A World Worth Protecting

The main Divine Eye planet’s atmosphere resembled that of Earth in some ways and differed in others. The environment or the nature of the abyss surrounding the star system might have contributed to that. The main star’s atmosphere was thicker than Earth’s. Unless one was at the Soul Conduit realm, the extent that one’s senses could reach out was limited.

That was why the battleships entering and departing the planet shared a vulnerability—they couldn’t sense what was going on outside the battleship. The Divine Eye civilization might be one that centered on banditry—with a fine tradition of killing and stealing from their own—but such acts were always done secretly, and most happened between individual cultivators. Malicious acts that involved the robbery of entire battleships did occur, but they were often followed by swift retaliation in the form of vicious acts of vengeance and warrants. As a result, they occurred more infrequently.

Wang Baole was currently hidden within the planet’s atmosphere. It was difficult for him to assess which of those numerous battleships before him was the target with the highest value. Each sect’s battleship was different from the rest. A veil of concealment hid the actual contents. Unless one took a battleship apart or scanned the battleship with their senses, it was difficult to discern what the battleship housed or what it was built from.

That made Wang Baole’s task more challenging. He might be a powerful fighter, but his senses weren’t precise enough for him to scan the entire region with a single sweep. Besides, he had to ensure that his presence remained hidden while he conducted such a sweep. It appeared that his attempt at robbery was going to rely heavily on luck.

He had a feeling that the donkey was going to be of help here. The creature had eaten all manners of things and had survived until today. It had gotten its fill of different kinds of resources as well. That should have honed its instinct and increased its chances of identifying a battleship filled with a bountiful harvest.

In principle, the chances of battleships returning to the planet being filled to the brim with loot were high. Luck might play a huge part in Wang Baole’s current endeavor, but one couldn’t discount the technique that was involved in selecting a target.

“Both luck and technique are on our side. Son, it’s all up to you now. Quick, find a battleship!” Wang Baole coughed and patted the donkey. It had just tumbled out of the storage space and was still in a daze.

There was a lost look on the donkey’s face. It looked at Wang Baole, then gazed into the distance at the battleships entering and departing the planet’s atmosphere. Finally, it turned and looked at Wang Baole again. There was a pitiful look on its face, and it opened its mouth, ready to bray.

“I’ll split a portion with you if you manage to find one. If you don’t… then you can go back into the storage bag and starve!” Wang Baole glared. The donkey sucked in a frightened gasp upon hearing those words, its huge eyes glistening with tears. After a long moment, it turned its head away, a fierce look flashing in its eyes. As it stared unblinkingly at the battleships before it, its nose twitched.

It was as if the battleships before it were plates of food. What it had to do now was find the most delicious one.

“It can smell them even when they’re so far away?” Wang Baole said curiously. Just as his curiosity was piqued, the donkey began to bray in agitation.

“Son, son!” It cried out as it lifted its hooves and pointed towards a battleship that had just returned from space. It appeared worried that its actions weren’t clear enough. The donkey sneezed and exhaled a cloud of smoke, which shifted and transformed into the shape of the battleship it had pointed at.

Wang Baole lifted his head hastily. Doubt flashed across his eyes instantly. The battleship that the donkey had identified looked extremely ordinary. There didn’t appear to be anything exceptional about it. Its size couldn’t even compare to that of the Holy Crest Sect’s battleship, with it being half the size of the latter.

It didn’t appear to be an extremely fast battleship either. It trudged alongside seven to eight other battleships, looking completely ordinary. Parts of it even appeared damaged, and it didn’t seem to be the result of battle but of overuse. It was merely the natural outcome of wear and tear. Perhaps a lack of funding had led to the lack of repairs.

As Wang Baole studied the battleship from afar, somewhere inside the battleship were dozens of cultivators. Only five or six of them were at the Nascent Soul realm, while the weakest of them was at the late-stage Core Formation realm. They appeared relaxed, their eyes shining with unbridled excitement. A few kept pulling out black, fist-sized rocks from their storage bags. They touched the rocks tenderly, as if they were holding precious gems in their hands.

“We’re going to be rich this time. Who knew that the vast Weeping Vein Star System was hiding a small civilization with such great stores of Star Illusory Stones!”

“Star Illusory Stones! These stones are essential for crafting a Fifth-Belt battleship. A single stone the size of a man’s fist can be traded for a Level Eight Soldier!”

