A World Worth Protecting

The black flame inside Wang Baole’s body erupted with sudden violence as he spoke. It spread outward from the Night Immortal King’s right shoulder with a mad fervor!

The layer of blue ice encasing the Night Immortal King took on a different color instantly.

The black flame was the Dark Fire!

Daoist You Ran might have had some knowledge of the Dark Sect that had once engaged in fierce battle with the Never-Ending Clan, but his status in the Never-Ending Clan and his level of cultivation meant that he couldn’t recognize the Dark Fire instantly. Regardless, he immediately sensed an indescribable danger, causing alarm to color his face.

The black flame spread from Wang Baole outward, and the ice that had encased him began to disappear rapidly!

It didn’t melt, it disappeared!

Melting meant that the layer of ice had turned to water upon contact with a fire that had a higher temperature. Disappearing… meant something else entirely!

Temperature was a relative thing. Daoist You Ran’s blue ice might appear to be of a low temperature, but should it come into contact with something that was even colder than it was, it would no longer be ice, it would become fire to that colder entity.

The blue ice was disappearing. An observer watching from afar might even think it was evaporating, dissipating into the cosmos, and revealing its sealed prisoners—the Night Immortal King and Wang Baole. As the black flames spread, the blue ice encasing the lunar stronghold began to vanish rapidly as well.

The sight sent Daoist You Ran’s pupils contracting.

What is that fire made of? Daoist You Ran’s heart raced as he reeled back in shock. The cultivators on the battlefield who witnessed the scene were also collectively shocked. Venus, whose defeat had been inevitable a moment ago, seemed to have glimpsed a sliver of hope!

Wang Baole was secretly sighing though, as his level of cultivation was still too low. If he were powerful enough and had been able to engineer a greater and more explosive display of the Dark Fire, this battle… might just end right there and then.

Resolution flashed across Wang Baole’s eyes at that moment—after having uttered those words and given the Federation a sliver of hope. Without hesitation, he reached for the remaining dozens of lotus seeds inside his devouring seed and… crushed them all!

The Night Immortal King shuddered violently as the red glow in his eyes burned with a sudden intensity. They were like two blazing lamps whose light flooded the entire battlefield. A slumbering consciousness seemed to be struggling fiercely. It was like someone asleep was being shoved at, hard, and was on the verge of waking up!

The purpose of unleashing the Dark Fire and shattering all his lotus seeds was none other than… to awaken the Night Immortal King’s true soul!

Wang Baole was going to awaken the Night Immortal King’s true soul and unleash the Night Immortal King’s true power on the enemy. That was his greatest and last trump card!

The sudden intense danger alarmed Daoist You Ran. A fierce light flashed in his eyes. There was no time to concern himself with Venus at the moment. His hands came together in a flurry of hand seals, and the three disks on the Never-Ending Clan Death Dao Battleship flared with a bright light. Instead of another blast of blue light, they summoned a seal that was identical to the one hovering over Venus. It flew out and appeared right above Wang Baole, releasing the same black flames and attempting to stop Wang Baole and refine him!

“No one will stand in my way!” Daoist You Ran’s eyes flashed, and the irregularly shaped shard hidden within shone brightly. He took one step forward and unleashed his full cultivation. Then, like an arrow released from the bow, he charged at Wang Baole!

The realization finally dawned on him. Destroying the Federation was difficult but not impossible. Wang Baole, however, was the greatest unknown in the war. With him around, a slight misstep could result in a completely different outcome for the battle!

“I can’t have you live!”

As Daoist You Ran rushed towards Wang Baole, the latter suddenly got to his feet. He stood on the Night Immortal King’s shoulder, his eyes glimmering brightly and his arms outstretched. The Dark Fire inside his body surged out again. Along with the flames spread the power of Soul Guidance. Its power combined with that of Wang Baole’s lotus and transformed into a force built on the Dark Art, a force that seemed to be calling out for one’s soul. Wang Baole said coolly, “Chen Mofeng!”

There was a strange tonality to Wang Baole’s voice. It echoed in the cosmos and sent the Night Immortal King shuddering violently. The Night Immortal King let loose a fearsome roar.

“Soul, return!” Wang Baole said. His voice appeared to have power over the soul, as if whatever he said would be done. His hands came together to form a series of hand seals. They fell apart, like the parting of yin and yang, the unbinding of life and death. A slumbering soul was finally… awoken!

