A World Worth Protecting

The moon trembled as the howl rose. Alarm flashed across everyone’s faces as they stood, half-bowed and facing Wang Baole, in the aerial port. There was stark terror on some of those faces.

As cultivators stationed on the lunar base, they knew the mysteries hidden on the moon better than anyone else. The visible half of the moon was still relatively safe. The dark side of the moon, on the other hand, was filled with danger. In the deepest region of this half of the moon slept a gigantic corpse!

Since the ancient sword had entered the Solar System and its fragments had landed on the moon, the gigantic corpse had awoken only twice. The first time had occurred decades ago. The second time… had been only a few years ago!

During the most recent awakening, the corpse had exuded a terrifying power and revealed the chains that bound its entire body. It had fallen to its knees while staring in the direction of the ancient sword. The sight had awed and terrified everyone who had witnessed it.

The gigantic corpse’s existence was why the moon remained such a dangerous place. At the same time, it also gave the moon an extraordinary and unknown edge in terms of the satellite’s actual offensive capabilities!

At the present moment, while everyone was frozen in awe at the unexpected roar, Wang Baole spoke coolly, his eyes flashing.

“Activate all engines powering the moon. We will depart from the moon’s natural orbit in three days’ time and head towards Venus. There shall be no delay!”

Having made his instructions clear, Wang Baole turned and raced straight towards the roaring giant corpse. Waves of air rose in his wake, marking his swift departure. He disappeared almost immediately, vanishing from everyone’s sight. His voice echoed in his absence, resonating in the aerial port.

“Yes, sir!” The awe he had instilled in the crowd remained after his departure. Everyone bowed instinctively and replied in unison. Then, they lifted their heads and stared in the direction Wang Baole had left.

“The giant corpse roared as soon as Wang Baole landed on the moon. I have a feeling that something big is going to happen!”

“I remember it now. The last time the giant corpse woke up was during the Foundation Establishment trial for the various political entities’ disciples… Senator Wang was there then as well…”

“That’s right. I remember City Lord Wang nearly died. The Galactic Dusk Sect elder who stole his core is still imprisoned!”

Wang Baole was both senator and city lord, so there was no specific way to address him. Everyone was still recovering from fright and nervousness, but despite their concerns, no one dared to defy Wang Baole’s orders. His instructions were soon passed down the ranks. The entire moon soon began to shake.

It was a different sort of tremor from the shuddering that followed the giant corpse’s roar. The latter followed no rhyme or reason. The former was a sustained and consistent trembling, which was a result of all engines installed on the moon being activated in consecutive order.

As the engines were activated and preparations were swiftly made for the moon’s deployment, Wang Baole was also making his way speedily across the visible side of the moon. He left bursts of howling winds in his wake, which went sweeping across the lands. Ancient Martial realm Moon Beasts trembled and stayed out of his way.

Nocturnal Moon Bats also howled in terror upon sensing Wang Baole’s aura in the distance. They dared not take flight. Instead, they fell to the ground and started digging frantically, then wormed into those hastily made holes and hid their trembling forms underground.

Both types of beasts had been beneath Wang Baole’s notice during his first visit to the moon. He didn’t spare them a single glance as he sped through the air like lightning now. A few moments later, as he was about to reach the dark side of the moon, he finally came to a standstill.

On the ground beneath his feet were hundreds of gigantic Moon Gu. These huge centipede-like creatures were like the mythical monsters of death that lived in the deserts. Each one of them spanned hundreds to thousands of feet long, with cultivation at the third and fourth levels of the True Breath realm. They had appeared in masses during Wang Baole’s first time on the moon. It had been a near heart-stopping experience. Now, though…

He hovered in midair while the Moon Gu wriggled on the ground and cowered in fear, afraid to raise their heads. Liquid stained the ground near many of the Moon Gu’s tails. It looked like they had just pissed themselves.

Wang Baole shook his head and was about to continue forward. Then, the expression on his face shifted slightly. He tilted his face to his right. On the horizon, mist was gathering, transforming into thick waves of fog that spilled outward in all directions.

