A World Worth Protecting

1

The cruiser shot through the heavens and soon reached the Martian City’s military base. As soon as it landed, Lin Tianhao and the other rescued cultivators were immediately taken away to receive medical attention. The Martian City Governor and some others had been waiting for them.

Wang Baole saw Lin You as well. The latter had clearly just arrived. Else, he would have joined the mission to the Blood Cave. He saw Lin Tianhao, who had clearly lost weight but was unharmed in general, and let loose a sigh of relief.

A closer look would reveal the increased number of white hair on his head. There were more of them now than when Wang Baole had first seen him. It was clear. He might have seen calm and composed when he received Wang Baole’s message, but he had been anxious then. The degree of worry he had hidden then must have been indescribable.

He wouldn’t have so easily left the Ethereal City, otherwise, and traveled such a great distance to Mars. He was a senator and the lord of a city, after all.

Now that he had his heart set at ease, Lin You gave Wang Baole a long, meaningful look. He didn’t say much. Instead, he patted Wang Baole on the shoulder. He stopped Lin Tianhao from being sent to the healing chamber in the Martian military base and carried his son away so that he might help him recover elsewhere.

Wang Baole let loose a sigh of relief when he saw that. He never liked owing people favors since he had been young. This unintentional accident with Lin Tianhao had almost led to Wang Baole owing someone something he could never hope to pay back. Now that everything had been resolved, he could finally set his heart at ease.

He thought back to what had happened in the Blood Cave. So many people had died. Some might not have been killed… if Wang Baole had chosen to save them first instead of Lin Tianhao.

But there was no right or wrong where such things were concerned. Anyone else would have made their own choices.

The Blood Cave encounter had left an indelible mark on Wang Baole. There had been so much blood and death. On the other hand, if this really had something to do with the Dark Art, then the Dark Art could undoubtedly be labeled as a heretic mystic art.

<em>The power it had displayed though… in the Blood Cave… was simply too great…</em>

<em>There’s no such thing as a good or evil mystic art. Good and evil is determined by how the practitioner uses the mystic technique! </em>Wang Baole decided. He didn’t intend to stop his practice of the Dark Art because of this incident.

He knew though, from Little Missy’s advice and this incident, that he must never let anyone find out that he was practicing the Dark Art.

When they returned, the giant tree, and Chen Feng and company, immediately had a meeting with the Governor. The others were sent to receive medical attention or rest while Wang Baole was escorted out of the base. He returned back to the academy.

He knew clearly that while this matter had a deep impact on the Martian administration, the majority of Martian cultivators were unaware that anything had happened. Life went on as usual. Nothing changed.

As the days passed by, the frequency of military cruisers appearing in the Martian skies increased. This was the same for the Colony Disciplinary Order. The Martian array formation was activated and tuned up to the greatest extent.

Wang Baole took note of it all. He understood the secrecy of the matter. His current cultivation and Noble status were not sufficient for him to be privy to such matters. Lin Tianhao’s return helped resolve some of his doubts.

“Baole, I’m really grateful for what you’ve done.” Lin Tianhao was still weak, but he was clearly recovering. He no longer treated Wang Baole as purely his boss and saw himself as a mere subordinate of Wang Baole. When he looked at Wang Baole, there was more warmth and gratitude in his eyes.

He had heard that Wang Baole was the one who had saved him. If he had chosen to save someone else then instead of him, it was likely that he would be lying on the autopsy table now awaiting the military’s dissection and study.

“We’re all family. There’s no need for thanks. You took my place in the team. Of course, I’ll give my all to save you!” Wang Baole said sternly. He patted Lin Tianhao’s shoulder.

Lin Tianhao was moved by Wang Baole’s words. He took a deep breath. He didn’t continue to express further words of gratitude. His father had taught him since he was young that some things were best remembered and kept in the heart.

“Right, my father told me to tell you that this incident has something to do with the Martian Divine Armament. Due to certain reasons, he cannot reveal where the Divine Armament is. The original plans to explore the area had been canceled. After this incident, the Martian administration has decided… to reinitiate the Martian Divine Armament project!

“The new project will be different from the previous exploratory project though… the Federation and the various political forces seem to be involved. There’s some conflict and tension. He said that you might receive news of this soon. He might be able to help if you need him to.”