The Night Immortal King lifted his head skyward and roared again. His fury echoed across the battlefield, sending fear and shock into everyone’s trembling hearts. The roar drowned out Wang Baole’s voice, sending waves of spirit energy rippling across the cosmos and surging outward. A terrifying aura erupted from his person!

The appearance of the aura immediately overpowered everyone on the battlefield. Every cultivator, from the Dao Palace and the Federation alike, began to tremble!

Even Daoist You Ran started shuddering violently during his charge. Shocked, he instinctively retreated, fearful to stray too near the Night Immortal King. A red mark suddenly appeared out of nowhere on his forehead. He seemed unaware of its existence. Deep inside the Never-Ending Clan Death Dao Battleship, a woman sitting atop a cliff began to lift her head slowly. She gazed into the world beyond the battleship, a torrent of emotions coloring her eyes.

At that exact moment, the red glow in the Night Immortal King’s eyes dissipated rapidly. Replacing it was a deep ghostly light that grew increasingly distinct and finally transformed into a look of confusion and loss.

The battlefield fell into a dead silence. No one spoke. Feng Qiuran, despite her excitement, found it hard to speak in the overpowering presence of the Night Immortal King. His power weighed down heavily on everyone. No one noticed Li Wuchen then. He was trembling, a seal that was hidden inside his eyes seemed to have shattered, causing memories to surge into his head. There was a look of pity in his eyes when he stared at the Night Immortal King.

“Chen Mofeng…”

Amidst everyone’s shock, Chen Mofeng lowered his head and stared at the cursed seals on his skin in confusion. He looked at the chains weighing him down. Then, silently, he turned his head and looked at Wang Baole on his shoulder. It was a look that seemed to see right through Wang Baole. Unfortunately, while he had awoken, his full senses hadn’t yet returned to him. He was still lost in confusion.

Wang Baole’s face was pale. He stood on Chen Mofeng’s shoulder, in the full blast of Chen Mofeng’s powerful aura. It was only through the combined forces of his Stellar Nascent Soul, his Thearch Armor, his Dark Fire, and the connection between his green lotus and the Night Immortal King, that he managed to stay on his feet. His eyes met the Night Immortal King’s. Wang Baole raised his hands with great difficulty, then cupped his fists and bowed deeply.

“I’m Wang Baole, your humble junior and a disciple of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Daoist You Ran betrayed the sect and plunged the Dao Palace into danger. I had no choice but to awaken the esteemed elder. I beg you to aid us and kill the traitor Daoist You Ran!”

Chen Mofeng seemed not to have heard Wang Baole at all. He retracted his confused gaze from Wang Baole and swept his eyes across the battlefield. They paused momentarily on Li Wuchen before shifting away and landing on Daoist You Ran. The latter was shuddering, his scalp prickling with fear. Chen Mofeng saw the mark on Daoist You Ran’s forehead, which seemed to agitate him. He appeared to be struggling against his own confusion.

Wang Baole grew frantic when Chen Mofeng ignored him after having been awakened. He could feel the power of his shattered lotus seeds fading away rapidly with Chen Mofeng’s awakening. They would be gone completely within ten counts. Chen Mofeng would fall back into slumber then. Anxious, he seized upon the struggle in Chen Mofeng’s eyes and called out to Chen Mofeng again.

“Please, esteemed elder, help me kill this man!” Wang Baole sent the green lotus inside him swaying violently as he spoke and released his Dark Fire. Chen Mofeng finally shook slightly, and murder flashed across his eyes as he raised his enormous right hand slowly.

The Moon Spirits, Night Immortals, and Moon Gu on the moon quivered at the sight of the raised hand. A mysterious power was pulling at them. They faded away, transforming into spheres of light that sped towards the cosmos.

The lights numbered more than hundreds of thousands. They amassed in the cosmos, as if they had been a part of the Night Immortal King all along, transforming into a river of light that circled to the Night Immortal King’s side. As the Night Immortal King’s right hand raised itself fully, the river of light reached his upraised hand and transformed into an illusory, translucent finger!

The finger was small compared to the moon, about one-tenth of the satellite’s size, but its appearance shocked everyone present. It rushed towards Daoist You Ran in a thundering charge!