A World Worth Protecting

The voice that Wang Baole took on sounded slightly raspy and was filled with untamed violence. He was trying to mimic the voice of the giant tree. His voice filled the battleship, and the sound of thunder exploded in the heads of every cultivator on board. They appeared deafened, alarm flashing across their faces.

The Core Formation realm cultivators were unable to withstand his voice. Blood flowed from every orifice on their faces, their minds were overwhelmed, and their cultivation was suppressed. The slightly more powerful Nascent Soul realm cultivators didn’t escape unscathed. Their minds buzzed as they spat out huge mouthfuls of blood. They swayed and would have fallen if they hadn’t grabbed for the wall next to him.

Only the elder, who had the highest level of cultivation amongst them all, managed to withstand Wang Baole’s voice. Even so, blood still seeped from his lips. His face turned pale, and terror flickered in his eyes.

Everything happened before Wang Baole even showed himself. He was still in his immaterial, illusory form and had pounced upon everyone like the devil, leading to their near mental breakdown with only his voice. The series of events had happened in an instant!

In the next moment, before anyone could react, black Qi began to seep in from the walls and floors of the battleship. The entire battleship was filled with black smoke, which was permeated with a terrifying power. It had a corrosive quality that ate into everything it managed to touch.

Within the blink of an eye, the black Qi entered the battleship and headed for the cultivators on board. The cultivators appeared powerless against the smoke. It entered their bodies, curled around their storage bags and their Dharmic treasures, and left immediately.

Some Dharmic treasures were pendants hung around necks, while others were unique treasures kept within the cultivators’ bodies, which were continuously nourished. None escaped. They were all snatched away by the black Qi. The black Qi carried the piles of storage bags and Dharmic treasures and gathered in the air before everyone, transforming into an indistinct silhouette!

The silhouette had an indistinct face, with indistinct facial features, and was surrounded by tufts of smoke that kept expanding and then shrinking. It was a terrifying sight to behold. Two spheres of crimson light lit up the entity’s face. They turned towards the cultivators who had just been robbed of their belongings.

Those illusory eyes almost seemed to take on a physical form when they turned themselves onto the cultivators. Everyone’s minds began to buzz loudly, in alarm, under the stare.

Cold winds began to stir, and a terrible frosty cold invaded the battleship. It chilled one’s physical form while inflaming one’s soul. The cultivators felt as if their souls were on fire. The two vastly different sensations assailed every cultivator on board. They were strange and terrifying sensations. The cultivators at the Core Formation realm couldn’t take it anymore and passed out instantly.

A few of the Nascent Soul realm cultivators were struggling as well. They had to unleash and activate their cultivation to the fullest in order to resist the pain being inflicted on their spirits and their bodies. The elder spat out another huge mouthful of blood as he grabbed onto the chair next to him. Then, with a voice laced with terror, he struggled to speak.

“We are disciples of the Thousand Spirit Sect. Our Grand Supreme Elder is Gongsun Hou. Esteemed elder…”

“Silence!” The entity formed from black smoke snorted before the elder could finish speaking. The sound was like a bolt of lightning assaulting everyone’s minds. The Nascent Soul realm elder could no longer take it and spat out another few mouthfuls of blood. The mysterious entity raised its right hand and swept it across the air.

A strong force suddenly appeared, and a vortex materialized inside the battleship. It led to the outside. The vortex began to draw everything towards it with an overpowering force, yanking at everyone on board with the intention to swallow them whole.

The cultivators reappeared outside the battleship, in the planet’s atmosphere. Fierce winds whipped at them, and thunder roared next to their ears. They trembled feebly, terrified but relieved at their still being alive. They watched as their battleship unleashed a sudden burst of speed and raced off into the distance!

The entire robbery had taken place in a flash. The victims of the crime were currently shivering in the icy winds, most of them looking lost. They couldn’t seem to believe what had just happened to them. They were supposed to be galactic pirates. They had just returned from a bountiful hunt. But just as they had entered their home planet, they had been pirated by someone else in turn!

The elder who had been in charge of leading the team stood immobile for a dozen seconds before letting loose a pained howl. His eyes had turned red. He ignored his fellow sect members, unleashed his full speed, and raced downwards, heading for land!

As he charged out, he lifted his right hand and smacked his chest violently where no one could see him do it. His actions exacerbated his injuries. He looked a mess with blood continuing to spill from his lips as he raced across the planet’s atmosphere. He was heading for the location where they were supposed to meet the sect.