The Mystic Trace Fog! Wang Baole’s lips twitched upwards into a slight grin. It was almost fond of it. If not for the Mystic Trace Fog, he might not have survived the Mystic Luna Realm back then. Instead, his bones would be dust on the moon now.

The sight of the Mystic Trace Fog warmed Wang Baole slightly. He shifted and headed for the Mystic Trace Fog. Within the blink of an eye, he appeared next to it. Wang Baole allowed the fog to envelop him.

The fog obscured his vision, and he could sense waves of energy within the fog washing over him, trying to teleport him away.

“Interesting,” Wang Baole muttered to himself. Even though he had used the Mystic Trace Fog in his creation of the Mystic Trace Bead, he was still in the dark about how the Mystic Trace Fog actually worked. He had only been borrowing its unique capabilities for teleportation then. However, his level of cultivation was now much higher than when he had first encountered the Mystic Trace Fog. The giant corpse had fallen silent after its first roar, so Wang Baole wasn’t in a hurry. He decided to step deeper into the fog.

The waves of energy that were washing over him transformed into a tiny stream. Wang Baole didn’t even need to activate his cultivation. He allowed his body to advance, and it freed itself easily from the fog’s attempt to teleport him. It didn’t take long for Wang Baole’s curiosity to be piqued once again. As he continued deeper into the fog, the forces of teleportation intensified gradually, to a point where he was nearly affected. Wang Baole had to unleash his cultivation at this point in order to fight against the forces of teleportation.

I couldn’t figure it out then. I wonder if… I can make out what this Mystic Trace Fog is exactly now! Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He allowed his spiritual senses to extend and scan the Mystic Trace Fog.

The image of the Mystic Trace Fog appeared in his mind immediately. He maneuvered his senses and amplified the fog in his head. It took the activation of ninety percent of his spiritual senses before he finally managed to see what the fog was truly made up of. His pupils contracted instantly at that moment.

This is… Through his spiritual senses, he saw the true form of the fog—countless bugs the size of bacteria!

Bugs that weren’t living—bug corpses!

They had long, tube-like forms that were translucent and slightly yellowed, as well as twin feelers on both ends of a body that was distinctly divided into three segments!

What kind of bug is this? Their corpses possess the ability of teleportation! A startled Wang Baole raised his right hand. The devouring seed inside his body started churning, and his Stellar Nascent Soul opened its eyes. His cultivation and the devouring seed unleashed their powers at the same time, causing a strong suction force to erupt from Wang Baole’s palm.

The surrounding fog began to distort in form, the spread of the fog suddenly disrupted as it began to gather instead around Wang Baole. A vortex materialized as the devouring seed unleashed its full power and drew more fog towards it. Wang Baole transformed completely into a vortex, which stopped the spread of the Mystic Trace Fog entirely. Instead, it curled into itself, towards Wang Baole.

An observer standing a distance away would see the fog’s gradual thinning while Wang Baole’s form grew increasingly distinct. The fog finally disappeared completely. In Wang Baole’s right hand, a small yellow sphere that was the size of a fist appeared!

Wang Baole studied the sphere in his hand carefully. He didn’t recognize the bugs at all, but his gut told him that there might be some other use for this sphere. He sealed it and threw it into his storage bag before flying off.

He flew across the visible side of the moon and finally stepped onto the dark side of the moon. He crossed past battlefields. Be it Moon Spirits, beasts with eyes all over their bodies, or the more powerful Night Immortals, all stopped at the sight of Wang Baole. The former would shudder upon seeing Wang Baole, while the latter… after the initial moment of stillness, would fall to their feet as if kowtowing to him!

The Night Immortals’ reactions sent Wang Baole into a contemplative silence. He could feel the green lotus inside his devouring seed swaying slightly. He finally arrived in the central region of the dark side of the moon. He stepped into the valley that he had barely crawled out of alive the last time he was there!

Wang Baole stood in the valley and eyed the ruins before him. He stared at the cavern, what remained of the former valley, and fell silent. Then, he lowered his head and gazed into the darkness of the cavern. After a long while, he finally whispered, “Night Immortal King, do you still… possess a mind of your own?”