“Eh?” Wang Baole froze. He didn’t really understand what Lin Tianhao had said. He knew about the Martian Divine Armament. This shouldn’t have anything to do with him, though. Since it had nothing to do with him, why would he need help?

Intrigued, Wang Baole asked a few more questions. Lin Tianhao had no details to share though. He only said that his father had only told him so much and that he was to pass the message on to Wang Baole.

Wang Baole set the matter aside for further thought. Half a month soon passed. Lin Tianhao returned to office. With him back to handle the school’s administrative matters, Wang Baole had an easier time at work. He spent most of his time cultivating and going through the blueprints for his stronghold.

Wang Baole kept analyzing and perfecting the blueprints. They were near perfect. His research on the construction puppets was also near completion.

He spent a great deal of time crafting construction puppets. Following the completion of each puppet, he would inspect them and identify areas for improvement. He would perfect his design, then go back to crafting new puppets.

Half a month passed.

During the month, Wang Baole was busy cultivation and crafting, but he noticed the donkey’s strange behavior on multiple occasions. It would run out excitedly early in the morning and return home with a pleased look on its face.

That made Wang Baole curious, but he didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. After all, no one had come knocking on his door asking for compensation for something the donkey had eaten. The school administration was running smoothly.

He stopped thinking about it. He could tell though that the donkey had gone to quite a few places, including Zone Thirty-Six where the military base was.

<em>Did it go looking for the white donkey for revenge? </em>The thought flashed across Wang Baole’s mind. He didn’t think too much about it though. He focused on his cultivation and spent the remaining time crafting puppets.

A dozen or so days passed. Wang Baole had crafted a few dozen puppets. Then, he suddenly received a notice from the Colony Disciplinary Order while in seclusion.

The Colony Disciplinary Order had sent someone over to escort Wang Baole back for a chat!

If it had been before his incident with Li Wan’er in the cave, Wang Baole would have been annoyed. After so many months had passed since the incident, Wang Baole couldn’t help the surge of certain emotions when he received this invitation from the Colony Disciplinary Order.

<em>Looking for me again? Does Li Wan’er miss me or something? </em>Wang Baole blinked. He coughed and pondered for a while before leaving the academy, following the Colony Disciplinary Order officer back to their headquarters.

He didn’t see Li Wan’er when he arrived. He was brought to a room, and the doors shut behind him. An array formation was activated immediately, and a sudden oppressive force appeared and weighed down on him. Wang Baole’s face darkened. He eyed the shut door coldly.

“Colony Disciplinary Order, what do you mean by this!?”

“What do we mean? Wang Baole, you don’t know what’s going on even though you’ve committed a crime?” As soon as Wang Baole spoke, Zhuo Yixian’s voice rang in the room. On the other end of the room, a small door appeared and opened. Zhuo Yixian appeared with seven to eight cultivators behind him. He had his hands behind his back while he sneered.

“What a pity. He actually came as we told him to. We had called for him like what we were supposed to do. If he had refused to obey or tried to drag his feet, according to the procedures, I could’ve sent someone to arrest him directly. Everything would be easier then.” Zhuo Yixian walked into the room and stared coldly at Wang Baole. He sighed inwardly. However, he thought of the evidence he had gotten his hands on this time and grew incredibly smug. He thought to himself secretly that he would show Wang Baole what he was capable of this time. He’d skin him alive and break a few bones. He would stop calling himself Zhuo Yixian if he didn’t do that.

Wang Baole frowned when he saw Zhuo Yixian walking in. His eyes grew cold. He sat down, the gears in his head spinning fiercely. <em>Was this about him practicing the Dark Art?</em>

<em>But no one should know about this!</em>

Wang Baole frantically tried to analyze the situation while appearing calm and composed. It was then that Zhuo Yixian spoke again, with a voice of authority and power. His voice rang loudly in the room.

“Wang Baole, a few months ago, on the day when the blood-colored mist and winds erupted on Mars, the military had gone looking for you but found you missing. Where were you that night? What did you do? Who did you meet?”

Wang Baole, who had been busy thinking about the Dark Art, froze when he heard that. He raised his head and stared at the condescending looking Zhuo Yixian. He blinked. A strange look fell across his face. He was no longer beset by uncertainty. He stopped thinking about the Dark Art. His posture relaxed. The expression on his face shifted though. He said nervously, “I can’t tell you!”

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