A World Worth Protecting

As soon as the words were out and they realized where they were, the expressions on the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators’ faces changed. They froze in their steps, becoming wary and uncertain. To the Galactic Dusk Sect, the domain meant death to all who hadn’t reached the Core Formation realm!

They weren’t typically that brash or slow to realization, but their single-minded focus on pursuing Wang Baole while having to keep their guards up against one another proved distracting. They had also been so sure, after what Zhou Fei had said, that what Wang Baole was searching for was the Mystic Trace Fog.

Everything culminated in their late realization that they had actually approached the vicinity of the restricted zone!

Wang Baole saw his pursuers stop in their tracks. He panted heavily. Blood was seeping out from the armor on his stomach. His vision had darkened, and everything was a spinning blur in his eyes. He leaned against a big tree and stared at the cultivators.

“Come on! Not coming after me, your Grandpa Wang, anymore?” Frustration swelled in Wang Baole. He ripped off his helmet, exposing his death-pale face. Blood stained his lips and colored his eyes, his smile was grim and fearless, and he had a faint crazed, murderous aura around him as he stared at his pursuers.

“Don’t you have your eyes on your granddaddy’s Dharmic Armament? It’s here. Come and take it!” Wang Baole’s legs felt like jelly. There was mockery in his smile, his words taunting. His vision was blurred and blood dripped into his eyes, coloring his vision red.

“And that one, the guy from the Five Generation Sky Clan, the one who did a pretty good job at faking his death. You can come out too. Hiding and following behind them without their notice is one thing, but do you think you can hide from your granddaddy?” Wang Baole felt a chill come over him. It wasn’t merely his cultivation that had weakened; his vitality was draining from his body rapidly as well. He struggled to lift his head as he stared into the distance.

As soon as he said that, a few of the Galactic Dusk Sect cultivators turned their heads in surprise, though some remained unfazed as if they had known all along.

Zhou Fei emerged from the forest under the eyes of those who had turned their heads around. One step after another, his transparent form slowly solidified and became visible. He had clearly used the same ambush technique that he had used in his earlier pursuit of Wang Baole to conceal himself.

He had been prepared for the injuries that he would sustain as well. They seemed serious but were, in reality, still within the limits of his tolerance. He had intended to be the oriole preying on the unaware, hunting mantises, planning to wait for the cultivators to kill Wang Baole and strike as they fought amongst themselves for the Dharmic Armament.

“Wang Baole, you’re at the end of your rope. Hand over the Dharmic Armament and end your own life. I believe the other Fellow Daoists will find that acceptable,” Zhou Fei said slowly. He remained on high alert as he eyed his surroundings. He had previously realized that they had approached the edge of the restricted zone, but his greed was too great so he didn’t give the others a heads-up. He, though, had raised his guard.

“A bunch of trash. You want the Dharmic Armament? Come and get it!

“Don’t worry. Before your Granddaddy Wang dies, I’ll make sure to get a few of you as well. It all depends on who amongst you are the unlucky ones. As for the rest, you’ll get to find out if the restricted zone is as scary as the legends say.”

Wang Baole glanced at Zhou Fei contemptuously, and his eyes swept across the rest. His right hand pressed heavily into the large tree and, using the force of that push, he retreated suddenly. He stepped straight into the area where the red plants grew, right into the restricted zone on the dark side of the moon!

He seemed to hear a sigh as he took a step into the restricted zone. With the world blurring before his eyes, he didn’t spare it further thought. He simply struggled to make his way forward.

Every step sent agony snaking through his entire body. The world was a blur in his eyes, and his body grew weaker and colder. The weakness and cold were like waves sweeping over him, threatening to drag him under.

The wound on his stomach could no longer be held together. Blood slowly dripped from the open wound, and his intestines started to slip out. He tried his best to hold them in with his hands. His armor had been damaged and ruined in multiple places, a few spots being ripped apart and others dented. Where he passed, he left a trail of blood in his wake. It seeped into and merged with the blood-colored plants, creating a gruesome sight.

Behind him, silence fell over the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. They stared at Wang Baole, whose tenacity had exceeded their wildest imagination. They might have harbored their own individual schemes and mistrust towards one another, and their uncoordinated efforts might have lacked unity, but they could recognize, to a certain degree, that Wang Baole himself possessed certain extraordinary qualities that allowed him to survive for so long.

