A World Worth Protecting

Daoist You Ran’s order was transmitted throughout the base on Mercury. Dao Palace cultivators, as well as parasitic Never-Ending Clan members hiding in their host bodies and leading the Dao Palace cultivators, acted upon the order immediately. Because of greed and profit, a second great war had broken out in the Federation civilization!

The battle at Venus had commenced!

The Never-Ending Clan and the Vast Expanse Dao Palace seemed confident of their victory. There were no doubts that they would win this war. Their only concern was to do so with minimal loss while obtaining the greatest victory. The Federation’s Anti-Spirit Bombs had made them cautious.

They were wary of the Anti-Spirit Bombs’ power, as well as the Federation’s display of its intent… to risk everything for the war!

Including, for example… blowing up a whole planet in order to kill its enemies!

Such a self-destructive method that caused harm to their own while inflicting destruction on the enemy was a source of frustration and annoyance for the Dao Palace and the Never-Ending Clan.

That was also the reason why, despite having taken over Mercury, Daoist You Ran hadn’t immediately launched a full-scale offensive on Venus. He had instead waited for the Death Dao Battleship to be repaired to a level where it could overpower Venus’ self-destruction before commencing an attack on the planet.

The Federation had known that this would happen. The main objective of this battle was to determine how to successfully initiate Venus’ self-destruction and cause maximum damage to the Dao Palace.

It was a tough balance to strike. Despite a great deal of preparation, the Federation wasn’t confident of its success. Timed too early, the self-destruction might be rendered useless. Timed too late… and they might lose all chances of even triggering an explosion in the first place.

That was why Li Xingwen and Duan Muque had decided to send the lunar stronghold over. The lunar stronghold was to hold off Daoist You Ran’s battleship and allow the successful explosion of Venus.

That was why the Federation notified Wang Baole immediately when they had discovered movement from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace and the Never-Ending Clan troops. They instructed him to speed up and make sure he arrived in time.

Li Xingwen, Duan Muque, and the others in command also sent orders for all Federation cultivators and battleships to fall back and form a defensive formation around Venus. Nine strong defensive rows formed and awaited further orders. All mechanisms were activated. Array formations and large-scale military Dharmic Artifacts alike were kept running.

Numerous small teams that added up to tens of thousands of cultivators were spread out around Venusian galactic space. They were the first swords to engage in battle. Leading them were Sect Lord Xu of the Galactic Dusk Sect and the giant tree.

As Nascent Soul realm cultivators, they were given full responsibility of these teams. Li Xingwen was in charge of shifting the line of defense, while Duan Muque was to control the pace in which the battle would unfold.

They also had Feng Qiuran, the only Soul Conduit realm cultivator on base. Her cultivation had almost recovered to its former peak condition after a long period of rest. Her mission was to make use of the boost provided by the Solar System Array Formation, in coordination with her cultivation techniques, and create multiple doppelgangers to hold back Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivators!

It was an extremely heavy responsibility with grave consequences!

As Venus deployed its full defenses, the Vast Expanse Dao Palace troops were taking off from Mercury. The troops gathered and then fanned out into an offensive formation as they headed towards Venus. The day that the two forces were going to clash drew near. In the space between Earth and Venus, Wang Baole was commanding the lunar stronghold and speeding towards Venus. He was faced with a difficult decision.

“City Lord Wang, based on the moon’s current speed, we will need at least two weeks before we reach the Venusian line of defense!”

“Even if we were to risk everything and overload the engines, we can only shorten our journey to ten days. That is assuming everything runs smoothly during the journey. Such prolonged overtaxing of the engines brings a high risk of instability… If any accident were to occur, the moon might cave in while traveling at such high speed.”

In the command center, Wang Baole’s face was stormy as he listened silently to his staff’s report.

Li Xingwen’s instruction to him was to arrive within two weeks. However, Wang Baole knew that nothing was predictable on the battlefield. If luck were on their side, nothing unexpected would happen. But should the Dao Palace and the Never-Ending Clan arrive earlier than expected and initiate battle before the lunar stronghold could arrive, the Federation would be plunged into a dire situation.

We have to get there as soon as possible… Wang Baole narrowed his eyes, which flashed with determination. He immediately ordered for the stronghold to sustain the prolonged overtaxing of their engines. The other cultivators in the command center showed signs of hesitation after receiving his orders. Regardless, they chose to obey. As the moon sped through space, it suddenly quaked as its engines received another boost of energy. It had been relying on the occasional burst of propulsion to glide through space. Now, it propelled itself forward with a sustained thrust.

Deafening booms thundered across the entire moon as its speed tripled. Waves of energy appeared to surge outward in endless ripples as the moon charged towards Venus.

