A World Worth Protecting

The celestial cruiser was very different from the cruisers roaming the skies on Earth. To put it more accurately, it was more like a battleship that was over a hundred feet long. At that moment, it was parked in an aerial port specially constructed for it. Looking from afar, it was like a huge sword that was extremely impressive.

At the same time, loud bangs akin to thunder emerged continuously from within the battleship. The disciples from the Upper Academy Island who didn’t apply to go to the moon all stepped out after hearing the noise. As they looked at the battleship, they felt a torrent of emotions.

The sound was produced as a result of its propulsion. It sounded like a ferocious beast howling. The people who had arrived after receiving the notice were all taken aback by it.

It was only after they boarded the battleship and stood on the deck that they had managed to calm down.

There were hundreds of people from Ethereal Dao College who were entering the Mystic Luna Realm. Most of them were senior disciples who had been on the Upper Academy Island for several years. In their daily lives, they either spent time outside practicing or cultivated in seclusion. As a result, even though they had some understanding of matters of the outside world, that understanding wasn’t deep.

However, there were also some amongst them whom, by virtue of their appointed roles, knew about Wang Baole and his identity. As the crowd met in the celestial cruiser that was heading to the moon, they greeted each other amicably. Huang Shan from the Traps Pavilion was amongst them.

As Wang Baole arrived on the cruiser and exchanged greetings with the others, he noticed Huang Shan. He appeared like he always did, but a sense of alarm rang out in his heart.

With the exception of Huang Shan and senior disciples like Chen Yutong, there weren’t many new faces, since they probably only made up ten percent of the total number of people there. Zhuo Yifan, Zhao Yameng, and Lin Tianhao were amongst them.

As for Du Min, Chen Ziheng, and company, they were unable to participate as they hadn’t reached the fifth level of the True Breath stage. Bunny had also previously told Wang Baole that she needed to spend some time in seclusion. Bunny’s master was extremely strict and had high expectations of her, which resulted in her still being in seclusion even then.

Amongst the new faces, there was someone that Wang Baole recognized. However, when he saw that familiar acquaintance, Wang Baole couldn’t help but began to feel bewildered.

“Son? You have trained yourself so quickly and reached the fifth level of the True Breath stage? Did you eat a rocket?” Wang Baole was very surprised; the person in question was Lu Zihao.

Even though he was a disciple of the Combat Pavilion, when Lu Zihao completed the Combat Pavilion Tournament with Wang Baole, he met with a good opportunity. Due to that, he managed to catch up and exceed even Chen Ziheng, Du Min, and company, reaching the fifth level True Breath stage just before the Mystic Luna Realm was open.

Even though it was shocking, it wasn’t impossible to imagine that it would happen. After all, only slightly more than forty years had elapsed since the Spirit Inception Era began. No matter how complete the fragment collection process was, there were still many unexplored lands, which allowed people like Lu Zihao to come across a great opportunity in their cultivation journey.

A situation like his, though uncommon, was not a rarity. In reality, there were many people in the Federation, like Lu Zihao, that had obtained such opportunities.

The burst in one’s level of cultivation in that manner usually happened while one was still within the True Breath realm. Once Foundation Establishment was reached, it would be difficult for such an exponential advancement of skills to happen.

Listening to Wang Baole’s words and noticing Wang Baole’s surprise made Lu Zihao delighted. In reality, he had long noticed Wang Baole. After all, Wang Baole’s appearance was extremely prominent. Previously, he would have avoided him, not wanting to face him… However, at that moment, he felt that he had the confidence. Therefore, he kept to his own principles, purposely appearing in front of Wang Baole with the goal of seeing Wang Baole’s surprise with his own eyes.

“Why did you say that? Even though you are the deputy Pavilion Head, but… I, Lu Zihao, am from the Combat Pavilion and not your Dharmic Armament Pavilion, and you dare insult me in this way?” Hearing how Wang Baole addressed him, Lu Zihao sneered.

“What guts you have, Hao-er, speaking to your father like that!” Wang Baole looked at Lu Zihao with surprise. He turned and dashed a distance away, shouting for Zhuo Yifan, who was chatting with someone else amiably.

“Yifan, there’s trouble over here!”

Zhuo Yifan, who was laughing and chatting with others, turned his head and took a quick glance after hearing Wang Baole’s words. After excusing himself, he approached Wang Baole. As the deputy Pavilion Head of the Combat Pavilion, and as a Federation seedling, Zhuo Yifan was a star in terms of his authority, combat abilities, and his capabilities to complete his tasks.

Therefore, his arrival was stressful for Lu Zihao, even though Lu Zihao felt extremely indignant. After all, he was merely a soldier, while Zhuo Yifan was the Deputy Pavilion Head.

He thought that it wouldn’t be embarrassing for him even if he were to bow down before the two Deputy Pavilion Heads. Lu Zihao felt that he didn’t veer from his own principles, and began to walk away even before Zhuo Yifan arrived, all the while sneering.

