A World Worth Protecting

“In the Eastern ancient world, Chang-E ran on the moon, the Jade Rabbit pounded medicines, while Wu Gang cut down a self-healing osmanthus tree. From these legends, we were able to know that there exists a mysterious osmanthus tree, Jade Rabbit, and Chang-E in stories of the moon.” The Sect Lord’s voice carried a mysterious power that could calm people down as they focused and listened to him speak.

“In ancient Indian legends, the moon is a deity with four hands, with three of them each holding a crutch, a longevity dew, and a lotus flower. As for the last hand, a protective mark was carved on it.

“What’s interesting is that in ancient Greek legends, the moon has another appearance. She is Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon, and the younger sister of Apollo, the God of the Sun. At the same time, she was the guardian of unmarried young women. She too remained unmarried till death. There is another sadder story within this. If any of you are interested, you can look it up in the Dao College’s Book Reserve Pavilion when you get back.

“There are numerous legends about the moon from many countries in ancient times. We have managed to verify these legends as we set foot on the moon. We now know that the moon is neither a male deity nor a female goddess, and we know that there’s no Jade Rabbit or Chang-E…

“However, there are still some matters for which we have no answers. They could be coincidences or some kind of reincarnation. For example, the giant corpse in deep slumber on the moon, the mysterious moon interior, or the withered tree branch buried in the ground discovered by explorers the first time they landed on the moon five hundred years ago…”

The Sect Lord’s voice reverberated, throwing Wang Baole and company into deep thought. They were aware of some legends about the moon, and right then, they began to connect them together.

“However, all of these are history. With the arrival of the ancient greenish-bronze sword, and as numerous pieces of fragments were scattered within the galaxy, some of which have landed on the moon, the moon we know now appears vastly different. Some of you may have heard about this from the news!

“Right now, there are not only plants but also other living things on the moon!”

The celestial cruiser appeared slow as it cruised through the galaxy. However, it was actually traveling at a very high speed as it distanced itself from the earth and approached the moon. Nobody on the celestial cruiser seemed to realize it, as all of their attention was focused on what the Sect Lord had said, which also made them forget about the passage of time.

The guiding topics given by the Sect Lord were food for thought, and it also enhanced their understanding of the Mystic Luna Realm.

“Perhaps there were already living things on the moon from a long time ago that disappeared for some unknown reason. The arrival of the fragments and the enveloping of the moon with Spirit Qi was like a form of resuscitation, causing the living things that vanished on its surface to reappear!” The Sect Lord spoke calmly as he began talking about the dangers of the Mystic Luna Realm.

“According to current records, there are a total of six types of threatening living things!

“The first has multiple appearances and are made up of many bizarre transformations. However, as a whole, it is a living creature whose threat is on the level of the Ancient Martial realm. They are known as Moon Beasts!

“The second are the Nocturnal Moon Bats. They are very similar to bats, but there are minute differences in terms of their position in the hierarchy of life. They are a greater threat, with their power at approximately the first or second level of the True Breath realm.

“The third are named Moon Gu ¹ . They are similar to the legendary insects of death that exist in the deserts. From what we know, they are over ten thousand feet long, with the smallest of them being a hundred feet long. Even though they are only approximately at the third or fourth level of the True Breath realm, they are extremely strong. They also live in groups and are so powerful that even someone at Foundation Establishment must avoid them should they meet them.

“As for the fourth type… all of you must pay attention. It is a type with different appearances, but each appearance shares a common characteristic. The characteristic that makes it special is that there are numerous eyes all over its body, and those eyes can activate spells that turn human flesh into stone. The more eyes they have, the more powerful they are. They are on a threat level between that of someone at the fifth level True Breath realm and that of someone at the peak of the True Breath realm. The Beast Kings amongst them are as powerful as someone at the Foundation Establishment stage!

“The fifth type is known as the Moon Spirit, while the sixth type is known as the Night Immortal… I hope that you will never meet either of them. However, if you do, quickly crush the survival jade slip. Trust me, any delay in crushing it may mean death for you!

“That is because even the weakest Moon Spirit is more threatening than someone of the Foundation Establishment stage. The strongest of them is as powerful as someone of the highest level of Foundation Establishment. As for the Night Immortal… anyone lower than the Core Formation level would die meeting it!”

