A World Worth Protecting

The moon might not seem huge when compared to Venus, but it was still a cosmological entity in its own right. As it sped across the cosmos, it left ripples in its wake that surged outward and distorted the fabric of space!

Its entrance sent cultivators on and outside Venus reeling back.

What made the sight more shocking was the gargantuan, crazed-looking giant before the hurling moon. The giant was armored, his skin covered with seals, and his entire person enveloped in an aura of death. Vast chains bound him as he dragged the moon forward, howling!

The sight was unbelievable and utterly terrifying. It made the moon’s entrance even more dramatic and forceful. Everyone’s eyes landed on the figure standing on the Night Immortal King’s shoulder—it was Wang Baole!

His robes fluttered, his black hair flowed. His good looking features, his slim build, and his cold eyes made him seem strange and foreign. There was an aura of authority that forbade others from challenging him!

The Night Immortal King might be towering in form, but he was still an ant when compared to a planet. Wang Baole’s spells might not be able to physically grow the Night Immortal King’s size, but casting an illusory projection of the Night Immortal King was still something within his means!

The effects… struck true. Shock and terror rose in the hearts of Dao Palace cultivators as soon as they saw the Night Immortal King’s enormous form. They were like ants before a giant. The overpowering pressure exerted by the Night Immortal King made their scalps prickle with fear!

Recognition flashed across the faces of a few older Dao Palace cultivators. They shouted in alarm, “Chen Mofeng!”

While the Dao Palace cultivators were caught in sudden shock, waves of spirit energy suddenly rippled in the region before the charging moon. Dozens of vortexes appeared, and another wave of Dao Palace troops emerged. They charged at the moon, intent on stopping it in its path.

These battleships had clearly kept their presence on the battlefield concealed for some time. Their objective was to waylay Federation reinforcements and also to keep the full strength of the Dao Palace hidden from enemy eyes. When the right time came, they could then show themselves and join forces with the other troops, overpowering Venus in a single overwhelming wave of attacks.

These hidden troops who had concealed themselves in the periphery of the battlefield were significant in number. Waves of spirit energy continued to ripple across the cosmos. Within the blink of an eye, dozens of vortexes appeared. There were almost a hundred vortexes spinning in space now. Hordes of Dao Palace battleships rushed out of the vortexes. They seemed to be closing in on the moon and surrounding it. Spells erupted in beams of light, transforming the area into a sea of light. The moon and the Night Immortal King were flooded by the light instantly.

Any other Federation planet that had arrived as reinforcements might have been able to hold its ground against such an ambush, but it wouldn’t have been able to avoid the damage that would have resulted from the clash. The best it might have done was to divide the Dao Palace forces and lessen the pressure being placed on Venus. It wouldn’t have been able to rescue Venus completely from attack.

This was the lunar stronghold, though, which had the Night Immortal King under its command. Such attacks were useless against it. Wang Baole’s eyes had narrowed when the sea of light had flooded the area. Then, he raised his right hand and pointed his finger forward.

A howl tore itself loose from the Night Immortal King. It was like the sudden roar of a hurricane. His enormous form charged out of the sea of light. He tugged the moon, ignored the battleships blocking his path, and charged headfirst into their ranks!

The battleships were powerful weapons not to be trifled with, but the enemy they were facing down was the Night Immortal King and the enormous moon. They were like a house of cards. The sea of light might be powerful, but it wasn’t strong enough to keep the moon back!

The battleships had no time to run. They crashed against the waves of energy created by the moon as it approached and were flung outward, crushed by the moon as it sped into them!

The sounds of collisions resonated in the air as battleships were destroyed, followed by continuous screams of pain and terror. Many cultivators tried escaping from their battleships, but they could only watch in despair as the waves of energy surging from the moon bound their bodies. The moon approached, grew larger in size, and finally crushed and robbed them of their lives!

The Dao Palace cultivators were being massacred. The Night Immortal King’s roars resonated in the cosmos as his enormous form tugged the moon forward. Both gargantuan entities charged through enemy ranks, rushing into the center of the battlefield!

Dao Palace battleships exploded and were torn to pieces in the wake of the Night Immortal King’s charge. Wang Baole’s eyes flickered with a cold light as he barked another order. Every cultivator in the lunar stronghold unleashed their Dharmic Artifacts. The moon was bathed in an instant red glow. Every Dharmic Artifact on the stronghold was activated, and countless beams of light blasted into space from every corner of the lunar stronghold, blindly and with full force.

On their own, each beam of red light might not be extremely powerful, but… combined, their numbers exceeded a hundred thousand beams. Waves of spirit energy surged into the cosmos, and dozens of eruptions blasted into space with hardly any rest between each wave!

More than a million beams of red light flooded the battlefield. Every Dao Palace battleship within the lunar stronghold’s line of sight received hundreds of blasts from the latter. Dao Palace cultivators who had rushed out of their battleships were not spared either. The thunderous explosions of battleships and the pained screams of cultivators filled space like an endless song of violence!

