A World Worth Protecting

1

“Li Wan’er!” The slap immediately made Chen Mu’s right cheek balloon into a swollen lump. It landed a thunderous blow in Chen Mu’s heart. At that moment, signs of fracture in the relationship between the Five Generation Sky Clan and the Senate seemed to appear!

But clearly, Chen Mu, who had been assessed as overambitious and lacking in ability by the Governor, wasn’t thinking about the alliance between his family clan and the Senate. He was boiling with rage. He had never been at the losing end of a deal since he had been a child. In fact, no one had dared to so fearlessly slap him in the face.

The woman before him had dared to hit him, and she had hit him because of Wang Baole. Chen Mu’s eyes reddened immediately. He stared at Li Wan’er unblinkingly. If looks could kill, he would murder Li Wan’er right now!

But his cultivation wasn’t as high as Li Wan’er’s. At present, Li Wan’er’s eyes were icy cold, and a dangerous look glistened in them. Even Chen Mu felt threatened.

<em>She’s going to kill me! </em>Chen Mu came to his senses suddenly. His breathing quickened. He could feel the murderous intent exuding from Li Wan’er. At that moment, such ideas did surface in Li Wan’er’s mind. The way she saw it, as long as Chen Mu died, her father wouldn’t be able to force her to marry him.

As long as he was dead, everything would be solved. She wouldn’t have to trouble herself over this anymore.

As long as he was dead, all the problems that she had now would no longer be a problem at all. She could save herself from further trouble.

This thought continued to surface in her mind, and the light in her eyes grew more and more dangerous. Chen Mu shuddered and slowly retreated. He pulled out a jade slip, watching Li Wan’er cautiously as he quickly stepped out of her office. When he finally got out, he left in a sudden burst of speed, racing off without even turning his head.

Li Wan’er didn’t pursue him. She stood there, watching coldly as the cowardly Chen Mu ran away like a dog with its tail between its legs. The dangerous light in her eyes didn’t fade away but intensified instead. This was her true nature. In the past, when Jin Duoming had only teased her slightly, she had gone after him and almost castrated him. The incident showed the steely strength and the force of her character.

She had tolerated Chen Mu in the past because of her father’s stern warnings and reminders. She had held herself back because she had to consider the bigger picture.

She no longer wanted to merely tolerate. Li Wan’er’s character might be simple, but she was no fool. She knew how easy it was to kill someone. But to kill someone without implicating herself—that was the challenge.

That was why she hadn’t struck immediately. She sat in her chair, rubbing at her forehead while thinking. An idea of how to set up the murder surfaced in her mind!

Chen Mu, who was the target of Li Wan’er’s murderous ploy, was filled with terror as well as madness and rage. He returned to his city zone swiftly. He finally felt safer when he reached his autonomous zone. That was when he started cursing loudly.

“That slut, that prostitute. Li Wan’er, you dare think of murdering me. Wang Baole may be a pig, but you’re no better than him!” Chen Mu panted. He pulled out his voice transmission ring and contacted his family clan. However, as soon as he pulled out his voice transmission ring, he tried to control himself and put it down. He knew that even if the family clan learned about Li Wan’er and Wang Baole, they wouldn’t act as he wished them to.

Both he and Li Wan’er weren’t important to the family clan. What was important was the alliance with the Senate. Chen Mu could even imagine his family clan finding out about this and asking him to ignore it and turn a blind eye. They might even issue a stern warning and ask him to apologize to Li Wan’er immediately.

The Head Senator would do the same. The objective of both parties was to establish an alliance through this marriage. There were plenty of political forces opposed to this marriage currently. That was why they were currently only engaged and not yet truly married.

The political situation in the Federation was complex and delicate. Everything must be done with the utmost care. Else, it might invite trouble and unforeseen consequences. The Head Senator and the Chen family had planned for a year and a half long engagement. This would allow the other political forces to adjust and accept the arrangement. Then, they would proceed with the marriage.

If anything were to happen during this period, even if they didn’t wish for it, it would also allow them the freedom to step away from the marriage. Of course, neither of them would want to do that unless it was the last resort.

Chen Mu, who was clearly aware of all this, could only clench his teeth. However, he simply couldn’t take this lying down. He sat there with his eyes narrowed. After thinking for a moment, decisiveness flashed in his eyes. He immediately contacted his family clan.

