A World Worth Protecting

If they were people of the Ancient Martial realm, the trio could disregard them, as they were more than capable of suppressing them given their level of cultivation.

However, True Breath cultivation emerged in those hundreds of Ancient Martial realm practitioners after the gigantic tree assimilated them. The trio was stunned, and strong waves of emotions crashed in their hearts.

“This is equivalent to dividing the cultivation of the gigantic tree on these hundreds of people, allowing them to unleash the force of the True Breath realm. Based on this… The gigantic tree itself… What level of cultivation does it have?” Zhuo Yifan was shocked, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. Wang Baole was breathing rapidly, and a chill flashed across his eyes as he immediately opened his mouth to speak.

“They have this level of cultivation but are making use of puppets to gang up on us. The giant tree is obviously using most of its cultivation was to enhance the Cloud Fog seal. This could be our only chance…” Wang Baole’s words prompted thoughts in the minds of Zhao Yameng and Zhuo Yifan. However, before they could think about it more deeply, they had to retreat quickly as the puppets charged towards them.

They could only depend on the cruiser to move, but it was not the case for the puppets. Therefore, an aerial battle was obviously disadvantageous to the trio. As a result, when the trio retreated, they all charged towards the forest in a coordinated move.

In the blink of an eye, when they descended, the hundreds of expressionless puppets had already neared them.

They were extremely fast, creating a loud sound that broke the sound barrier, and caught up with the trio in an instant!

As the loud boom reverberated, the puppets began fighting Wang Baole and company immediately. Zhuo Yifan, who was from the Combat Pavilion, executed an impressive move. Activating his hand seals, he resisted the enemies with his spells.

However, the spells weren’t the main form of counter-attack he had in mind. As a Combat Pavilion cultivator, he preferred to battle others in close combat. As the spells spread, a desire for combat flashed across his eyes. He leaped into the air, retrieving a large purple sword. With an unusual look in his eyes, a shadowy figure appeared behind him, as if he had managed to invite the previous incarnation to integrate with him. He appeared to have transformed into a combat deity, and he dashed directly towards them while roaring.

As his sword landed, the three puppets before him trembled violently and broke into pieces. However, Zhuo Yifan didn’t stop at that. Activating his hand seals, wind blades rushed out quickly, sweeping in all directions. He then dashed out, with his sword raised.

What was impressive was that all those True Breath puppet cultivators were completely unable to resist the attack. They either retreated or broke down!

In the blink of an eye, Zhuo Yifan seemed to be transformed into a combat vehicle, showcasing an astonishing level of combat capabilities that far exceeded those of his peers.

On the other hand, even though Zhao Yameng was still pale with shock, she was considered the genius of array formations. As she flailed her arms, array formations instantly appeared in thin air, covering the entire area immediately. Wang Baole and Zhuo Yifan supported her, while she weakened the force of all the enemies charging towards her.

That alone would be insufficient to show how capable she was. As she waved her hands quickly, array formations appeared one after another continuously in thin air.

In the blink of an eye, over a hundred different array formations of different sizes landed everywhere. They seemed isolated but were actually all connected. They were like an assembly that formed a large array formation!

In that brief period of time, she had already laid out a large array formation. Capable individuals like Zhao Yameng were a rarity amongst the True Breath cultivators in the four major Dao Colleges!

After all, she was a natural spirit body!

“Array, turn!” As Zhao Yameng commanded, the array formations all began turning instantly. Every time two array formations overlapped, the puppet cultivators standing in the overlapped areas would tremble vigorously.

Looking from a distance, the array formations were glowing. It was as if numerous light rays were shining in all directions. If two of those lines crossed, they could be transformed into a force that could kill, a force that was extremely powerful!

Even though there were a few puppets that could not be instantly eliminated by Zhao Yameng’s array formations, she could still make them pause in their tracks, allowing her to control the pace of events happening on the battleground. That made it possible for her to coordinate with Zhuo Yifan’s big sword and spells, causing the hundreds of puppets that were charging towards them to freeze in motion!

It was unlikely that the duo had tried and practiced their moves with each other, as that was the first time they had worked together. However, even so, their teamwork was very well-coordinated.

Zhao Yameng’s array formations had an effect of trapping the enemy, with the power to kill and negatively affect the enemy. It seemed to be facilitating Zhuo Yifan, whose moves were sharp, precise, and backed by an astonishing level of killing power.

At the same time, a look of determination appeared in Wang Baole’s eyes. He stepped out and waved his right hand vigorously as he growled.

“Flash!” Instantly, a flash of lightning appeared in his palm.

The moment the flash appeared, a blinding glow emerged, instantly wriggling into the glabella of a cultivator. After piercing a hole through the cultivator’s glabella, it leaped and charged towards the next cultivator at a speed that far exceeded that of Zhuo Yifan’s. Instantly, it had spread in all directions. Wang Baole’s participation immediately helped to boost the resistance put up by both Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng!

What was more spectacular was that there was no end to the Flash. As it shone continuously, it began to branch out. Initially, there was only a single flash, but soon, over ten flashes had emerged. Blinding flashes spread in all directions on the battleground!

Deafening booms reverberated on the entire battleground.