Wang Baole continued to crush lotus seeds to perpetuate his control over the Night Immortal King. The latter spread his arms wide, instinctively sweeping his arms through the cosmos. Each sweep of his arm sent a hurricane spiraling through space, destroying everything in the vicinity. Wang Baole leaped up and rushed towards the five Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivators whom Feng Qiuran’s avatars had been keeping busy. He wasn’t greedy, he only targeted the three nearest to him.

His avatar split from his form and walked away. It didn’t charge into the fray. Instead, it remained perched on the Night Immortal King’s shoulder!

Wang Baole’s arrival was like a nightmare to the Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivators. They had heard of what had happened in the previous battle with Wang Baole, including the bizarre mystic art he had unleashed with the black demonic eye that had hovered at his back. It had been the cause of dozens of Soul Conduit realm cultivators’ deaths!

As soon as they saw Wang Baole appear, these Soul Conduit realm cultivators began to retreat and attempted to stay away from Wang Baole.

“Elder Qiuran!” Wang Baole roared as his enemies made an attempt at retreat. A black demonic eye materialized behind him and opened!

Feng Qiuran and Wang Baole had fought together numerous times. The former immediately steered her avatars forcefully into the paths of the retreating Soul Conduit realm cultivators, risking everything to keep them in place. What awaited them then would be… their worst nightmare!

Thunder boomed in the cosmos. The dark demonic eye opened, and a strange power surged from the open eye. Wang Baole attacked without hesitation, killing one Soul Conduit realm cultivator instantly. Feng Qiuran seized the opportunity and, together with Wang Baole, managed to kill another Soul Conduit realm cultivator and injure the third!

The last Soul Conduit realm cultivator was lucky enough to escape with his life. He was also the sole surviving Soul Conduit realm cultivator who had escaped with his life intact in his last battle with Wang Baole. It was this instinctive fear of Wang Baole that had made him draw back immediately upon Wang Baole’s arrival on the battlefield. That had been what had saved his life.

Within the blink of an eye—following Wang Baole’s sudden arrival, the million crimson blasts erupting from the lunar stronghold, and the terrifying roars of the Night Immortal King erupting in the cosmos—the Venusian battlefield had descended into complete chaos!

Every Federation cultivator who witnessed the sight was shocked. Some couldn’t control their excitement and cried out, saying, “It’s Wang Baole! It’s the Night Immortal King!”

Compared to the name “Chen Mofeng”, which was unfamiliar to many in the Federation, the Night Immortal King was a familiar name to all Federation cultivators. Ordinary citizens might not know much about the Night Immortal King, but any Federation cultivator would have heard about the legend of the Night Immortal King!

And now… they were witnessing the true form of the fully awakened Night Immortal King. They also saw Wang Baole’s true power. Both were a shock to the Federation cultivators. Even Li Xingwen and Duan Muque were reeling. Mie Liezi was equally affected, shuddering momentarily. The Night Immortal King’s appearance seemed to have stirred something in him. Memories seemed to be shifting inside his head. His eyes glimmered, as if he were struggling with his own mind.

His charge towards the third line of defense seemed considerably slower. That cost him the element of surprise and lost him his prior advantage of speed. Li Xingwen intercepted him with his team before he could reach the third line of defense.

Of course… everyone’s attention was captured by the moon and the Night Immortal King’s arrival, as well as Wang Baole’s powerful attacks. As their minds reeled from shock, no one noticed Li Wuchen, who was part of the rescue teams on the battlefield. They didn’t see the look of confusion on Li Wuchen’s face when he saw the Night Immortal King.

This wasn’t his first time seeing the Night Immortal King, but it was the first time strange images had surfaced in his mind upon the sight of the giant. He didn’t know the cause behind that, he only felt a strange and near-imperceptible sense of familiarity as he gazed at the Night Immortal King.

Before Li Wuchen could examine the sudden surge of images in his head and the unexpected feeling of familiarity, an emotionless snort thundered across the cosmos, descending upon the battlefield like the voice of a god. A black light appeared out of nowhere and shot across space, traversing the vast starlit battlefield and heading straight for Wang Baole!

It was extremely fast, like an arrow piercing through space itself and leaving waves of spirit energy rippling in its wake. The ripples of spirit energy rushed outward, draining any ordinary cultivator that was unfortunate enough to come into contact with it and destroying said cultivator completely, in both body and soul!

Wang Baole’s pupils contracted. He didn’t hesitate in the face of sudden danger, switching places with his avatar immediately. He reappeared on the moon, sitting cross-legged on the Night Immortal King’s shoulder. The green lotus inside his devouring seed swayed fiercely, and Wang Baole crushed another five lotus seeds and strengthened his command over the Night Immortal King!

Wang Baole knew that he had to awaken and keep the Night Immortal King’s true soul awake. His true power would remain in slumber otherwise, under the reins of the newborn zombie soul. Wang Baole knew that the Night Immortal King’s true power wasn’t in his Soul Conduit realm cultivation but in his endless strength and powerful physical body!

The Night Immortal King trembled when the five lotus seeds were smashed to dust. The red glow in his eyes intensified, brightening like two stars. He raised his head up and roared. Then, he raised his right hand, tightened it into a fist, and sent a powerful punch flying towards the approaching black light!