A World Worth Protecting

The web-like array formation looked like honeycombs in a beehive. It appeared suddenly and encased the Earth Spirit civilization. No one could enter the civilization, and no one could get out.

Its formation had happened too quickly. A few shuttles that had been hovering at the borders of the Earth Spirit civilization didn’t move away in time and were destroyed instantly. Others were locked outside and couldn’t enter.

The result was panic spreading rapidly across the Earth Spirit civilization’s administration. Something like this had never happened before. But they knew that the only power that could have caused the man-made Eternal Star to set up a seal around the Earth Spirit civilization was… the Violet Gold civilization.

That was why the administration managed to keep their composure despite their anxiety and fear and seek clarification from the people inside the man-made Eternal Star through a special channel. It didn’t take long before a voice, boosted by the man-made Eternal Star and the array formation, spread across the civilization and echoed in the minds of every person in the civilization.

“Find this person. When you do, do whatever it takes to kill him!”

The issuance of that command and the release of Wang Baole’s picture sent the entire Earth Spirit civilization into an uproar. A fervent search soon began. It was clear that they were forced into conducting the manhunt. No one dared to disobey instructions from the Violet Gold civilization.

While the entire Earth Spirit civilization was searching for Wang Baole, the right-hand elder of the Heavenly Spirit Sect was sitting in a pool in the man-made Eternal Star. The water was filled with Spirit Qi. Wisps of mist rose from the Spirit Pool with the rise and fall of his chest and entered his body through his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

His cultivation had been recovered fully, and he had dispelled the curse on him. But because of the serious injuries that he had suffered in the battle on the Eternal Star and his wariness towards Wang Baole, he had decided to recuperate in the man-made Eternal Star first. He would restore himself to his full strength before hunting Wang Baole down.

Even though this wasn’t an Eternal Star, it was still part of the Violet Gold civilization’s protectorate. He was confident of his ability to kill Long Nanzi at his full restored strength. He wasn’t worried that Long Nanzi would escape. Both the man-made Eternal Star and the seal had been set up by three Eternal Star realm patriarchs from the Violet Gold civilization. Even ordinary Eternal Star realm cultivators would find breaking the seal a challenge.

The right-hand elder smiled mirthlessly at that thought. He had other means at his disposal too. He hadn’t been able to establish communications with his sect lord because the Divine Eye civilization wasn’t part of the Violet Gold civilization territory. But now, he could contact the Violet Gold civilization with the help of the man-made Eternal Star. He could seek help from Planet realm cultivators from other sects in killing Long Nanzi. It would be a piece of cake.

However… doing that would call attention to the Heavenly Spirit Sect’s failure. It would be a blow to his reputation and pride too. That was why he squashed that idea as soon as it popped into his head.

We have enough time. It won’t take long. Within two weeks, Long Nanzi will meet his death!

As the right-hand elder recuperated, beyond the man-made Eternal Star and in the Earth Spirit civilization, on a planet closest to the Eternal Star, in an inn in a city on the planet, sat a young man. He was looking up at the sun in the sky, a mirthless smile on his face.

This young man was Wang Baole. He looked very different from a human cultivator presently. Instead of two eyes, he had three. His ears were extremely big, and his arms were thicker than his thighs. He looked extremely strong.

His appearance would have been extremely out of place in the Federation or the Divine Eye civilization. But it was common in the Earth Spirit civilization. That was because everyone looked like that.

The aesthetics of this civilization were different from that of the Federation too. It seemed to prize asymmetry as a measurement of beauty. The buildings were built from piles of differently colored stones. The stones differed in sizes and appearance, so everything looked oddly mismatched. These mismatched buildings formed the city.

Despite its lack of symmetry and beauty, the odd-looking city was filled with people. Streams of pedestrians walked the bustling and rowdy streets. The ratio of cultivators to ordinary folks in the city was startling too. Out of ten people, nine were cultivators. But most of them were at a low cultivation realm. Wang Baole didn’t find a single Foundation Establishment realm cultivator even after looking for a very long time.

So, this is the Earth Spirit civilization… Wang Baole sat in the inn and sipped at what was supposed to be a popular local beverage. He looked up and stared at the sun, his eyes narrowing slowly.

He saw not a sun in the sky but an enormous purple sphere made of metal. If he were to take a closer look, he would be able to see countless inscriptions lining the surface of the sphere. They overlapped one another and emitted bursts of light, releasing heat and light that spread across the entire Earth Spirit civilization.

Wang Baole had noticed some of those inscriptions vanishing and being replaced by new ones. With his former level of cultivation, he wouldn’t have been able to discern the cause for that. But with his current level of cultivation, he could tell what was going on after careful inspection.

