A World Worth Protecting

The Martian planet quaked when the Martian Colony Governor barked out her orders, and a wave of spirit energy appeared out of nowhere. It had the planet as its center as it rippled outward, surging into the surrounding cosmos. It was like a swift hurricane that threatened to sweep away everything in its path.

The Martian Colony Governor’s strong and decisive character, as well as the unyielding fire hidden deep in her bones, ensured that the battle on Mars would be completely different from the battles on Venus and Mercury. The dramatic difference had caught Daoist You Ran completely by surprise!

He had been aware of the strange capabilities the Solar System Array Formation possessed since the onset of the invasion. He had tried to think of many ways to circumvent it, but it seemed almost impossible to infiltrate Earth unless he destroyed the key planets supporting the array formation.

That had been the reason for the battle on Venus and the battle now against Mars. He had never expected Mars to unleash the Solar System Array Formation’s power in such a manner!

It was equivalent to triggering the self-destruct mechanism for the Solar System Array Formation. The difference was instead of doing it once, the destruction was controlled and released in waves. The force of the explosions wouldn’t be as strong, but the array formation wouldn’t be rendered completely useless. Regardless… its strength would be weakened. If Daoist You Ran had the luxury of time, he could even attempt to weaken the array formation by sacrificing his troops. Eventually, he would be able to get past Mars, barge through the Solar System Array Formation, and enter Earth.

However, Daoist You Ran was caught in a dilemma. It would’ve been easier on him if he didn’t have Zi Yue’s orders. He recalled her explicit instruction to capture Wang Baole alive. Then, he eyed the Never-Ending Clan puppets. After a moment of thought, he gritted his teeth and abandoned the idea of weakening the Solar System Array Formation. If he did choose to do so, he would also be giving Mars more time to strategize and fight back.

“Attack with everything you’ve got!” An icy glint flashed across his eyes as he barked out his orders. The vast fleet of Dao Palace battleships rushed towards Mars and unleashed their full power. The fleet resembled numerous arrows that had been fired from bows, charging towards the Solar System Array Formation’s first offensive wave and colliding head-on with the former.

Numerous battleships disintegrated instantly in the self-destructive wave erupting from the Solar System Array Formation. The cultivators on board were killed instantly, their bodies turned to dust. Many battleships shook under the shock waves and suffered varying degrees of damage.

The Federation battleships and the Dharmic Artifacts on Mars unleashed their attacks then as well. Their attacks were interspersed with the destructive waves of energy from the array formation, forming an offensive barrier that prevented the Dao Palace from advancing.

However, the first wave of offense eventually weakened as the Dao Palace fleet persisted in its advance. Hordes of Dao Palace battleships approached Mars. An icy glint flashed across the Martian Colony Governor’s eyes then. The second and third offensive waves were activated consecutively!

Explosions thundered in the cosmos surrounding Mars, and spheres of light flashed as Dao Palace battleships blew up. Battleships that survived destruction continued to receive damage. When the fourth offensive wave swept across the cosmos, sixth-tenths of Daoist You Ran’s fleet had been decimated!

Countless cultivators perished. Amongst them were Dao Palace survivors, but a majority were Never-Ending Clan puppets. The battleships suffered great damages as well. Daoist You Ran’s fleet had shrunk considerably when compared to the original numbers he had at the beginning of the invasion.

That might seem like a great achievement, but the Federation had paid a great price for it. The Solar System Array Formation had weakened considerably, its power shaved off. The gates protecting the core of the Federation had thinned, its defenses weakened.

Mars had also lost the ability to make use of the Solar System Array Formation for mass teleportation. Unlike the battle on Venus, it was no longer possible to teleport everyone away simultaneously should there be a need for it. The best that it could do was teleportation by batches. Mars was effectively driving itself into a corner.

It was hard to determine whether they had gained more or lost more in this exchange. However, Li Xingwen and Duan Muque had chosen to support the governor’s decision. They didn’t say anything. Instead, they watched closely as the battle unfolded.

“Battleships, fall back, draw them in. Great Martian Array Formation, be on standby. Martian cultivators, await my orders as well!” The Martian Colony Governor narrowed her eyes as she barked out her orders. The Federation battleships defending Mars in space immediately retreated and ceased fire. Dao Palace battleships immediately rushed through the line of defense and entered the airspace above the Martian City. Dao Palace cultivators and Never-Ending Clan puppets rushed out of the battleships in hordes. Their target, the Martian City!

“Kill everything on the planet and find Wang Baole!” The battleship that Daoist You Ran was aboard emerged in a thunderous explosion in the Martian skies. It was a giant that seemed to block out the entire sky, casting a black shadow over the land.

Inside the Martian City, everyone was currently reeling back with shock. Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao were amongst these cultivators. They stared at the enormous battleship in the air, a dark looming entity that obscured the skies. A kind of madness colored their eyes as they swore they would fight to their last breath.

The remaining survivors of the Dao Palace showed hesitation in response to Daoist You Ran’s orders. In comparison, the mindless Never-Ending Clan puppets accepted the orders without protest. They obediently charged out, murder clear in their eyes, and rushed towards the Martian City beneath them.

