception Era were not the first generation of cultivators to have appeared in human history!

Everything pieced together to form one singular conclusion… Earth had been a faction of an ancient and great civilization that had later abandoned it. Li Xingwen had his suspicions that the planet had been insignificant to the great civilization. The latter could’ve done without Earth at all. In fact, such a great civilization probably had countless other sub-civilizations like Earth scattered across the universe.

Perhaps our only value is in our similar bloodline. That might have made our people viable options as servants. What do they treat this place as? A breeding farm? Li Xingwen shut his eyes, concealing the fierce streak of resentment within. He had hinted to Wang Baole about the talisman being a potential memento. Perhaps Duan Muque had been right. Somewhere deep inside him, he still held hope.

He was sure that the person who had left the talisman behind hadn’t been someone from that supposed great civilization, but a human from Earth who had been taken away by the great civilization. That human had left the talisman behind secretly!

Time passed amidst the pair’s silence. Wang Baole was unaware of the conversation between Li Xingwen and Duan Muque that followed his departure. He didn’t know the secret about the ancient civilization and Li Xingwen’s guesses. However, his cultivation had far surpassed Li Xingwen and Duan Muque’s. His spiritual senses were especially enhanced. That was why… he had still been able to sense the power of the Solar System Array Formation protecting the secret chamber even after he had left.

Grandmaster… hasn’t told me everything. Wang Baole followed a cultivator of the Venusian base as the latter escorted him to his temporary residence. He entered and sat down, an unfathomable look settling in his eyes.

“Something’s not quite right with the talisman,” Wang Baole mumbled. He believed that Li Xingwen meant him no harm. If he were to analyze and assess the situation based on that belief, the conclusion that followed came easily. Whatever Li Xingwen was keeping from him must be related to the talisman’s origins. He hadn’t told Wang Baole either because certain reasons had compelled him not to or because he hadn’t wanted to exert unnecessary stress on Wang Baole.

Old folks all want to give the young ones peace of mind. They’d rather shoulder the hardships themselves. They want to turn into a huge tree, becoming shelter for the young, protecting them from the winds and the rain. That’s right. But these young ones who are being protected want to grow up more quickly so that they can, in turn, protect the huge tree. Wang Baole sighed softly.

Wang Baole picked up his voice transmission ring and gave his parents a call. He had gone missing for a few months. He had no idea how his parents were doing, but he had his guesses. They had been wrecked with anxiety and worry. Fortunately, Zhao Yameng and Zhou Xiaoya, who had left seclusion, had been visiting them regularly and keeping their spirits up. Their constant comforting words and presence had soothed the old couple’s worried minds and kept the worst of their anxieties at bay.

Having received Wang Baole’s voice transmission and his assurance that he was unharmed and well, the old couple was finally able to rest their minds. After some time, Wang Baole finally placed the voice transmission ring down. Next, he sent voice transmissions to Zhao Yameng, Zhuo Yifan, and others to inform them of his return. Replies to his voice transmissions came in swiftly, one after another. From their hurried and short messages, Wang Baole could tell that they were all busy with their respective missions, which had not yet ended.

Zhuo Yifan was the only one who didn’t reply. Wang Baole didn’t think too much of it. He allowed his mind to settle and didn’t try to pry into the secret that Li Xingwen had left unspoken. He believed that when the time came, his grandmaster would let him know everything.

A thoughtfulness settled in his gaze. He began to assess the various means available to him for the upcoming battle. A long moment passed before he suddenly said loudly, “Senior Brother, your most precious junior brother is in trouble. My most handsome, most invincible senior brother, are you there?”

He waited for a long while but received no reply. Wang Baole sulked. He didn’t believe that his senior brother had left, but there was no way he was going to bet everything on his senior brother really hanging around either. If his senior brother had really left, then he would really be in trouble then.

“The most beautiful Little Missy in the whole wide universe, are you there…” Wang Baole sighed as he called out in his head. Nothing changed. Little Missy’s replies were closely related to her mood. She seemed to be in a bad mood now. No matter how many times Wang Baole called out for her, there was no response.

They’re all ignoring me! Fine, I don’t believe that I can’t solve this on my own! Wang Baole glared and snorted. He began to think, hard.

There’s still the giant on the moon and the Dark Artifact on Mars… I can also make use of the unique traits of the Stellar Nascent Soul…