A World Worth Protecting

The sounds of dispute came from the square, from where Zhuo Yifan stood!

Many others on the square, besides Lin You and the old man, had also noticed the commotion. Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng noticed too. They had appeared to converse in laughter with others when they had actually been secretly watching Huang Shan of the Traps Pavilion alertly.

At present, when they realized Zhuo Yifan had encountered some problems, both of them looked over immediately. They saw Zhuo Yixian standing before Zhuo Yifan, his right hand raised and a finger pointing at Zhuo Yifan. There was a cold glint in his eyes, and he appeared to be saying something.

Emotions flickered past Zhuo Yifan’s face rapidly. He seemed to be trying his best to hold himself back.

Wang Baole witnessed the entire scene. His pupils contracted, and without any hesitation, he stepped forward and marched towards Zhuo Yifan.

Zhao Yameng didn’t hesitate either. She had few friends in the Ethereal Dao College. Amongst those friends, Wang Baole and Zhuo Yifan could be considered her true comrades.

It was as Wang Baole had said, the three of them had survived death together. It was a bond that made her follow Wang Baole and rush towards Zhuo Yifan without hesitation!

As the two approached, they heard Zhuo Yixian speaking coldly, his words taunting!

“The Federation is perfect except for one thing, and that’s how anybody who puts on this uniform can be a somebody. Oh, right, Yifan, you haven’t returned home for a while. I forgot to tell you something. Your mother’s tombstone was damaged by one of my servants’ dogs a while ago. Sorry.”

The words were like an invisible blade piercing Zhuo Yifan’s heart, and his eyes reddened instantly. A low beast-like growl fell from his lips, and his features twisted on his darkened face.

All his considerations were cast aside. His attempts at self-control fell apart like a dam collapsing, and the floodgates had been swept open, the floodwaters rushing out. He tightened his fists, and his body trembled in his extreme rage. He was about to charge forward.

Zhuo Yixian’s eyes flashed, and his lips twitched into a cold smile. That was what he had been waiting for—his younger brother striking out at him. But just as Zhuo Yixian’s smile surfaced on his face and Zhuo Yifan rushed forward in a rage…

Suddenly, a round and chubby figure charged forward from a distance. It was so fast that its speed exceeded everyone’s expectations. The cultivators on the square saw only a blur before their eyes. When clarity returned, they saw Wang Baole standing between Zhuo Yifan and Zhuo Yixian!

He arrived in an instant, placing himself in front of Zhuo Yifan and blocking Zhuo Yixian’s sight. He was like a towering mountain, standing tall and exuding a startling and impressive aura which exploded from his person and shook everyone. Violence flashed openly in Wang Baole’s eyes.

“You seem quite full of yourself!” Wang Baole stopped Zhuo Yifan from charging forward and glared at Zhuo Yixian.

“Yifan is my brother. If you have something against him, come at me instead. I haven’t had enough fun beating you up the last time!” Wang Baole snorted. He turned his immense figure towards Zhuo Yixian, who had a changed expression on his face, and stared at the latter with scorn.

Zhuo Yixian’s features twisted into an ugly look.

Wang Baole’s arrival and his words calmed Zhuo Yifan down gradually from his initial trembling state. The blind rage he had felt sunk deep into his heart once again. He could feel himself growing more composed with Wang Baole’s appearance.

Staring at the mountain-like figure before him, Zhuo Yifan couldn’t help but think back to the events of Spirit Breath Village and the Coulomb Basin, and the similar scenes that had taken place then.

It was as if everything would turn out fine as long as Wang Baole was there.

As Wang Baole and Zhuo Yixian stood in confrontation, Zhao Yameng walked out, expressionless, and stopped next to Wang Baole. Despite her silence, it was clear where she stood and whom she stood with.

Her appearance increased the pressure Zhuo Yixian was already feeling.

Many in the crowd were unaware of Zhao Yameng’s background, but he had heard a few things. That was why he hadn’t crossed paths with Zhao Yameng in Spirit Breath Village.

His original intentions for provoking Zhuo Yifan had been to incite the latter into attacking him out of his own accord. It was partly because Zhuo Yifan’s growth had given him extreme pressure and made him feel immensely threatened.

He knew very well that the family clan’s mystic scrolls had clearly recorded that if a War Soldier’s power surpassed that of its host, it wasn’t improbable for the host to be overpowered and devoured by the former!

