A World Worth Protecting

1

Inside the Divine Armament Catacombs, silence reigned.

It was as if the Governor’s ninth-grade Dharmic Armament had destroyed everything with a single blow. Within a short period of time, there would be no beasts in the catacombs.

Even the meatballs previously hanging on the walls had all been destroyed and disintegrated into dust. Wang Baole’s mosquitoes flew ahead, their journey undisturbed. They easily reached the end of the catacombs.

Wang Baole had reached the limits of his control by then. He could vaguely see the wall. His eyes widened, and his breathing stopped. Incredulity colored his face.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen the wall before. It was true he had never seen it with his own eyes, but he had seen images and videos of the wall through the mosquitoes’ eyes and via the reports that Kong Dao submitted on a regular basis.

He remembered the wall as a thick wall of ice that exuded a frightening chill. It was like a hardy fossil resistant to erosion, one that required the constant wearing down by the array formation all hours of the day and night in order to chip away slowly at it.

The rate of erosion was indiscernible to the eye across a brief period of time, and changes were only apparent after decades.

Now, however… the wall appeared before Wang Baole’s eyes. It was clearly more eroded than what he had seen a week ago in Kong Dao’s reports. The erosion seemed like the result of months of wearing down.

This shocked Wang Baole. A strange light glimmered in his eyes, and his breathing quickened. He couldn’t pinpoint the cause that sped up the rate of the wall’s erosion.

<em>Is it because of the appearance of the giant hand? Or maybe the blow from the Governor’s ninth-grade Dharmic Armament? Or perhaps… it’s because of the Dark Qi that I absorbed at an increased rate using my devouring seed? </em>Wang Baole was unclear of the exact cause. However, he could sense that this was an opportunity.

Even though he couldn’t say for sure what sort of opportunities the quickened erosion opened up for him, he had studiously read the high officials’ autobiographies and through that honed a keen instinct. His instincts were telling him that… he could try exploring further on this matter.

With that thought in mind, Wang Baole immediately summoned Kong Dao. Kong Dao hadn’t yet fully recovered from his injuries, but he had healed well and was in fine condition currently. If it had been in the past, he might not have given great consideration to Wang Baole’s summons and got a deputy to respond in his stead. Now, however, he fell into momentary silence and made a personal visit.

He heard Wang Baole’s inquiries regarding the wall. Kong Dao didn’t attempt to conceal what he knew. He shared everything he knew about the wall, including the video recordings he had taken during his observations of the wall yesterday, with Wang Baole.

Wang Baole watched the video, and his eyes shone. Yesterday’s wall and today’s wall were completely different creatures. This allowed Wang Baole to narrow his scope of investigation. However, it was difficult to replicate the appearance of the giant hand or the blow from the Governor’s ninth-grade Dharmic Armament as and when Wang Baole wanted so that he might test and verify his hypothesis.

Based on Wang Baole’s analysis, though, the giant hand’s appearance shouldn’t be the key to solving the mystery at hand. It also seemed improbable that the blow from the ninth-grade Dharmic Armament had been the cause of the wall’s rapid erosion. If that had been the case, the various political forces in the Federation wouldn’t have chosen to set up an array formation here. They could simply take turns unleashing the power of their ninth-grade Dharmic Armaments at the wall.

<em>The reading materials from the Governor said before… only a Divine Armament could forcibly break through the wall! </em>Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. His heart started racing. The only thing that remained before him that required his verification and testing was… whether his devouring seed had an influence on the wall!

The idea burned like a scorching fire inside his heart, fierce and bright. He had no idea why he had to test this theory. His instincts simply told him that if he could indeed verify that the devouring seed indeed was the cause, this would present an unprecedented opportunity for him!

Wang Baole shoved the burning heat inside his heart down and sent Kong Dao off. Then, he raced towards the sealed Divine Armament Catacombs. The area was controlled by the military. However, Wang Baole’s rescue efforts had won the respect of all military cultivators. He was also the mayor. No one would try to stop him, and some even volunteered to escort him in.

Wang Baole didn’t want others to witness his attempts. He turned them down politely. Then, with a racing heart, he sent his mosquitoes out first to scout out the area before entering the catacombs alone.

He didn’t venture too deep into the catacombs and stopped at an appropriate section. He checked that there were no dangers around, then, controlled his excitement as he used the Dark Art as a foundation while activating his devouring seed. Instantly, a rush of chilly aura erupted from within the depths of the catacombs and surged towards him. Wang Baole transformed into a vast whirlpool that drew the chill inwards. At the same time, he allowed part of his attention to settle on the mosquitoes that had ventured near the wall at the end of the catacombs, pushing them to investigate the area swiftly.

Wang Baole shuddered at what he saw. He could see, clearly, the wall eroding at a rapid rate as his devouring seed churned.

