A World Worth Protecting

The expedition that had spanned more than a year had been extremely rewarding for the Holy Crest Sect. They had amassed hordes of resources that would clear their debts completely and replenish the resources they had exhausted during the restoration of their battleship. Even after they had done all that, they would still be left with many times the wealth they had spent.

This was all due to the decision they had made in allowing the Eye of Ten Thousand Demons to choose their final destination. The location they had been teleported to had been a foreign territory that hadn’t yet fallen prey to other sects from the Divine Eye civilization. Of course, some measure of danger had been expected in such a bold venture. Regardless, with the joint effort of Wang Baole and De Kunzi, they had managed to survive the dangerous endeavor mostly unscathed.

The sheer size of their bounty was going to be a problem when they returned to the home planet and began sorting through their loot. There was also the issue of storage that plagued them presently. Wang Baole eventually had to make space in his own battleship for the loot. As a result, he could no longer store his battleship in his storage bag like he used to. Instead, his battleship became exposed in space.

Wang Baole harbored concerns about such an open display of his wealth, but there was nothing much he could do about the situation. He could only disguise his battleship’s appearance and make it look as worn down as possible. He also tried to keep the most prized of their valuables in his storage bags and the storage bags of others.

Having dealt with all these matters, De Kunzi activated the aura of the Eye of Ten Thousand Demons, which all of them, as well as the battleships, had been basking in. A brilliant light that signified the beginnings of teleportation erupted. It basked the surrounding space in a blinding glow instantly as a deafening thunder rumbled in their ears. The cultivators of the Holy Crest Sect and their battleships vanished within the blink of an eye.

When they reappeared, they found themselves before the Eternal Star of the Divine Eye civilization once again.

The sight of familiar stars and the presence of their home planet sent everyone onboard into a bout of excitement. At the thought of the bountiful loot they had returned with, their hearts filled with anticipation.

Wang Baole felt the same way. His excitement, however, wasn’t for their return. It came from his desire for the cultivation technique that belonged to the royal family of the Divine Eye civilization. He was unfazed by the consciousness that hid within his Demonic Eye Art. No matter how much stronger it grew, it would still be kept under control by his Dark Art. What he desired most was to get his hands on the advanced cultivation techniques that came after the Demonic Eye Art. They would speed up the progress of his cultivation, pave his way towards a breakthrough from the Soul Conduit realm into the Spirit Immortal realm, and allow him to advance to the Planet realm!

With the advanced cultivation technique, and with the speed of cultivation achievable with the Demonic Eye Art, I could attain the Planet realm within days! Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He remained cautious, though. Based on what he knew, both the Demonic Eye Art and the Divine Eye Art should be able to speed up the progress of his cultivation.

The Divine Eye civilization’s royal family must possess exceptional battle capabilities. Its power might be contained by the three greater sects, and that might have obstructed its path to power through murder and massacre, but whatever power it had accumulated should still be substantial.

While Wang Baole was deep in his thoughts, Grand Supreme Elder De Kunzi was plagued with his own troubles as well. He had been branded with a servant’s seal. Relentless consolation and self-delusion had led him to a revelation… of how great an honor it was to be branded as a servant of the royal family!

As he numbed himself to the fact of his indentured enslavement with delusions of honor, De Kunzi’s voice grew increasingly agitated.

“We’ve made a safe return. Next, we’ll have to be careful as we make our way back to the main planet. There shouldn’t be any trouble!”

As he spoke, the two Holy Crest Sect battleships suddenly unleashed bursts of speed and thundered in the direction of the main Divine Eye planet.

Cosmic territory in the Divine Eye civilization was currently split into three factions under the ruling presence of the three greater sects. The main Divine Eye planet was at the center of the civilization. From the main planet, space was split into three regions. A vast expanse of space surrounding the main planet housed the imprisoned royalty of the civilization. As a result, these areas were considered public spaces.

The region that contained the Eternal Star was one of those spaces that didn’t belong to any of the greater sects. It was part of the civilization’s public space. That was why the Holy Crest Sect planned most of their routes in those public spaces on their way back to the home planet.

Because it was public space, there were many battleships that made use of it on a daily basis. That meant a degree of danger involved in traveling through those spaces. The tensions amongst the three greater sects were restrained and seldom spiraled out of control. Regardless, they did happen on occasion. Of course, such conflicts usually only happened when the armies under the greater sects were involved.

For minor sects like the Holy Crest Sect, they only needed to pay a token fee in exchange for safe passage. The greater sects seldom made life difficult for them. This was one of the hidden rules that governed the Divine Eye civilization. Such payments became a regular source of funding for the armies under the three greater sects.

Wang Baole had heard of such dealings from De Kunzi. They had encountered three passing armies from different greater sects during their journey back. Each time, De Kunzi had paid up, doing so with the ease of the experienced, and their journey had remained relatively unhindered. They approached the main Divine Eye planet steadily.