The Dao Palace cultivators and Never-Ending Clan puppets descended like a storm, falling from the heavens and approaching their target. It was then that…

“Activate the Great Martian Array Formation’s first wave of suppression!” The Martian Colony Governor made a hand seal promptly. The Great Martian Array Formation shuddered violently and released a wave of suppressive force that swept the skies and hit the approaching army.

There wasn’t much lethal force behind the attack. Instead, it was a mental shock wave that sent many Dao Palace cultivators’ heads buzzing. The entity pulling the strings of the Never-Ending Clan puppets was also affected and momentarily rendered motionless.

“We fight now!” As the array formation’s shock wave rippled across the battlefield, the Martian Colony Governor’s declaration thundered in the air. Masses of Federation cultivators charged out, roaring, and Federation battleships appeared in the air, providing aerial support. They seized the momentary pause in the enemy troops’ charge and began… their counterattack!

Casualties on both sides spiked instantly. The figures were alarming. Blood rained down from the skies without ceasing. Broken limbs plunged to the ground. Screams of terror and pain pierced the air. Suicidal self-destruction boomed. Anti-Spirit Bombs exploded while Never-Ending Clan puppets fought fearlessly. Scenes of death and violence repeated themselves on the Martian battlefield.

A battle on land did result in Daoist You Ran and his army’s loss of the aerial advantage. In addition, the waves of suppression unleashed by the Great Martian Array Formation boosted the Federation cultivators’ offensive attacks. Regardless, the difference in power separating the two sides remained. Mie Liezi and two other Soul Conduit realm cultivators decided to join the battle. Daoist You Ran, who had been using the Death Dao Battleship to search for Wang Baole, chose to divide his attention between the search and the battle. Under his command, the Death Dao Battleship unleashed countless runes, which transformed into pillars of light that crashed into the Martian City. Even with the array formation’s defenses, Mars was still at the losing end of the battle!

Half of the city was destroyed in an instant, and black flames spread fiercely and rapidly across the planet, refining both cultivators caught in the fires and the planet itself. Of course, Mars was still fighting back fiercely and holding its ground. Its cultivators had sworn to fight to their last breath. Spirit Science genius Zhao Pinfang’s preparation for the battle had paid off. The Martian retaliation against its enemies was fearsome and terrifying to behold.

Seventeen Stellar Source Spirit Cannons, fueled by the Martian stellar source, were raised above the ground and fired simultaneously. Beams of light blasted into the sky, shocking even Daoist You Ran with their power.

Next came the Anti-Spirit Bombs, a weapon the Dao Palace was intimately familiar with. Amongst these bombs were those with an explosive force as powerful as an attack from a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Their purpose wasn’t to kill, it was… to create chaos and effectively lock down the entire battlefield, preventing Nascent Soul realm enemy cultivators from teleporting!

The Federation had few Nascent Soul realm cultivators. It suffered little in comparison to the enemy if both sides were to lose the ability to teleport. This would be to the Federation’s advantage!

Then came the more powerful Anti-Spirit Bombs. They were each as powerful as an attack from a Soul Conduit realm cultivator but were fewer in numbers. Their terrifying power meant their greater importance in the battle. Finally, Zhao Pinfang also had a trump card ready for the Martian battle!

That was… an artificial cosmological entity that resembled a Dyson Sphere!

Countless Dharmic Artifacts rose into the air and surrounded the planet, transforming into an enormous Dyson Sphere. Its function wasn’t to drain the planet of its power. Instead… it sucked the waves of spirit energy and Spirit Qi on the battlefield, serving as an offensive weapon while… creating a sealed environment on the battlefield!

It was a barricade around Mars that stopped the flow of Spirit Qi on the planet and prevented any inflow of Spirit Qi!

The Federation had shown all its trump cards in this battle. This was the fiercest counterattack that it was mounting. They still weren’t a match for the enemy, but they had effectively dragged out the battle. The seal that prevented any inflow of Spirit Qi to support cultivators’ use of mystic techniques meant that firearms came in useful in this battle. That was a further disadvantage to the Dao Palace. The situation worsened as time passed!

Nevertheless, this was a universe ruled by cultivation. The unparalleled significance of individual power was proven as a furious Daoist You Ran abandoned his search for Wang Baole and chose to join the battle. He crushed the Dyson Sphere around the planet effortlessly.

I refuse to believe that you can still manage to escape if I destroy this entire planet, Wang Baole! A murderous glint flashed in Daoist You Ran’s eyes. He was ready to unleash his full power and annihilate the planet. It was then that Wang Baole’s avatar, hiding deep underground in the belly of the Dark Artifact, lifted his head abruptly. There was a solemn look on the avatar’s face.

The repairs of the Dark Artifact weren’t complete, but the ninth-grade bow had been fully restored, and the two Star Fang Beast corpses had been successfully refined. The corpses couldn’t compare to their living Spirit Immortal realm selves, but they were still at the Soul Conduit realm.

The only way to gain more time to repair the Dark Artifact is to fight! Wang Baole’s avatar narrowed his eyes, and a ghostly light erupted from his form. His right hand made a grab through the air, causing the bow to come flying towards him. The two beast corpses opened their eyes and released twin howls. With Wang Baole in the lead, they made their way through the Dark Artifact and emerged above ground!