Wang Baole wasn’t done with his attacks. He adjusted his breathing and raised his sealed hands again at that crucial juncture.

“Heated Burst!” As his voice reverberated, a Sea of Fire immediately erupted before him. It was transformed into a wall of fire everywhere it passed, crashing forward like a wave that caused all the puppet cultivators to tremble and as they scrambled to retreat.

If the flash was considered a form of attack that targeted a particular point, then the Heated Burst was a form of attack that targeted an entire area!

Despite Wang Baole and company’s counter-attacks, the hundreds of puppet cultivators were still not defeated after the long battle. A green glow flashed across their eyes. The glow transformed into pieces of tree leaves that were formed from spells and charged towards the trio like a flying sword.

Dharmic treasure? Looking at those tree leaf-like flying sword, Wang Baole widened his eyes. As an Armament Soldier of the Dharmic Armament Pavilion, Wang Baole had no shortage of Dharmic treasures.

“Numinous Treasures!” he shouted. Immediately, tens of Numinous Treasures filled the space. There were items like big seals, ropes, mirrors, and flying swords. They all formed a hurricane around him, blocking the tree leaf flying swords while creating a loud boom.

Instantly, an impressive force was produced as the trio worked seamlessly with each other. A spectator would think that their cooperation was perfect!

Zhao Yameng played a role in trapping the cultivators while Zhuo Yifan killed them. On the other hand, Wang Baole was like a mage as his spells were far more powerful than that of Zhuo Yifan’s. To a certain degree, it could be said that the trio had divided the battleground into an inner and outer zone!

In the outer zone, Wang Baole’s spells were so powerful that it made it difficult for the enemies to come near. In the inner zone, Zhuo Yifan, who was precise in his attacks, was killing every vulnerable being who had neared. As for Zhao Yameng, her array formations covered both the inner and outer zones, continuously coordinating with and facilitating the other two. The trio was extremely successful, as their coordination was impressively well-timed.

The trio was surprised, though not too much, by what was happening. In reality, that was what made Ethereal Dao College superior, and was also an exemplification of the principle of Ethereal Dao College. They didn’t mind that a sole hero emerged amongst them, for they placed greater emphasis on cooperation. Be it the Lower Academy Island or the Upper Academy Island, students were encouraged to work with each other. That way, when they made their attacks, their combined powers would be significantly boosted!

Wang Baole continued his attacks as he took out several Dharmic treasures, tossing them towards Zhuo Yifan and Zhao Yameng. The Dharmic treasures formed hurricanes beside the duo, and the scabbard inside Wang Baole also vibrated. The nine mosquitoes flew out one after another, creating a killing force on the battleground, and also providing Wang Baole with an all-round view of the entire situation.

It was also at that moment that Wang Baole took out his very own… Baole Cannon!

Carrying it on his shoulder, he immediately fired the cannon. As the deafening boom reverberated in the air, the trio continued to attack as they retreated. Even though they hadn’t had an opportunity to escape, no one planned to flee unless they reached the very end.

“They deserve death for attacking students and cultivators from Ethereal Dao College. What we want is to destroy their physical body!” Wang Baole shouted as he retreated.

Zhuo Yifan remained silent. He understood that it was the only way to save themselves. It was clear that the mastermind behind it didn’t wish for the incident to spread to the outside world. Therefore, the mastermind’s motive was definitely to assimilate the three of them. The mastermind would definitely have made plans to make assimilation like that as undetectable to others as possible. That way, after everything ended, the three of them would no longer be their past selves!

Wang Baole’s suggestion to destroy the bodies of Ethereal Dao College’s students and cultivators was aimed at preventing them from returning on time. That would catch the attention of the Dao College.

Zhuo Yifan understood the reasoning behind it, but still hesitated in his attacks. On the other hand, a flash appeared in Zhao Yameng’s eyes as she attacked with great decisiveness. Her target was the students of the Lower Academy Island, as well as the two cultivators from the Combat Pavilion.

However, very quickly, the trio was quickly thrown into surprise. Even though their moves were still vicious, they placed more of their effort on retreating. The three students and cultivators from Ethereal Dao College and the other puppet cultivators had each sustained different levels of injuries, and their bodies were beginning to break down. Despite that, almost instantly, branches began to grow out of their bodies, reconnecting their flesh and blood together!

Very quickly, the injuries healed. They were no longer injured, and they continued to charge forward.

Since the entire area was sealed, it was useless no matter how far the trio retreated. As they grew anxious, they looked at each other, and a look of determination appeared in their eyes.

“Split up and run! If anyone manages to escape, seek help from the Dao College!” Zhao Yameng spoke decisively as she leapt and charged towards the forest. Zhuo Yifan also gritted his teeth as he ran into the distance.

Wang Baole’s heart palpitated furiously. It was a life and death situation. Hearing Zhao Yameng’s words, he unleashed his speed, and his entire body was like a flying flesh ball that immediately charged towards the forest.

The instant they separated, the gigantic tree branch vibrated violently. The puppet cultivators trembled as if they had received the orders from the gigantic tree. A chilly look appeared in their eyes as they split into three groups and went after the trio!