Time continued to pass. The Federation’s populace kept their eyes glued on Venus. Be it the folks on Earth or Mars, their attention was focused on the impending Venusian battle. They watched with great sorrow that concealed within it hope.

Six days passed on Earth. On the seventh day, the battle on Venus officially began!

First, a dozen enormous vortexes appeared beyond the Venusian line of defense. From within the vortexes scattered a myriad of colors. From within the dazzling colors emerged Dao Palace battleships that charged forward!

The first wave of Never-Ending Clan and Dao Palace troops had arrived in hordes of Dao Palace battleships. They approached the outermost ninth line of defense around Venus.

Venus was a blur in the cosmos. Surrounding it were numerous Federation battleships. Beams of light from array formations criss-crossed space, and countless Dharmic Artifacts glimmered with a cold light. The battle started as soon as the first wave of Vast Expanse Dao Palace troops arrived!

It was a fierce battle, whose intensity spiraled to a peak almost as soon as both forces collided with each other. The combat teams helmed by the giant tree and Sect Lord Xu faced the greatest dangers. Battleships on both sides thundered with each shot taken, and masses of Dao Palace cultivators rushed out from the battleships, their lust for battle credits driving them to attack. The clashes of battle rang in the cosmos, and explosions boomed and resonated throughout the entire ninth line of defense.

The Vast Expanse Dao Palace troops were like locusts, eating away at the Federation’s defenses. They were like a flood that continued to push the Federation back. The ninth line of defense was in critical danger. Despite the Federation’s continuous readjustments of their forces, the overwhelming difference in power was apparent. The ninth line of defense began to display signs of collapse.

The force of array formations and Dharmic Artifacts continued to be unleashed. Bursts of spells shot through the cosmos, blinding beams that lit up the battlefield. Some Federation cultivators chose the route of the kamikaze warrior, blowing themselves up. The casualty count spiked within the short period of time since the battle had commenced.

A Soul Conduit realm cultivator, who had been hiding inside a Dao Palace host body, appeared in the ranks of the Never-Ending Clan. He had been one of the cultivators who had attacked Wang Baole and escaped with Daoist You Ran’s timely rescue. His appearance was like a sharp arrow that tore through the ninth line of defense. He was about to charge through when Feng Qiuran, who had received her orders, summoned a projection of herself. The latter flew out and intercepted the Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivator. The both of them engaged in battle instantly!

The battle seemed to have reached peak intensity. It was then that a dozen more vortexes appeared in the cosmos. The second wave of Dao Palace troops had arrived, and the situation on the battlefield was once again transformed!

Duan Muque had a full overview of the situation. He was able to see how the war was progressing through the Solar System Array Formation. Every other Federation cultivator on the battlefield was both part of a united front and an independent entity. They had no idea how they were faring as a whole. What they knew was… to keep on fighting!

Zhao Yameng, Li Wuchen, Kong Dao, and the others might not be part of the forces fighting in the outer regions, but as members of the rescue forces, they had been driven mad with killing. They continued to provide support. The battlefield was filled with the sounds of violence that continued with no end in sight.

As the battle raged on, Wang Baole was rushing towards the battlefield at full speed. His access rights gave him access to information that told him the battle on Venus had begun. This caused his heart to rage with anxiety. The cultivators in the lunar stronghold had calculated that at the speed they were traveling, they would need another four days before they could reach the battlefield.

Four days… can we make it? Wang Baole was silent for a few moments. Then, a bright, determined light filled his eyes. He couldn’t wait four days. He wasn’t willing to bet on Venus lasting four days.

Any accident on the battlefield could change everything. The best option was to reach the battlefield as soon as possible and throw the might of the lunar stronghold, as well as his own power, into the fight. That was the best way to optimize the Federation’s advantages.

Everyone in the lunar stronghold’s command center could see the resolution in Wang Baole’s eyes. They could guess his thoughts. One of them grimaced, then spoke.

“City Lord Wang, this is the greatest thrust the lunar stronghold is capable of generating at the moment…”

“That’s not true!” Wang Baole raised his head skyward. There was a strange light in his eyes. He vanished amidst the crowd’s startled looks and reappeared in midair. Gazing toward the resting place of the Night Immortal King, he cupped his fists and made a deep bow. He muttered, “Senior Chen Mofeng… my apologies for disturbing your rest!”

Then, without hesitation, Wang Baole unleashed the full force of his devouring seed. The green lotus resting within began to sway violently. Out of the hundreds of lotus seeds it had, one exploded!

At that same instant, deep within the moon’s cavern, the slumbering Night Immortal King suddenly… opened his eyes!