What an incredible man-made Eternal Star… It controls all lives in this civilization. When an inscription disappears, it means that a life in this civilization has ended. When a new inscription appears, it means that a new life has been born! Wang Baole sucked in a deep breath. The extent of the Violet Gold civilization’s power alarmed him.

During his escape, he had sensed the seal as soon as it had been activated. He had used the unique abilities of his essence body to take on the form of a local citizen of the Violet Gold civilization. He had also informed Zhao Yameng, who was hidden in a Dharmic Battleship inside his storage bag. She had explained what was going on in the Earth Spirit civilization. However, she hadn’t paid much attention to this civilization when she had been in the Violet Gold civilization. Besides, the inner workings of the man-made Eternal Star were highly confidential. She didn’t know much about it. Wang Baole had to make his own analysis and assessment.

Now that he was aware of his situation, Wang Baole had an idea of what the right-hand elder was planning. As a result, he wasn’t worried about the Violet Gold civilization sending other powerful cultivators after him. He also knew that he still had some time to concoct a plan to escape.

That was why he had come to this city. He intended to find out more about this civilization and take a closer look at the man-made sun. He wanted to see if he could find the sun’s weaknesses. This city was the city that was closest to the sun.

However, he was left sighing secretly after observing the crowd carefully and running through his hypothesis about the man-made sun.

Unbelievable… such man-made suns are beyond my refinement capabilities. The nomological power hidden inside each sun must be incredible. It has the power to keep everyone in the Earth Spirit civilization enslaved for all eternity!

Wang Baole sighed softly. As he frowned, he heard laughter ringing outside the inn.

“Let’s grab a bite before returning to the sect.” According to the standards of beauty in this civilization, these five people were considered extremely good looking. After entering the inn, they chose a table near Wang Baole, sat down, and began chatting merrily.

They were dressed in the same attire. An image of a purple half-moon could be found at the edge of their sleeves. Of the five, four were at the mid-stage Qi Refinement realm. The last, a young man who looked rather arrogant, was at the perfected Qi Refinement realm.

The other customers in the inn were visibly affected by their arrival. Some looked down, while others called for their bill hastily. That sparked Wang Baole’s interest. He decided to listen in to the conversation of these new arrivals.

“Senior Brother Taizhong, you’ve proven yourself once again and done a great service to the sect by exceeding the expectations set for the mission. You’ll definitely gain a breakthrough in cultivation when you return to the sect. You’ll be the cream of the crop in the Orchid Luna Sect then!”

“That’s right. With the tribute that you’ve prepared, you’ll definitely acquire a level two mandate when you return to the sect and make your sacrifice to the Violet Sun. Your potential will be unleashed, and you’ll reach the Foundation Establishment realm!”

“Haha, let’s see if Luo Zhao dares to push his weight around then!”

The young man called Taizhong coughed after hearing what his junior brothers said.

“Alright, serving the sect is part of our duties as disciples. But Luo Zhao… humph. When I get back to the sect, I’m going to teach him a lesson for offending Junior Sister Xiuyan!” The young man called Taizhong spoke coolly. Lust flickered in his eyes as he glanced quickly at the young woman seated next to him. It was then that he realized that her eyes weren’t on him but on a young man seated nearby, next to the window.

“Junior Sister Xiuyan, do you know that person?” Taizhong glanced at the person she was looking at and asked. Scorn flickered in his eyes when he realized that the person was only at the Qi Refinement realm.

“No. But Senior Brother Taizhong, don’t you feel that… there’s something strange about that person? I can’t explain it, but I just have this inexplicable feeling…”

The young man that had drawn their attention was obviously Wang Baole. He had some doubts after overhearing their conversation. Based on what they had said, no practice or training was required for one to advance from the Qi Refinement to the Foundation Establishment realm. There was also no need to find an artifact to serve as one’s core. In fact, one didn’t even need to take pills. All one needed to do was… make a sacrifice to the Violet Sun!

The Violet Sun is the man-made sun. So, a greater mandate and a higher level of cultivation can be acquired by sacrificing to the Violet Sun? Wang Baole’s eyes narrowed. The conclusion that he arrived at inside his head made him sigh.

My understanding of this man-made sun is incomplete. It doesn’t simply determine the life and death of people in the Earth Spirit civilization, it also controls their cultivation. The cultivation of everyone in the Earth Spirit civilization isn’t real. Instead, it’s a result of the man-made sun’s augmentation. The sun determines how much cultivation each person has. If the man-made sun disappears, they will all become ordinary people!

This is a civilization of indentured slaves… Wang Baole took a deep breath. Determination shone in his eyes. He would never allow the Federation to fall into such a state!