He emerged from the atmosphere and arrived at the designated location. A dozen cultivators from his sect who had arrived to receive his team came into view. He immediately let out a pained scream.

“Sect Lord, I have failed in my duty. I tried my best and fought with everything I had. Despite sustaining heavy injuries, I failed to ensure the safety of our battleship… our battleship… has been stolen!”

The elder forced those words from his lips, then spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air. He appeared to have succumbed to the severity of his injuries and to have lost the ability to fly, falling from the sky. His fellow sect cultivators, who had traveled a long way to receive his team, were all alarmed by the sight. They caught his falling body, and as they began to heal his injuries, they started to ask in detail what had happened. Amongst them was a middle-aged cultivator. Shock flashed across his face as he listened to the elder’s recounting of what had happened. He immediately pulled out a jade slip and sent out a voice transmission.

The next moment was marked by changing skies. Winds howled, and clouds rolled back. A figure emerged in the distance. His appearance was marked by roaring hurricanes all around him. Awe filled the cultivators who witnessed the figure’s arrival. In the next moment, the new arrival appeared before Elder Sun. He was a tall man—much taller than a regular man—with an overpowering early-stage Soul Conduit realm cultivation. He was the Grand Supreme Elder of the Thousand Spirit Sect, Gongsun Hou!

“What happened?” the towering man asked solemnly. His eyes were intense and held a look of authority.

Elder Sun trembled in the face of his own Grand Supreme Elder and frantically recounted the robbery. A flash of murder appeared in Gongsun Hou’s eyes after he was done. The Grand Supreme Elder’s hair shifted in the still air. It was clear that he was deeply enraged.

“Who dares to rob the battleship of the Thousand Spirit Sect? Is he tired of living?” Gongsun Hou raised his right hand and clenched his fist. A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and gathered inside his fist, transforming into a sphere of electricity that hissed dangerously. He flung his fist outward, and the sphere of electricity flew into the atmosphere and exploded. In its wake was a passageway.

The furious Gongsun Hou stepped into the passageway, and his Divine Sense stretched out. With a series of hand seals, he located the position of their sect’s battleship and immediately began pursuit!

As the Grand Supreme Elder of the Thousand Spirit Sect began a furious pursuit, Wang Baole stood inside the battleship of the Thousand Spirit Sect, which was located quite some distance away from the Grand Supreme Elder. Wang Baole had materialized and taken on the appearance of Zhuo Yixian. He stared at the storage bags before him that he had opened earlier, his eyes wide and shining with excitement.

“Star Illusory Stones!”

“I’m rich!” Wang Baole said excitedly. He ignored the donkey next to him, which was licking its lips in anticipation. With a wave of his hand, he stored the storage bags. His eyes landed on the battleship next. He had managed to take control of the battleship quite easily.

There must be some kind of tracker hidden on this battleship… but I can’t just give it up. That’d be too much of a waste… Wang Baole narrowed his eyes before beginning to work.

His proficiency in Dharmic Armaments and the practical experience he had gained over the past months came in useful as he began to dismantle the battleship. He hadn’t had the time to craft more puppets during the past few months. So, to help with the dismantling process, he made use of his essence technique and conjured a few less powerful avatars so that he had a few additional pairs of hands.

The first component to be dismantled was the Dharmic Artifact in the battleship’s core sector. Next came the stellar source that was fueling the battleship. Then came the battleship’s defensive and offensive capabilities. With the help of his avatars, Wang Baole was able to break the battleship apart in quick order. His goal was to dismantle as many components as he could. His priorities were components that were easily taken apart and those that were of the most value.

“Soul Guiding Ring? I’ll take that!

“An engine set? That’s good stuff. It’s mine now!

“Parts made from Shackled Mist Stone? That’s rare. I’ll have that as well!”

Wang Baole grew increasingly excited as he continued taking the battleship apart. The donkey was affected as well. Damage to parts during the disassembly process was unavoidable. These damaged components became the best sort of snack for the donkey. It happily munched on bits of components at the side…

An hour passed. During this hour, Gongsun Hou continued to race madly across the planet. Meanwhile, the battleship was reduced to two-thirds of its original form after Wang Baole’s dismantling and the donkey’s snacking!

Wang Baole finally managed to rein in his greed at the last moment. He filled the storage bags that he had stolen, then, with much regret, stopped taking the battleship apart. He held onto the donkey and turned invisible again. They passed through the battleship and left immediately. Having lost a third of its components, as well as its source of fuel, the battleship began to slow down. It left the planet’s atmosphere and began… to plunge downwards, towards land, like a meteor about to crash!