A World Worth Protecting

As soon as the Galactic Dusk Sect Foundation Establishment realm cultivator came surging forward, Wang Baole raised his left hand without a word and swung his fist towards him!

The punch unleashed the Supernova and augmented Wang Baole’s strength and power. The immense force erupted into a huge whirlpool that ripped everything apart and roared as it slammed into the Foundation Establishment realm cultivator.

Alarm flashed across the face of the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Galactic Dusk Sect. He had thought Wang Baole weakened and knew that their elder had destroyed his Dao foundation. That was why he had attacked confidently. He hadn’t expected the force behind Wang Baole’s punch. It gave him the illusion of facing off against a cultivator of equal cultivation realm instead of one at the True Breath realm.

How is this possible? Didn’t the elder destroy his Dao foundation? As emotions flashed across the Galactic Dusk Sect cultivator’s face, and a flicker passed his eyes, he formed rapid hand seals. A large crescent moon appeared before him and collided with the whirlpool formed by the Supernova.

At that very instant, as the Supernova erupted from Wang Baole’s left fist, his right hand rose in the air. A seventh-grade Dharmic Armament saber appeared in his hand. With a thundering roar, it slashed at the Supernova whirlpool!

“Die!”

An explosion of unprecedented proportion followed. In the earlier battle with Zhou Fei, Wang Baole’s cultivation hadn’t been as advanced. He had suffered a backlash from wielding the Dharmic Armament and was unable to fully unleash its power. Things had since changed. He unleashed his full power and the remaining, damaged Spirit Qi inside his body without holding anything back. He was the short-lived lotus in its last moments, unfolding into its fullest blossom without regret!

With a thundering roar, the black tornado rose to the skies and shook the surrounding lands. The black crocodile unleashed its true roar, which rumbled and stirred the surrounding air. It replaced the sound-barrier-breaking thundering of the saber, and a sudden hundred meter tall light erupted from Wang Baole’s Dharmic Armament saber.

The saber light flashed and slashed through the Supernova whirlpool. It parted with the blade, allowing the latter to slice clean through it and land on the crescent moon summoned by the Galactic Dusk Sect Foundation Establishment realm cultivator.

Shock and alarm flashed across the cultivator’s face, and he fell back hastily. The crescent moon disintegrated without putting up much of a fight. The saber light, unhindered, raced towards the Foundation Establishment realm cultivator!

“No!” The Foundation Establishment realm cultivator let out a terrible cry. He tried to fight, pulling out numerous Numinous Treasures hurriedly to defend himself, but he was like an ant before an upraised boot. The overpowering slash of the saber, powered by Wang Baole’s explosive lifeforce, shattered the Numinous Treasures that the Galactic Dusk Sect Foundation Establishment realm cultivator had thrown at him. It was as if the treasures had been sucked clean of all spirit energy. The brilliant saber light fell straight on the cultivator’s head and slashed… clean through!

A thundering rumble shook the earth, and a crack appeared between the two legs of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. It went deep into the earth and was at least thirty yards long…

Wang Baole landed, his blade piercing the ground and his body folding into a half-crouch. He lifted his head, panting, then slowly stood up.

Before him, the Foundation Establishment realm cultivator from the Galactic Dusk Sect shuddered. His body split apart into two cleanly cleaved halves. They exploded. Blood and torn body parts flew in the air. His flesh form and spirit were both destroyed!

That was the present power of Wang Baole. Despite his grievous injuries, despite having a third of his meridians ruined, despite his Dao foundation being robbed, despite his growing weakness—he still had the ability to kill a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator!

Wang Baole stood up. He didn’t spare a glance at the dead cultivator but looked instead to his left and then his right. He raised his Dharmic Armament and pointed at his left and his right, then turned around and ran further into the forest at top speed.

As soon as he left, two Foundation Establishment realm cultivators walked out slowly from where he had pointed his Dharmic Armament. They both had a terrible look on their faces, their expressions grave and serious.

They had arrived merely a moment later than the cultivator who had just been killed. They hadn’t even had the chance to rush out to his aid before the fight had ended. They had seen, with their own eyes, Wang Baole’s attack. The terrible and fearsome sight was a dagger of fear driven deep into their hearts.

“Did he really have his Dao foundation destroyed by the elder?” After a long moment, one of them asked, uncertainty in his words.

“The elder didn’t just destroy his Dao foundation. I heard she ripped a fully intact artifact straight from his body… he was on the verge of attaining the Foundation Establishment realm then,” the other person whispered.