That was something he would never allow to happen. He could allow Zhuo Yifan to grow stronger, but it must be something that fell within his control. He had initially had a plan worked out in Spirit Breath Village, but Wang Baole had wrecked it. As a result, Zhuo Yifan got his hands on an eight-inch Spirit Root.

There was also the matter of the rules and laws governing their family clan’s War Soldier Mystic Arts. It concerned karma, and cause and effect, and was extremely complicated. Simply put, hate was the seed that bound the two together. The more hate the War Soldier felt towards him, the deeper its roots would grow. The day when the seed bore fruit would be the day the host gained complete control over the War Soldier and held the War Soldier within the palm of his hand!

The entire process was complex and convoluted. It was both necessary to plant the seed of hatred as well as to tame the War Soldier like a beast, to repeatedly incite rebellion and rouse its intentions to revoke, then squash them forcibly. Gradually, a reflexive mindset would settle and form… to not resist, to not fight back.

As a result, he did what he would typically do when he saw Zhuo Yifan, and that was to deepen the feelings of hate while provoking Zhuo Yifan into attacking. He wanted to use the family clan’s bloodline mystic technique to put Zhuo Yifan back in his place, and through that, through the karmic cycle, bind them more closely together.

However, he was thwarted once again… by Wang Baole!

Zhuo Yixian’s face darkened at that thought. He couldn’t blow up at Wang Baole though. Having a Wang Baole alone was enough to make him cautious, and he had to consider Zhao Yameng as well.

Everyone around them fell silent. It had nothing to do with them. They were simply curious. The crowd swiftly parted and carved out a space for Wang Baole and company.

After a long silence, Zhuo Yixian leveled a look deep with meaning at Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng, and his lips twitched into a cruel smile.

“Since you two want to take on the role of nanny and protect my useless younger brother, I have nothing else to say. But… he is still part of the Zhuo family. This time, we’ll let it go, but if there is a next time… you’ll do well to heed my warning—that the Zhuo family does not welcome outsiders interfering with our family matters!”

Zhuo Yixian was done with speaking. He swept his sleeve aside and nodded at Lin Tianhao, who was standing a distance away. He bade farewell with a stern face and turned to leave the city lord’s residence.

The tempest seemed to have wound down to a halt. Lin Tianhao let loose a breath of relief secretly. He would be placed in a difficult position if his guests started a dispute there. They were after all esteemed guests—one from the Five Generation Sky Clan, who had cordial relations with his family clan, and the other from the same college he attended.

He didn’t know whom he should help… fortunately, he didn’t need to choose. He smiled and tried to soothe the crowd.

It was then… Wang Baole’s eyes flashed. Zhuo Yixian had been the one who stirred trouble. Wang Baole wouldn’t allow Zhuo Yixian to simply do what he wanted and be allowed to leave as he pleased.

He took a sudden step forward and raised his right hand in a fist. Aura surged from his body, and a sound like thunder rumbled and rushed out from his lips.

“Planning to just leave after insulting someone?”

“You can leave after you’ve apologized!” Wang Baole approached Zhuo Yixian as he spoke. His raised fist summoned a tornado that thundered and shocked, and the crowd had surprise and alarm in their eyes. Li Xiu narrowed his eyes, surprise flickering across them.

As everyone stood stunned, Zhuo Yixian, who was just about to depart, suddenly felt a fearsome aura surging behind him. The expression on his face changed suddenly.

“Wang Baole, don’t go too far! You really think I’m afraid of you?” Zhuo Yixian whirled around, a fierce glint in his eyes. His hands formed seals and flung them forward into the air at the approaching Wang Baole!

Instantly, a silhouette appeared behind him. It was the family clan’s secret mystic technique that could summon one from a past life. It didn’t stop at one—a second silhouette appeared!

That was a rare feat for one at the True Breath realm. It was likely why Zhuo Yixian hadn’t seemed afraid. The two past lives melded swiftly with him, and his aura surged in an instant—his attack connected with Wang Baole’s fist.

Wang Baole raised his eyebrow. He didn’t dodge the attack but activated the power hidden in his physical body and unleashed… Supernova!

A rumbling resounded through the heavens instantly, sweeping across the skies and thundering in the air… Zhuo Yixian’s eyes widened in disbelief and incredulity as tremors traveled through his entire body.