<em>It was the devouring seed all along! </em>Wang Baole perked up. He stopped the churning of his devouring seed before turning and leaving hastily. He soon exited the catacombs and sealed it shut. Wang Baole returned to his residence. He wasn’t in the mood for meditation. Instead, he started pacing in his residence.

<em>This is an opportunity…</em>

<em>Let me think, how should I play this so that I can fully utilize this opportunity to my maximum benefit…</em>

<em>How should I do this… </em>Wang Baole’s Spirit Qi stirred as countless thoughts flashed across his head. He seemed to have exhausted himself with the intense thinking, so he pulled out some snacks and started eating while continuing his brainstorming.

<em>Firstly, the Federation will definitely treat something that can increase the rate the wall is eroding with the utmost importance… Even though my individual powers are limited, and I’m not inclined to reveal the existence of my devouring seed, the mystic technique I taught the students in the Dao Mountain Mist Academy should be able to achieve a similar effect…</em>

<em>However, it has to be built on the foundation of the Dark Art… this can be easily done. I just have to convert the mystic art into an array formation and turn myself into the core of the array formation!</em>

<em>This way, the array formation will be able to amplify the powers of the devouring seed and absorb the Dark Qi inside the catacombs at a furious rate, increasing the speed the wall is eroding! </em>Wang Baole paused in his pacing and slapped his thigh loudly before raising his head. His eyes shone with excitement and anticipation. He could hardly contain his emotions. He had combined everything he had learned from the high officials’ autobiographies and came up with… a solution that was out of this world!

<em>If I’m able to achieve that, I’ll be able to gain complete control. The array formation… will need more resources and greater space. That’s why… we need to expand the existing city zone extensively based on the existing infrastructure already in place…</em>

<em>We’ll then be able to set up the Devouring Seed Array Formation on the foundations of the Qi Fostering Spirit Array Formation!</em>

<em>If the Federation approves my proposal, I’ll have the final say on how much we will need to expand the city zone in order to accommodate the array formation. I can expand the city zone multiple times and turn it into a… new Martian city!</em>

<em>That’s right, that’s how this is going to work. That’s the opportunity I instinctively sensed. If the array formation is successfully set up, this will present an opportunity for me to transform a city zone… into an actual city! </em>Wang Baole’s head started buzzing noisily. There was no doubt that his idea was an extremely bold venture, but if he succeeded… the new city zone would become a fully formed city. His Noble would naturally be elevated despite there being no chances of it happening previously. He would no longer be a Primary Rank Four Noble but rise to become a Primary Rank Three Noble!

After all, the Federation wouldn’t allow a mere city zone to possess the structure and scale of an actual city, that would create chaos in the existing administrative system and structure. Once something like that happened, the city zone would be reclassified as a city!

Wang Baole was the key to building the city. He would have been the one who submitted the proposal. He would become irreplaceable, to a certain extent. What was equally important was also… the urgency the Federation would have in wearing down the wall inside the Divine Armament Catacombs as soon as possible. As long as his theory was valid and could be implemented successfully, there was a great chance of him being made a Primary Rank Three Noble without much quibbling!

<em>What this means is that the more territory I have, the more powerful I will become! Wang Baole was overcome with excitement. He realized he was simply too clever. He actually came up with such a brilliant and crazy idea. He grabbed a bottle of Ice Spirit Water excitedly and took a huge gulp. The fire inside him burned brighter.</em>

<em>I won’t share this with anyone at the moment. As for converting the simplified devouring seed mystic technique into an array formation… </em>Wang Baole considered his options while his heart raced. Finally, the image of Zhao Yameng and the Ethereal Dao College surfaced in his mind.

<em>I’ll ask Zhao Yameng for help. At the same time, I’ll get the Sect Lord to provide some assistance as well! </em>At that thought, Wang Baole turned on his voice transmission ring hastily and called Zhao Yameng.

Zhao Yameng was stationed on Earth in the Federation Capital. Currently, she was sitting inside her office. A beautiful and dignified young woman, she had earned the adoration of countless male cultivators since she assumed office. However, her presence inspired shame and guilt in the opposite sex when they stood before her.

Before her stood a rather good-looking young man, he had adoration in his eyes and spoke softly.

“Minister Zhao, our department is holding a party tonight. Will you…”

Zhao Yameng lifted her head before he could finish saying what he wanted to say. She gave him a deep, meaningful look. The young man started to sweat profusely under her gaze. He grew nervous and awkward, started stuttering, and couldn’t finish his words. He left silently.

Zhao Yameng lowered her head after he left and resumed reading her documents. It was then that her voice transmission ring rang. Wang Baole’s loud voice rang out from the voice transmission ring.

“Yameng, did you miss me? Let’s have a hug that stretches from Earth to Mars, across the vast expanse of space.”

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