He didn’t speak of his conflict with Li Wan’er but instead asked about what they had learned about the small drum—the small drum that had been presented to him by someone who had been his former subordinate and had represented his supposed master.

When Chen Mu had taken the drum, he had sensed the extreme evil and power within it. He had then secretly sent it back to his family clan for their study. He had also reported the encounter to his family clan and awaited their decision.

Now, his family clan gave him an answer after his inquiries. During this period, the entire Chen family had been busy studying the small drum, even seeking out the elder of the family. They had finally learned the identity of the person who had delivered the small drum to Chen Mu. He was someone related to the Divine Armament Catacombs.

They could see the advantages and disadvantages of the collaboration, but most importantly, they had verified repeatedly that the small drum was indeed the core device that controlled a certain puppet!

They didn’t know what puppet it was, but its strength rivaled a perfected Core Formation realm cultivator!

This caught the Chen family’s interest, as the elder of the Chen family was also at the perfected Core Formation realm. With this puppet, the Chen family’s strength would double!

They discussed at length. Coincidentally, Chen Mu had come asking. Chen Mu’s father stepped forth then and gave Chen Mu an answer!

“Mu’er, you can go ahead with this collaboration… but you must keep it a secret. If anything happens, this will be on your head. The family clan will have nothing to do with this!

“But the Grand Elder told me to tell you that if you’re able to successfully wield this perfected Core Formation realm puppet and escape unscathed after this incident, you’ll inherit the position as the head of the Chen family clan. There will even be a place for you in the clan’s council of elders!”

Chen Mu’s heart dropped when he heard the first half of what his father had said. After he heard the second half though, his breathing quickened. Blood colored the veins in his eyes, and they glowed with a fierce light. He knew the power that he would possess after becoming the head of the family. He also knew what it meant to have a place in the council of elders in the clan. This was the highest position one could aspire to in the entire Five Generation Sky Clan!

He would have the authority and power to speak to the Head Senator on equal footing.

A tinge of madness colored Chen Mu’s eyes. After speaking further with his father and finding out that the family clan had analyzed the origins of the small drum, he ended the transmission.

Chen Mu placed his voice transmission ring down and took a deep breath. The rage and murderous intent he had felt because of Li Wan’er was unleashed without concealment that instant. He was filled with determination and decisiveness. He gritted his teeth and came to a decision.

<em>So what if we’re working with an unknown entity from the Divine Armament Catacombs!</em>

<em>Even if it turns out to be an evil demon, I don’t care. As long as this succeeds, I’ll be able to build a bright future for myself. I’m betting everything… on this!</em>

A terrible light shone in Chen Mu’s eyes. After he made up his mind, he contacted his family clan. Then, he waited. A few days later… the small drum was delivered to him by someone from the family clan. That night, with a tinge of madness in his eyes, Chen Mu began to sound the small drum!

As soon as the small drum sounded, the secret chamber that he was in suddenly turned ice cold. An invisible wind suddenly swept through the room, blowing in all directions. Frost appeared on the walls, the ice grew thicker, and finally, the entire secret chamber was transformed into an ice cave!

The chill was black and exuded an immensely cold and dark intent.

“I agree to the alliance. But… how are you going to guarantee that I’ll be able to control this perfected Core Formation realm puppet that you speak of? You must let me have this puppet first!” Chen Mu was feeling slightly chilly. For his bright future, though, he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice.

As his voice rang in the secret chamber, a sudden blurry figure appeared in the frosted layers on the wall. It seemed to be inside the ice, as if the ice contained a separate world. It was a man in black robes. His features were indistinct. However, as soon as he appeared, Chen Mu’s breath froze. He could feel a terrifying aura surging forward and overpowering him.

He shuddered. He couldn’t control himself from staggering a few steps backward with shock in his eyes. Before he could speak further, the ancient, low and raspy voice of the black-robed man rang out from within the ice.

“The puppet that you want… must be crafted by yourself. I will teach you how to make it… as for the guarantee of control… you will use your own blood to feed and nourish the small drum. It will become yours and form the core of the puppet…

“But because of certain reasons, which your family clan may be aware of, you can only craft the puppet here… I only ask one thing of you… when the puppet is successfully made, you must kill… Wang Baole!”