A World Worth Protecting

Wang Baole glimpsed the scene while escaping with Zhao Yameng, and it caused something indescribable to rise inside him. He looked at Mie Liezi after the latter raised his head and knew that the real Mie Liezi was gone.

He might not be dead, but the chances of him awakening again were close to zero.

“We have to leave this place now!” Madness colored Wang Baole’s eyes. His true self, hidden away on the third level, continued draining the battle robes madly. His body began to balloon rapidly.

Wang Baole no longer cared about that. Zhao Yameng was aware of the danger they were in. She kept quiet as she activated an array formation that augmented both hers and Wang Baole’s speed.

Even so, they were no match for Daoist You Ran. What made things worse was the many other enslaved cultivators around him. While he didn’t go after them personally, with a wave of his arm, seven to eight cultivators immediately began chasing after them!

“I want them captured alive!” Daoist You Ran said coolly. He was about to inspect Mie Liezi’s storage bag when a loud rumbling erupted in the distant sky. It sounded like thunder resonating in the air. The entire second level shook as a strong force rippled through the air.

The earth trembled, and the trees and grass shook. Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng trembled as well as wild winds lashed at their faces. Their pursuers experienced the same wild and strong attack.

As the blasts surged through the world, a figure appeared in the distant sky. It approached with startling speed, a ruler circling it and giving off a bright light. It was Feng Qiuran!

She seemed to be in a state as bad as Mie Liezi had been when he had first appeared on the second level. Her face was pale, and her lips were stained with blood. If Daoist You Ran had spoken the truth and had imprisoned her within an array formation, she must have paid a terrible price escaping its hold. The earlier shock wave must have been caused by the collapse of the array formation.

She had been too late, Mie Liezi hadn’t managed to last until her arrival. As she approached, she saw the unfocused and expressionless look on Mie Liezi’s face, as well as the smiling Daoist You Ran, who was standing beside Mie Liezi.

No questions were required. The scene before her, along with her past suspicions about Never-Ending Clan members hidden in the Dao Palace, answered her doubts. Fierce determination flashed across her eyes. She was going to kill You Ran even if that killed her too. With that thought in mind, she charged fearlessly at Daoist You Ran!

“You managed to destroy my array formation. Feng Qiuran… I’ve underestimated you.” Daoist You Ran smiled faintly. With a wave of his arm, a vast black cloud emerged from his body and blanketed the skies. He dashed towards Feng Qiuran.

The two were enveloped in a black mist. Loud explosions erupted continuously from within the mist, resonating in the air. Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng were trapped in a similarly perilous situation. The enslaved cultivators who hadn’t received any orders, remained standing still. But those who had received orders to pursue them continued racing after Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng even while You Ran and Feng Qiuran engaged in a fierce battle.

Of the eight cultivators, four were at the Nascent Soul realm, and the remaining four were at the Core Formation realm. One of them… was Zhou Chudao!

Wang Baole would have found it difficult to fight all eight of them, even with his true form. His chances of winning were next to none with only his avatar. Determination flashed across Wang Baole’s eyes as he hurriedly said.

“Yameng, you have to leave first. Find a place and hide, wait for the interference to weaken, and then teleport away immediately!”

Zhao Yameng was no ordinary woman. She gave Wang Baole a long, unfathomable look when she heard what Wang Baole said. Then, without saying anything, she nodded silently. She knew they had no other choice. She raised her right hand to her hair, and, with a wave, cut off a lock of her hair. She handed that to Wang Baole, then turned and sped off.

Wang Baole’s heart flooded with emotions as he held onto Zhao Yameng’s lock of hair. He put it away in his storage bracelet, then turned around. A thunderous roar rose to the skies as a sea of lightning erupted around him. His avatar transformed into a vast web of electricity that threw itself over the enslaved cultivators hot on his trail.

It ensnared the eight cultivators instantly, and explosions erupted in the air as the fight commenced!

Wang Baole’s avatar was no match for these eight cultivators. The web that he had formed was instantly torn apart, disintegrating into stray lightning bolts that gathered and transformed into a second electrical web. It didn’t shine as brightly as the first, but it was still just as quick as it cast itself over the eight cultivators!

Loud thunderous booms rang out continuously on the land and in the air!

The battle between Feng Qiuran and Daoist You Ran was reaching a pivotal moment. Feng Qiuran might have her ruler, but she had suffered some backlash from destroying the array formation earlier. In addition, while her cultivation might surpass that of Mie Liezi, she was still slightly less powerful than Daoist You Ran, who had taken great pains to hide his true strength.

Daoist You Ran was slowly gaining the upper hand in the fight… the battle on land was being lost as well. The electrical web that was formed from Wang Baole’s avatar had been ripped apart three times within a matter of seconds. Wang Baole still had many other Dharmic treasures up his sleeve though. Another loud thunderous boom erupted in the air as eight towering bells appeared over the eight cultivators and trapped them within.

It was but a temporary prison. The four Nascent Soul realm cultivators unleashed their full cultivation and flung the bell off them effortlessly. However, just as they were about to charge out, a black pike came rushing towards them. Flying swords also rained down like a storm, trapping them in another fight.

Wang Baole threw everything he had at them. His avatar managed to hold the eight cultivators off, giving Zhao Yameng the time she needed to escape.

As the battle took place, Wang Baole’s true form continued to sit inside the golden lake on the third level. He had grown extremely fat at this point, but the rate at which he was draining the battle robes didn’t slow down. In fact, it sped up. He continued draining the battle robes madly even though it was clear his physical form could no longer absorb any more spirit energy.

The draining away of spirit energy had reached a point where it triggered an intense backlash. The battling cultivators felt the battleship quake suddenly!

The quaking clearly weakened the interference in the battleship significantly. It wasn’t significant enough that Zhao Yameng could activate the teleportation now, but it was only a matter of time before she could do it.

In addition, the battleship’s quaking seemed to trigger a chain effect. The first level and second level of the world began to shake as well. Daoist You Ran had been gaining an edge over Feng Qiuran, who had been forced back while blood continued to spill from her lips. He had just waved his hand and was about to seize control over and enslave Feng Qiuran’s mind when he suddenly felt the heavens and earth sway and the interference on the battleship fade. Alarm flashed across his face!

“Something’s wrong!” An overpowering sense of unease rose inside Daoist You Ran at that moment. He retreated hurriedly, forming a series of hand seals and extending his senses outward. A few moments later, his eyes widened. His connection with the battleship finally led to his realization of what was happening on the third level!

“Wang Baole!” Daoist You Ran’s breathing quickened, and blood filled his eyes as he let loose a furious howl. He was no longer interested in the severely injured Feng Qiuran. He turned and charged furiously towards Wang Baole’s avatar.

Wang Baole, who was engaged in a fierce battle with a few Nascent Soul realm cultivators, had no time to react at all. A destructive force descended upon him, and his avatar was blown apart in a deafening explosion!

Daoist You Ran looked murderous after destroying Wang Baole’s avatar. With a wave of his hand, he sent a horde of enslaved cultivators after Feng Qiuran. Thunder boomed as lightning lit the skies around him. Tears began appearing, rips in space that opened into the abyss. Seven to eight Never-Ending Clan cultivators stepped out of the tears. They were covered with wounds from a past battle, which had not fully healed. Still, their partial recovery placed them at the level of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator.

They knew the gravity of the situation, charging at Feng Qiuran as soon as they appeared. Daoist You Ran burned with anxiety. He unleashed his full speed, racing towards land and heading straight for… the third level!