Their apparent luck seemed to have run dry when they were two days away from their home planet. They ran into a small army, which consisted of seven to eight unique-looking battleships. They looked like eight-limbed octopuses and appeared to be made of special materials. These battleships were clearly the fusion between biological lifeforms and non-biological building blocks.

Such battleships were considered rare even in the armies of the three greater sects, with only the top ten most powerful armies in each greater sect owning such battleships. They were more powerful than ordinary battleships. While they might not be equal to a Dharmic Battleship, which could only be steered by a Spirit Immortal realm cultivator, they came close enough.

The last three encounters that the Holy Crest Sect had were also with army fleets that belonged to the greater sects. Their military strength couldn’t compare with the current fleet, though.

Even De Kunzi gasped when he saw the current fleet. The biological battleships might look slightly worn down, as if they had just survived an intense battle, but the murderous aura that they exuded still managed to strike fear into the hearts of everyone on board the Holy Crest Sect battleships.

The source of their fear was… the eight Soul Conduit realm auras onboard the battleships clearly returning from an expedition, which flooded the region like a raging thunderstorm. When these auras gathered, their combined power surged through the area like a tsunami.

Fury permeated the auras. It was like facing a starving wolf that had returned from battle. It had lost in battle and, furious at its loss, had carried its anger back with it. Every creature that it came across could potentially become the unfortunate soul that bore the brunt of its anger.

“The Ink Dragon Legion under the Violet Gold New Dao Sect!” De Kunzi was clearly more knowledgeable when it came to famed armies under the three greater sects. An uneasy feeling rose within him when he saw the fleet of octopus-shaped battleships appear before them.

He said quietly, “The Ink Dragon Legion is ranked the seventh most powerful army in the Violet Gold New Dao Sect. It’s notorious for its cruelty and massacring ways, and it’s generally just unreasonable. In addition, the commander of the legion is… at the Spirit Immortal realm! It seems like they met with some trouble. We should be careful.”

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He could sense the Soul Conduit realm spirit energy within the biological battleships. There were eight of them, of which five were at the early-stage Soul Conduit realm and the remaining three at the mid-stage Soul Conduit realm. He wasn’t particularly bothered by them. The fleet’s commander, though, and the fleet’s ultimate master, the Violet Gold New Dao Sect, weren’t entities that he was capable of fighting against openly at this moment.

“We’ll let them pass first!” Wang Baole narrowed his eyes and said immediately. De Kunzi was of the same view. He hastily steered their battleship aside, dipping the front of the battleship slightly, as if bowing deferentially to the passing fleet. The Ink Dragon Legion sped past them like the mighty and powerful.

De Kunzi watched as the fleet ignored their presence and went on its way. He was about to release a sigh of relief when Wang Baole, who had had his eyes locked on the fleet all this while, frowned.

One of the Ink Dragon Legion battleships stopped in its tracks. Suddenly, a Divine Sense broadcast itself from the battleship, ripping apart the defenses of the two Holy Crest Sect battleships brutally and without mercy and flooding the minds of everyone within.

“We’ll be confiscating all of your resources. You’re to… scram after that!”

The voice was like a sudden explosion inside everyone’s minds, and alarm flashed across everyone’s faces. De Kunzi’s face became flushed red, as if he was barely reining in his anger. As for Wang Baole, the icy glint in his eyes sharpened.

“Master, the Holy Crest Sect is only a minor sect that’s affiliated with the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect. The other party is the seventh most powerful army that’s reporting directly to the Violet Gold New Dao Sect. We’re no match for them… besides, we’re in public space now. There might be a slim chance of us winning if we open fire, but the enemy’s commander is at the Spirit Immortal realm…” De Kunzi took a deep breath and shoved aside his pent up anger when he saw the cold glint in Wang Baole’s eyes. He immediately sent a voice transmission to Wang Baole in an attempt to appease the latter.

Wang Baole was feeling extremely unhappy. He had always been the one robbing others, and this was the first time someone had tried to rob him. What De Kunzi said made sense, though. They weren’t reporting directly to the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect. Should they engage in a battle with their enemy over resources now, the support that they would receive from the greater sect was going to be limited.

Wang Baole ached for the loss of their resources. Regardless, after weighing the pros and cons of the situation, he finally took a deep breath. Just as he was about to speak… another Divine Sense broadcast itself from a second Ink Dragon Legion battleship. It thundered more loudly than the first and sounded like a greater bully. Its voice rumbled like the beginnings of a thunderstorm.

“This battleship’s kinda interesting. It’s mine now!”

Wang Baole lifted his head slowly. He had never been the kind of person to stand down and suffer the provocation of others. An icy glint flashed across his eyes when he heard the taunting words, and he laughed suddenly.

You want to steal my battleship? So what if you have a Spirit Immortal realm cultivator on your side? You think I’m afraid of you?