A World Worth Protecting

“Dark Swallow…” The expression on Wang Baole’s face was serious. His mood turned dark after he read the full details of the mission.

Dark Swallow was essentially an espionage mission!

However, they weren’t conducting the mission in the Federation or in the Dao Palace. They were going to venture… out, into the unknown universe!

Many years ago, at the beginning of the Spirit Inception Era, through certain unique means, the Federation came to know of the existence of multiple civilizations around the Solar System.

They had done so with the talisman that Li Xingwen had revealed to Wang Baole, the core of the Solar System Array Formation. They had also relied on ancient ruins found on Earth for clues. In fact, Wang Baole had read the information about Project Dark Swallow and found… records about Lin Tianhao’s father, Lin You!

The records clearly documented Lin You’s disappearance at one of those ruins when he had been a young man. He had reappeared at the exact spot of disappearance a year later. His report stated that he had been transported to another civilization and had brought back some basic information about other civilizations in the universe.

Another name had sent Wang Baole reeling back in shock. It was… Xie Haiyang’s name!

The records spoke of Xie Haiyang’s mysterious behavior, highlighting especially his disappearance during his time in the Ethereal Dao College and his reappearance in the Dao Palace. The Federation had thought this had something to do with the Dao Palace. However, they hadn’t been able to investigate the matter further due to their relationship with the latter then.

After the war ended, the Federation had reinitiated investigations on this matter. Xie Haiyang’s true origins came under the Federation’s scrutiny. The game that he had collaborated with Wang Baole on also became part of the investigation’s focus. If not for Wang Baole’s unique position in the Federation, which spared him from any suspicion and doubt, he himself would have become a target of this secret investigation as well.

No conclusive findings had resulted from the investigation. Regardless, the team had presented their assessment of the matter. They believed that… Xie Haiyang had come from a greater and more advanced civilization for training in the Federation!

There had been others who had also been the target of this secret investigation. Wang Baole found more than a hundred names. They came from various fields and backgrounds. But two commonalities united them. They had either vanished and reappeared like Lin You had… or various signs and clues had pointed to their not being from the Federation!

Zhuo Yifan’s and Zhuo Yixian’s names were also in the report. Based on the investigation’s findings, they seemed to have been transported out of the Solar System via some mysterious power!

The accumulation of these bizarre occurrences had forced the Federation to give them due attention. That had been the reason for the continuation of the Federation’s Hundred Seedling Plan and the alliance with the Dao Palace, which had come in the form of… Project Dark Swallow. The objective of this project was to identify individuals with certain unique skill sets and whom the Federation could trust, then send them out of the Solar System. Their objective would be to search for other civilizations beyond the Solar System!

The means for their travel was similar to Lin You’s. The records stated that over the years, the investigation team had located forty-three locations that they suspected were teleportation portals!

Due to the risks involved, they hadn’t dared to try and initiate any teleportations. As a result, the Federation had no knowledge of the teleportation capabilities of these portals. The participants of Project Dark Swallow were to act as scouts for information. Should their teleportation succeed, they should strive for the ideal scenario—to infiltrate the extraterrestrial civilizations successfully. Else, they were to ensure their own safety, then do their best to collect as much information as possible, so that the Federation was provided with as comprehensive a picture of the surrounding civilizations as possible.

This plan had been drawn up based on the facts the Federation had on hand. Most of the people who had disappeared via these teleportation portals had never returned. A few, though, had made their way back. Sometimes, after a few months, and sometimes, after years.

This plan should have been extremely challenging for the Federation to execute on its own. The participants’ safety rested on their possession of various mystic techniques or artifacts that allowed them to hide themselves or change their forms to blend in. They also needed to be able to communicate with any foreign lifeforms and possess a certain level of cultivation.

With the Dao Palace as a new member of this project, all problems had been resolved easily. Prior to their addition, the Federation had been in the middle of building artifacts that could conceal or change one’s appearance. With the Dao Palace in the picture, Zhao Pinfang had been able to complete the construction of these artifacts easily. In addition, the Dao Palace had also provided a solution regarding the challenge of communicating with alien lifeforms.

The project had been reinitiated. It might seem a hasty move, but on the contrary, the Federation had begun preparations for this project many years ago.

Wang Baole stared at the records he had just read and fell silent. He had half a mind to stop Zhao Yameng and his friends and get them to abort their missions. But he didn’t know how to convince them and where to start. The Federation made the right move. They needed to find out about the universe that rested beyond their borders. They desperately needed to understand what was going on in the star systems surrounding them. This would allow them to be more prepared for their next contact with an alien civilization, regardless if they were friendly or hostile. This would prevent the war with the Dao Palace from repeating itself. They wouldn’t have to face similar despair.