“Such a precious resource, and to think that the civilization’s strongest cultivator is only at the Core Formation realm. They don’t deserve these resources, yet they still dared to fight back. They deserve to be wiped out. It’s a pity that their biophysical structure is so different from ours. Otherwise, we could’ve captured them and used them as vessels for refinement.”

The mention of the civilization’s strongest cultivator sent the group laughing out loud. They relaxed further as they approached their home planet and their sect.

“Everyone, be on your guard. We have quite a bountiful haul this time around. We won’t be able to shoulder the consequences if anything happens to it. Yun Linzi, control the extent of the Spirit Qi source being released. Let’s keep our heads down. It’s not the right time to unleash the full speed of the battleship. We’ll do that when we enter the atmosphere!” The cultivators’ leader, an elder at the perfected Nascent Soul realm, frowned and barked amidst all the laughter.

“Elder, we’ve returned to the home planet. What accident can befall us now? You should rest. The resources we got this time around should be sufficient for you to advance to the next cultivation realm. Let’s extend an early congratulation to our elder!”

“That’s right, Elder. Stop worrying. Our concealment is flawless. Our battleship looks ordinary and shows signs of wear and tear. It’s completely unexceptional. No one will think of targeting us. Besides, it’s been years since someone has done something as terrible as robbing a battleship. The sect should be sending someone to receive us soon. Don’t worry, relax.”

The elder gave those words some thought and relaxed slightly. The thought of having sufficient resources for his next breakthrough in cultivation made his insides burn with anticipation.

Of course… these cultivators, who had just returned fresh from a massacre with their battleship filled to the brim with treasures, had no idea that two intense stares had locked onto their battleship. Two entities, one larger, one smaller, hid in the clouds, their sights locked firmly onto the battleship.

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes as he stood amidst the clouds. He studied the seemingly ordinary battleship, then quietly asked the donkey.

“Son, you sure it’s tasty?”

“Son!” The donkey looked certain. Its hooves trembled with seemingly uncontrollable hunger. It looked as if it was about to dash out at any moment.

“Fine, I’ll trust you this once. Let’s go get it!” Wang Baole’s eyes flashed. He discarded any consideration for other battleships and hid himself. They shadowed the battleship quietly.

It didn’t take long for the seemingly worn down battleship that reeked of poverty to slowly stray from the other battleships around it. It drifted away and entered the planet’s atmosphere. Upon entry, the battleship became hidden amidst thick clouds.

It sank further into the atmosphere. A flash of light flickered in Wang Baole’s eyes—they never left the battleship. He unleashed his full speed and allowed his perfected Nascent Soul realm cultivation to fill his body. He allowed his Stellar Nascent Soul to boost his speed beyond what his current level of cultivation was capable of, giving him the speed of a Soul Conduit realm cultivator. He was like a shooting star as he raced after the battleship!

The battleship unleashed its full speed at the same moment as well. With a speed that was at least triple its original speed, it sped away.

Hmm? Did it sense my presence? Wang Baole froze. There wasn’t time to think though. He stopped trying to hide his presence, unleashing another sudden burst of speed and extending his senses outward. He was like an invisible hurricane that instantly surrounded the battleship. His senses bypassed the battleship’s defenses. Instantly, he saw the dozens of cultivators on board!

A piercing alarm erupted in the battleship with Wang Baole’s scan. A moment ago, the cultivators on board had been laughing and resting. In the next moment, alarm flashed across their faces. The few Nascent Soul realm cultivators appeared shocked, and they gasped.

“A Soul Conduit realm cultivator?”

“Hurry up, something’s not right!”

They had just heard the battleship’s alarm bells and had also sensed the foreign scan. The only cultivators who could extend their senses and see into the inside of a battleship while in the planet’s outer atmosphere… were those at the Soul Conduit realm. To do it so brazenly was a clear indication of this cultivator’s intent. At least, it was clear to the cultivators on the battleship!

There’s no Soul Conduit realm cultivator on board? Does that mean they didn’t speed up because they noticed my presence? Wang Baole’s heart rate picked up when he saw the expressions shift on the cultivators’ faces. He realized something then. He might have just struck the jackpot this time. A fat juicy lamb had landed on his lap, ready for slaughter!

An excited Wang Baole intentionally changed his voice as he began to laugh maniacally. With a sudden shift, he turned invisible, like a spirit, and threw himself at the battleship that was trying to make its escape. He passed through the battleship’s hull as his voice thundered in the cultivators’ heads like a sudden, aural explosion.

“Freeze, this is a robbery!”