They asked themselves whether, in his place, they would have done as well. They might have discarded the Dharmic Armament much earlier in the pursuit as a gambit to save themselves.

But they knew, deep in their hearts, that if Wang Baole had abandoned the Dharmic Armament, they would have fought for it, but they would also have killed Wang Baole in a shorter time. His death would be swift. They wouldn’t have let him escape.

After all, the reward from the elder’s mission didn’t include the Dharmic Armament. The only way to receive the reward was to kill Wang Baole.

That was why even though Wang Baole’s head wasn’t worth as much as the Dharmic Armament, it was still enough to make them kill him.

However, Wang Baole never discarded the Dharmic Armament. That left them speechless. They knew that he had come to some kind of realization. That he had been able to retain such mental clarity in such a critical situation was what had made them most wary of and cautious towards him.

“If the kid had joined us Galactic Dusk Sect, he would likely be even more powerful now!” The Foundation Establishment realm cultivators from the Galactic Dusk Sect, after the prolonged hunt, came to a unanimous conclusion.

They couldn’t bear to leave, not even with the restricted zone in front of them. They watched as Wang Baole entered with the Dharmic Armament. Be it Zhou Fei or the others, they couldn’t control the quickening of their breathing. An internal struggle took place within their hearts. Then, a glimmer, filled with vicious determination and an intention to take up the gamble, shone in their eyes.

Just as they prepared to make a gambit, suddenly, soft sobbing rose around them. The faint cries echoed in the air, sorrowful and unearthly. As the sounds resonated, a pale mist started to rise around them.

It was not the Mystic Trace Fog but a pale, thin mist. In the mist, blurry, indistinct silhouettes gradually appeared. It was a group of Moon Spirits…

Not three to five, or even a dozen, but a whole group of them…

In mid-air, in the mist, Night Immortals began to appear as well… similarly, not just three to five of them, but… a whole crowd of them!

They appeared silently and hovered around like guards, standing watch over the restricted zone. They drifted with the spreading mist around the crimson area in the restricted zone. The mist swallowed Wang Baole in its midst and hid him from the other cultivators’ sight. White noise exploded in their heads, and all of them, including Zhou Fei, retreated hastily without hesitation. Their hearts beat rapidly while their muscles twitched in alarm and terror.

They reluctantly cast aside all thoughts for Wang Baole and instead, tried their best to escape as quickly as possible from the area. Fortunately, the swarm of Moon Spirits and Night Immortals seemed to be focused only on guarding the restricted zone. They didn’t pursue the cultivators, allowing the latter to escape with their lives intact.

The cultivators turned around and stared in the direction of the restricted zone, falling silent. Sighing inwardly and with their hearts heavy, they went their own separate ways. Some left while others chose to linger around and wait for the mist to dissipate. They wanted to see if they might get a chance to retrieve Wang Baole’s dead body.

They no longer considered the possibility of Wang Baole’s survival. The appearance of the mist and Wang Baole being trapped amongst the Night Immortals and Moon Spirits pointed to his inescapable death!

Defying all odds, Wang Baole didn’t die!

As the mist rose and blanketed everything, Wang Baole turned around. He gazed past the mist at the people who had been hunting him and grinned widely. He turned back. His consciousness was growing hazy, and his body was beyond exhausted. He continued walking without conscious thought. As he was about to stumble and fall, the black mask flew away from him and floated above his head.

Wang Baole had lost consciousness by then. He didn’t see the soft glow radiating from the black mask. The light drifted to his side and gradually formed a faint glowing figure.

It was a woman of unprecedented beauty, dressed in white, her long hair adrift in the air.

She held onto Wang Baole. Even though her form seemed illusory, a strange power seemed to allow her to support his body and prevent him from falling over. She led him forward.

They treaded on mist as they ventured deeper into the restricted zone. The number of Moon Spirits and Night Immortals grew as they went further in. The Federation would be alarmed at their numbers, as it far exceeded their estimation!

What was bizarre was how the countless Moon Spirits and Night Immortals, upon seeing the woman, parted and made a path for her…

It was as if a supreme ruler had returned. The Moon Spirits and Night Immortals didn’t simply make way for her… they knelt and bowed down before her on both sides of the path!

They watched as the Little Missy supported the unconscious Wang Baole and led him deeper into the mist, to a place where no one had ventured before. There, lay a vast crater!