The first person who spoke, upon hearing that, sucked in a breath of cold air. He knew very clearly what that meant. He also knew the agony that one would have suffered throughout the entire process. It was an unimaginable pain.

Despite having gone through that, Wang Baole was still able to fight to such an extent. That made them realize that the young man wasn’t a mere prodigy. If he had successfully achieved the Foundation Establishment realm, his reputation would grow far greater in the Federation.

“He didn’t reach the Foundation Establishment realm, but still possesses the same level of combat ability… it’s such a waste.”

The two stared at each other. A hint of greed unfurled in their eyes. There lay unspoken words between them. They were about… the Dharmic Armament in Wang Baole’s possession!

With their level of cultivation, they had recognized the weapon to be a Dharmic Armament at first glance. Now, they had an even greater reason not to give up the pursuit. However, after considering Wang Baole’s resilience and battle prowess, they decided unanimously to continue the hunt at a safe distance, without venturing too near.

“He’s seriously wounded. I can feel his Spirit Qi weakening…”

“When he weakens more considerably, that’s when we kill him!” Both had their own ideas. They continued to keep their distance while readying themselves. If Wang Baole turned around and attacked, they wouldn’t engage. They would choose instead to wait it out.

They weren’t idiots. Regardless of how precious a Dharmic Armament was, they knew well about Wang Baole’s Foundation Establishment realm level fighting ability. There were those who would have bravely approached head on and fought for the Dharmic Armament, but such people were rare and few. Even if they didn’t perish in the encounter, they would, eventually, in the others that followed.

The Galactic Dusk Sect, especially, was extremely focused on its self-interests and gains. It would never do anything that required self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. That was why, as more Foundation Establishment realm cultivators appeared, after noticing the strange situation as well as the Spirit Qi exuding from Wang Baole—despite Wang Baole having kept his Dharmic Armament—they also chose to follow and observe.

There would always be a few brash ones, however. One Foundation Establishment realm cultivator from the Galactic Dusk Sect could no longer hold himself back. He sensed Wang Baole’s weakening Spirit Qi and attacked immediately. The glimmering light of a blade flashed in the air instantly, and a thundering roar threatened to split the earth apart. The disembodied head of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivator flew into the air as his headless body fell to the ground. The eight to nine Foundation Establishment realm cultivators who had been following closely behind were driven to shock. They rediscovered a sense of self-restraint. At the same time, fierce desire burned in their eyes.

They unanimously decided to keep news of the situation to themselves instead of reporting back to the Core Formation realm elder. They continued tracking Wang Baole while waiting for the opportune moment.

Wang Baole knew what the people following him were up to. His eyes flashed, and he ignored them. The current situation was actually to his advantage. In fact, he had revealed his Dharmic Armament not just to inspire fear but also to use the cultivators’ greed and lust for the Dharmic Armament to his advantage. They would not as easily report his whereabouts to the Core Formation realm cultivator.

They had their own schemes and naturally so did Wang Baole.

At the same time, the delay tactic suited Wang Baole’s plans. As he moved forward, he went towards low-lying lands in search of the Mystic Trace Fog.

Wang Baole knew that he was weakening at an alarming rate. If he could locate the Mystic Trace Fog before he weakened to the extent that they were moved to attack, he would be able to buy himself some more time.

If he failed to do so… Wang Baole fell silent then. He no longer knew where he was precisely. Based on his calculations though, he knew that even though he was currently not in the deeper regions of the dark side of the moon, he was approaching the restricted zone that the college had spoken of and that he was not to enter at all costs.

I hope I can find it… Wang Baole inhaled deeply. He could sense himself weakening. He was about to continue his search when suddenly, from the left, a figure raced towards them at an alarming speed.

He seemed to be in great anxiety. As he approached, he drew not only Wang Baole’s attention but that of the eight to nine Foundation Establishment realm cultivators behind Wang Baole as well. They turned their eyes on him.

They soon saw the approaching person clearly. It was… Zhou Fei of the Five Generation Sky Clan!

As soon as he appeared, Zhou Fei said abruptly, “Stop waiting around, everyone. He has found a way to locate the Mystic Trace Fog. If we don’t do anything soon, he’ll find the Mystic Trace Fog and teleport himself away. That was how he escaped from me the last time!”

As soon as Zhou Fei said that, the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators from the Galactic Dusk Sect froze, and the expressions on their faces shifted. Wang Baole frowned. He sighed softly, inwardly, and leveled a frosty glare at Zhou Fei. Zhou Fei, with greed in his eyes, initiated an attack and raced towards Wang Baole!