“That gigantic corpse has been named as the Night Immortal King. It is unlikely that any of you would meet it. Its level of cultivation is unknown. Years ago, the Grand Supreme Elder possessed the Divine Armament and joined forces with the Federation and numerous Core Formation individuals in a battle against it and lost bitterly, almost losing their lives!” the Sect Lord said that and then paused momentarily, giving everyone time to absorb and accept the information.

The people preparing to head to the Mystic Luna Realm, including Wang Baole, were all shaken, and their breathing became extremely rapid. Other than the brief mention of the gigantic corpse in the records, there were no records about the other living creatures, making that the first time they had heard about the creatures

After a brief moment, the Sect Lord’s voice was heard yet again.

“These six types of living creatures form the most dangerous aspect of the moon, but, in reality, the main reason why it is difficult to develop the moon is because of the moon’s climate!

“Please remember that when you enter the mystic realm and are faced with unpredictable weather, you have to try your best to avoid it even before the weather event happens. Mirages could materialize on the moon. Even though it may only last for a short period of time, it has a shockingly strong impact!

“There are also electromagnetism storms that are uncommon on Earth, but extremely common on the moon!

“They are like the Mystic Trace Fog. Once it envelopes something, they would transport everything foreign within it to every part of the moon through a process similar to teleportation. If one is ill-lucked, it is very possible that he will be sent to the depths of the moon’s dark face.”

“There is also the Poisonous Rain and the Corrosive Winds…” Wang Baole and the others listened attentively to every word the Sect Lord said, gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the dangers of the Mystic Luna Realm.

Time also trickled by as the Sect Lord introduced the moon. After an unknown period of time, when the Sect Lord had finished his explanation, the moon had surfaced before the eyes of the masses!

The moon, which didn’t seem large in the minds of the people, was humongous as it appeared before their eyes. As they landed, they could see that numerous colonies were covering the entire moon.

The colonies weren’t connected but were scattered all over in the thousands. They belonged to different factions of the Federation. If one were to take a closer look, they would see that the majority of the colonies were located on the periphery, forming an imaginary line that segregated the moon into various segments.

The area occupied for the longest period only took up a small area of the moon’s surface. Within the area, there were over a hundred bases belonging to the four major Dao Colleges. The entrance of the Mystic Luna Realm had been chosen to be within one of the bases on the periphery.

There were many entrances to the Mystic Luna Realm on the entire moon. Every faction had its own entrance and own method of entering it, and each of those entrances had been inspected strictly by a group of individuals from the various factions. It was to ensure that every single person who stepped into the Mystic Luna Realm fit the requirements.

At the same time, since the Mystic Luna Realm wasn’t accessible all year round, there were stringent checks and records made of the Foundation Establishment individuals who entered and left it. The Federation would inspect and tidy it beforehand, in order to ensure that there would be no disruption to the True Breath realm disciples during their assessment period.

As they landed, the moon appeared increasingly clearer in their eyes. The craters on its surface were large basins, and the curvature of the land had become flat ground, transforming into a vast land!

The aerial port which the celestial cruiser was about to land in also became clearer. They could see that there were several other celestial cruisers from the three other major Dao Colleges.

With a loud boom, the celestial cruiser from Ethereal Dao College landed on the port of the base, vibrating hard several times and kicking up dust.

When the dust finally dissipated, Wang Baole got off the cruiser along with the rest of the people with excitement and anticipation. He was looking at a star that was completely different from earth. The sky was black, but the ground was extremely bright.

Even though there was no atmosphere, the development of the moon had long solved the challenge of breathing on it. Even if one were on its surface, they wouldn’t be significantly affected. That was especially so for cultivators, who were immune to some of the harmful substances in the air.

The feeling that Wang Baole and the rest of the people were unable to get used to was the suppressive force that constantly pressed down on them. It was as if each of them were carrying a small hill on their backs, which not only labored their breathing but also seemed to be restricting their bodies.

That required time to get used to. At the same time, it was the reason why ordinary people wouldn’t be able to survive on the moon for a prolonged period of time.

Right then, as Wang Baole and the other people stepped off the cruiser and entered the base, they saw a thousand other cultivators from the other three major Dao Colleges, as well as the Core Formation elites from each of the colleges!

There were seven to eight Core Formation elites from every Dao College. With the arrival of Ethereal Dao College, the number of Core Formation elites grew to over thirty. They all gathered, instantly filling the entire place with a frightening hurricane-like force. That not only showed how powerful the four major Dao Colleges were but also proved the level of significance the Dao Colleges had placed on the assessment!