A World Worth Protecting

This was a world that seemed no different than the world outside. The sky was blue, and the land was a series of vast plains. The grass and the trees were lush and green, and in the distance lay mountains that stretched majestically across the horizon. The air was even filled with rich Spirit Qi.

It didn’t resemble an imperial cemetery at all. The light breeze in the air brought along with it the twittering of birds and a floral fragrance. Cranes could be seen flying across the skies occasionally, and beautiful fairies could be seen seated on some of the cranes. They looked down from their perches and stared at Wang Baole curiously.

If it had been some other cultivator who had come across such a scene, they wouldn’t have been able to sense anything wrong even if their cultivation surpassed Wang Baole’s and had reached the Planet realm. But Wang Baole was a unique case. A ghostly light flickered in his eyes as he narrowed them.

There was a trace of Dark Fire in that ghostly light in his eyes. Dark Fire filled his eyes, and the world before him was transformed instantly. It was as if a veil had been flipped over, revealing the true reality of this place!

The sky wasn’t blue but red!

The earth wasn’t covered with lush greenery, as everything had shriveled. What had looked like mountains… were piles of countless bones. The cranes flying in the sky were fearsome ghosts, and the fairies… gruesome maggots!

The rich Spirit Qi… wasn’t Spirit Qi at all but the intense, overpowering aura of death. The vast plains weren’t empty but filled with an army of dead that numbered almost a million. The eyes of the soldiers were cold and emotionless as they stood in neat rows. One could call it a majestic sight.

In the sky above the mountains of bones was a vast imperial palace. It was painted in violet and emerald. One could see thirteen lavishly-decorated imperial thrones in the palace!

Twelve of those thrones were lined in two rows. The final throne sat in the deepest part of the palace, above the other thrones. It was far larger and grander than the others.

There was someone sitting in every one of those thrones. The twelve thrones that were lined in two rows were occupied by old men. They looked different but shared similarities in their facial features. Their eyes shone with authority, while their faces were stern and expressionless. They wore yellow robes and had crowns on their heads. They were looking dispassionately in the direction Wang Baole was standing.

In the deepest recesses of the palace, on the last throne… sat a tall figure that emanated waves of power and authority that seemed capable of turning the world upside down. There was something about this figure that was different from the rest. He had no facial features. His face was completely blank!

A strange look appeared on his face when he realized what he was looking at. Before he could do anything, the faceless great emperor seated in his throne suddenly looked up.

Even though he had no face, Wang Baole still had a feeling that the emperor was looking straight at him.

The emperor’s gaze felt like a physical blow. Wang Baole had shuddered when those eyes had turned onto him. The Demonic Eye Art inside his body activated uncontrollably, and an enormous black eye appeared at his back.

The eye spanned a thousand feet, and its appearance unleashed an overwhelming power that collided with the gaze of the faceless emperor. Excited laughter erupted from within the demonic eye inside Wang Baole’s body.

“Wang Baole, I have to thank you for bringing me back from the state of near-death and giving me a second life!” As laughter reverberated in the air, the silhouette of an old man appeared inside the pupil of the enormous black eye. He exuded wild power as he laughed, stepped out of the black eye, and stood in the sky.

His form might have appeared illusory, but it emanated a power that appeared to meld seamlessly with this world. It seemed to have the capability to shift the sky and land, summon winds, and send the clouds rolling back. Waves of terrifying suppressive power flooded the lands.

“Are you done, first emperor of the Divine Eye civilization? I realize old men like you are really long-winded.” Wang Baole couldn’t be bothered to pretend that he was shocked by the emperor’s appearance. The expression on his face was composed as he tilted his head and eyed the old man.

“Are you going to try and possess my body now? It seems quite a challenge with your current state. In that case… what’s your trump card? What makes you so confident that you’ll succeed?” As he spoke, Wang Baole finally realized the opportunity that Xie Haiyang had told him about.

There’s a great chance… that it has to do with the first emperor. Since he’s capable of striking deals with three parties at once, he must know that the first emperor intends to possess my body in order to resurrect himself. My opportunity has to do with the first emperor himself. I should be right!

Xie Haiyang might have tricked me, but it’s unlikely that he’s trying to get me killed. If that’s the case, how is he so sure that the attempted possession will fail and that the first emperor will become fuel for my cultivation and my breakthrough? Maybe Xie Haiyang planned for me to get into this place, then pay him for his help. If that’s the case, it means that Xie Haiyang believes that I won’t be able to succeed on my own… There are two ways he could’ve reached that conclusion. Either he doesn’t know that I’m of the Dark Sect, or… there’s something wrong with this old ghost!

As the gears in Wang Baole’s head spun furiously, the first emperor narrowed his eyes and smirked.

“As a show of thanks, I’ll be possessing your body and living your life for you!” As he spoke, he raised his right hand and swept it across the air.

His aura erupted with that single wave, and immediately after, the million-strong army of dead souls standing dispassionately on the plains before Wang Baole shuddered. The coldness in their eyes transformed into madness, and they fell to their knees immediately!

Watching a million-strong army falling to their knees was like watching a sudden wave falling rapidly. It was an awesome sight. What was more shocking was what followed next. As the army of dead fell to their knees, they opened their mouths and started speaking!

“Welcome back to the palace, great emperor!”

As soon as the voices rang out, wisps of soul rose from the heads of these million dead souls and headed straight for… the old man who had walked out of the demonic eye, the first emperor of the Divine Eye civilization!

A bright light flashed across Wang Baole’s eyes as he observed the scene, and doubt surfaced in his mind.

Does this old ghost not know that I’m from the Dark Sect?

He was a Dark Child from the Dark Sect. If Wang Baole wanted, he could seize the power of those dead souls and consume them for his own. The scene before him made him hesitate though. An imperceptible flicker appeared in his eyes, and he put an extremely smug look on his face and laughed out loud.

“I have no idea why the Dark Sect tweaked the Divine Eye Art and left you untouched, but it seems like you don’t really know who I am…”

“Dark Art, summon the soul!” As soon as Wang Baole said that, he raised his right hand, and Dark Fire erupted in his eyes. An ancient aura that was of the Dark Sect started emanating from him, causing the world to shudder violently. Emotion flashed across the first emperor’s face. Spiritual Qi of the million dead souls that had been rushing towards the emperor made a sharp swerve right in front of him… and headed for Wang Baole instead!

“That’s impossible! The imperial descendant has returned!” Shock filled the face of the first emperor, and there was panic in his eyes. He seemed to be experiencing extreme anxiety. He quickly raised his right hand and pointed at the palace in the sky.

Except for the faceless great emperor sitting in the palace, the other twelve emperors shuddered on their imperial thrones and rose to their feet. They turned towards Wang Baole and the first emperor and fell to their knees.

“Welcome back to the palace, esteemed patriarch!”

Powerful spiritual Qi erupted from the twelve emperors as their voices rang in the air. The Qi transformed into twelve spiritual dragons that charged out of the palace and headed straight for the first emperor. They intended to stop Wang Baole from drawing the Qi of the million dead souls away!

The Qi of the dead souls and the Qi of the twelve emperors filled the air. As a member of the Dark Sect, Wang Baole could sense how strong the waves of power in the air were. If he were to gather the Qi and fuse it with his body, then digest the Qi over a period of time, his cultivation would spike, breaking through the Soul Conduit realm and reaching the Spirit Immortal realm. In fact, this breakthrough might not stop at the early-stage Spirit Immortal realm. There was a chance that he might reach the mid-stage Spirit Immortal realm!

Such temptation… Hesitation and desire warred fiercely inside Wang Baole.