Looking at Lu Zihao behaving like a dainty princess, Wang Baole felt emotional.

“My child has grown up,” he mumbled under his breath as he thought about it. He wanted to find a chance to teach Lu Zihao the importance of respecting his elders, and as he began to consider how to go about doing it, several figures flew from the Sky Path Island from afar—forming a rainbow that was approaching the celestial cruiser at high speed. The entire area soon quietened down.

Wang Baole also lifted his head to take a look, and immediately noticed that the rainbows carried an imposing force that seemed to be able to affect the sky. They neared, arriving at the cruiser in the blink of an eye.

The eight people appeared each gave off an impressive vibe. Waves of Foundation Establishment vibes caused the surrounding area to vibrate. Even with just a quick glance, Wang Baole was surprised and could tell that all those people were at the Core Formation stage!

The Deputy Sect Lord that looked highly upon Wang Baole was also amongst them. There was also an elder who looked extremely stern, but when his gaze fell on Chen Yutong and Wang Baole, he revealed a look of kindness.

Wang Baole had never seen the elder before. However, from how agitated Chen Yutong appeared to be, he quickly realized that the elder was probably Chen Yutong’s Grandmaster.

The leader surrounded by those Core Formation individuals was a middle-aged man dressed in a long white robe that looked somewhat scholarly. He appeared kind, and his eyes carried the glow of the stars. After stepping into the cruiser, he gazed at the crowd with a look of appreciation.

“Greetings, Sect Lord! Greetings, all Deputy Sect Lords, and the Grand Elder!” The moment he appeared, the senior disciples around him instantly grew agitated as they greeted the prominent figures.

Sect Lord? Wang Baole’s eyes lit up. That was the first time he had met with those in control of Ethereal Dao College. He was well aware that the Grand Supreme Elder was like a legendary figure that wouldn’t interfere with matters of the Dao College. In reality, the one with the most authority in Ethereal Dao College would be the Sect Lord!

“The opening of the Mystic Luna Realm determines who the future core leaders of Ethereal Dao College will be. Therefore, I am here to personally send all of you off in order to ensure your safety and success in this journey!” Ethereal Dao College’s Sect Lord, that white-robed middle-aged man, spoke while smiling. Without saying anything unnecessary following that, he immediately raised his right hand and waved.

“Set off!”

As his voice reverberated, the humongous celestial cruiser rumbled and rose slowly into the air. Instantly, it broke through the barrier at high speed, as if weaving through it. A loud thunderous roar was produced, spreading in all directions as the celestial cruiser charged far ahead towards the sky.

Its speed was so fast, and its manner was so imposing, that all the onlookers were gripped with shock. Of them, Liu Daobin, Chen Ziheng, and company were breathing rapidly as they looked towards the direction in which the battleship was quickly disappearing.

They couldn’t see the battleship; they only saw the rings of Cloud Fog ripples fast dissipating as a result of the battleship’s explosive force, as well as the visual contortion produced from the strong impact…

Bunny, who was in seclusion within the Alchemy Pavilion, was unaware of what was happening outside. However, she seemed to have sensed something as her eyelashes twitched, her eyes about to open.

Du Min, as well as those who were acquainted with Wang Baole and the others on their journey to the Mystic Luna Realm, began to anticipate their return as they looked towards the sky.

At the limits of their gaze, in a place that couldn’t be seen, the clouds in the sky were rolling by at fast speed. The celestial cruiser was like a rocket piercing through the skies, dashing out at an astonishing speed.

It was difficult to accurately describe how fast the cruiser was traveling. However, those on board the cruiser didn’t feel that the force was particularly strong. Despite that, they still felt bizarre at the thought of leaving Earth’s surface.

After all, for most of them, it was the first time in their lives that they were leaving Earth!

That was the case for Wang Baole. His heart was palpitating fast, a bright glow shining from his eyes as he looked at the ground, originally flat, slowly warping into a curve. The skies above him slowly turned dark, before becoming completely pitch black.

All of that made Wang Baole hold his breath and focus his attention on what was happening. He forgot about the passage of time, and after an unknown period, when the ground before him had completely been turned into a blue planet—Wang Baole trembled.

Wang Baole wasn’t the only one who was shaken. Many on the cruiser were also feeling a torrent of emotions.

When they were on Earth, the skies were the source of light, brightening the land. People who were used to light falling from the sky, at that moment, experienced the opposite as they cruised amongst the stars. The source of light was Earth instead of the sky, and it was pitch black all around them. The blue glow shining off Earth was a foreign phenomenon that nobody was used to.

A long while later, Wang Baole slowly turned his head to look at the galaxy. He saw a cratered object, dull, and much smaller than Earth… It was the moon!

“There are many legends surrounding the moon…” Everyone was still tense from the new experience when the Sect Lord’s voice emerged, spreading throughout the entire battleship.