This was a civilization trying to progress. It wasn’t something he alone could accomplish. This required the efforts of countless people. As a civilization started its path towards greater progress, many people would have to contribute their own talents, as well as unleash and showcase their potential to the world.

Even though this project seemed highly dangerous, Wang Baole did note from the files how the Federation had given lavish resources to everyone who was participating in the project. Each person had been given more than a dozen second-generation Anti-Spirit Bombs. Each bomb had been proven a sizable threat to a Soul Conduit realm cultivator.

The Federation had also preserved a copy of everyone’s genetic information. It had used the Dao Palace’s technology to preserve a part of their souls. In the event that one of them perished in their mission, they would have a chance at being resurrected once the Federation’s Spirit Science technology reached a breakthrough in the future!

What Wang Baole could do now was give Zhao Yameng and the others the Dharmic Armaments that he had crafted himself. He also used his cultivation to create multiple replicas of himself and gave them to his friends. They might come in useful in a fight!

He had to ensure that these replicas of himself didn’t emit spirit energy, which might cause his friends unnecessary trouble. Wang Baole tried his best to seal their spirit energy. This meant that his connection with these replicas was weakened. The result was avatars that emitted virtually no spirit energy and had no spiritual presence, yet didn’t affect how powerful each avatar was!

In the days that followed, Wang Baole sensed many of the avatars that he had sent to his friends dropping out of his radar. He knew what their disappearance meant… it meant that his friends had left the Solar System.

His spirits low, he left his house and began wandering Ethereal City alone. He watched as pedestrians and vehicles made their way across the city and listened to the bustle of the city around him. Then, he wandered some more, aimlessly, and found himself next to a lake. He sat down and stared at the lake, as well as the lotus leaves adrift on the surface of the lake, as he began to think.

He thought about his childhood, his college days, and his time in the Dao Palace. Finally, he thought of his battle with Daoist You Ran and Zi Yue’s Soul Seed, and the strand that extended deep into the cosmos.

Time passed slowly. The sun set, and the moon rose. Wang Baole’s eyes grew brighter. He didn’t notice that someone had appeared behind him a while ago. It was a young man, and he had a wooden sword on his back and a gourd in his hand as he leaned against a huge tree. He watched Wang Baole as he drank from his gourd. There was an unfathomable look in his eyes. He seemed to be deliberating on his words and how to begin to comfort Wang Baole.

Wang Baole didn’t seem to notice him. Instead, the light in Wang Baole’s eyes grew increasingly brighter, and he began to mutter to himself.

“They have their mission. I, too, have mine… with great power comes great responsibility. I might care nothing for fame and reputation, and might be as carefree as a wild bird, intent on living a free life, but for the Federation, I have no choice but to take up the heavy burden of the Federation President!

“There is no way around it. I didn’t ask for an incredible, heaven-defying level of cultivation, a pure and righteous heart, and amazing looks. The people need me. The Federation needs me. Yes… the alliance needs me to become their president!”

The expression of the young man leaning against the tree turned odd when he heard those words. He slapped his forehead lightly and swallowed the words of comfort he had wanted to say to Wang Baole.

“I can’t dwell on my friends’ departure. I have to get my spirits up. I have to unleash my power, the power of the most handsome man in the Federation!” Wang Baole got to his feet suddenly as he muttered to himself. He lifted his head skyward and was about to shout out a few words of encouragement directed to himself. His mouth opened, but before he could say anything, he heard someone coughing behind him. It was a sound filled with exasperation.

“My dear Junior Brother, you have… a really unique way of cheering yourself up.”

When Wang Baole heard that, he immediately stiffened. Then, he turned his head abruptly. His eyes landed on the young man leaning against a huge tree… it was his senior brother, Chen Qing!

He stared at Chen Qing. Instead of starting a conversation immediately, Wang Baole… fell silent.

Chen Qing mirrored his silence. They stood by the lake. A breeze swept past, stirring ripples on the surface of the lake and their hair.

A long moment passed, and Chen Qing rubbed his forehead. Then he sighed and flung his gourd towards Wang Baole. His eyes were earnest as he said softly, “Baole, intelligent souls are often sensitive ones as well. I only found this out when I came here just now. Don’t misunderstand me. The matter that lies unresolved in your heart. I didn’t put it there.”