A World Worth Protecting

1

Compared to the fury of the Federation, the feelings of the general populace were more important. As the media agencies continued to report such news, both true and false information continued to be spread. It resulted in widespread fear and terror throughout the entire Federation, across all the planets, amongst both commonfolk and cultivators.

The scale of this incident was too big. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators on a planet, all dead within two hours. An unknown virus against which they had no resistance. The terror that this had ignited rose like a tsunami, erupting across large parts of the Federation.

There were even voices that were speaking out and attributing this to the ascent of the Spirit Inception Era. They called for people to abandon their cultivation and for them to give up the path of cultivation. They called for a return to the power of technology and science.

Various bizarre incidents like terrorist attacks, numerous so-called sacrificial rituals, and organizations wishing to contact and reach out to the extraterrestrial civilization were triggered. They happened repeatedly across the entire Federation.

There were many more people who, while afraid, were angrier than they were fearful. Talks about investigation and revenge grew more heated. Everything erupted within one night after the tragedy had taken place.

The Federation’s response was extremely swift. Duan Muque executed a series of measures before setting up a press conference that would be broadcast to the entire Federation. He invited all media agencies and made an announcement regarding the Mercury tragedy!

“If possible, I wish I didn’t have to make this announcement, because none of us wish to see tragedy occur!”

“But tragedy has occurred… this isn’t the fault of the Spirit Inception Era. The only fault… lies in our own weakness!” Duan Muque stood before the entire Federation as he made his proclamation. He had sorrow written on his face, and his voice was heavy.

“Weakness is our sin. I don’t wish to speak pretty words today. I don’t wish to explain or hide. I only want to tell you four things. The first is the truth—what really happened. The second is what the Federation government has done and will be doing in retaliation! The third and fourth, well, you shall find out shortly!

“Firstly, there were two hundred, thirteen thousand, seven hundred, and fifty-six deaths on Mercury! A planet has its own life. Mercury has been robbed of more than half of its life. It is now in the late stages of its life cycle. Perhaps in the near future, our descendants will only be able to read about what Mercury was like in the historical records…

“The cause of death is a virus that was transmitted through light. It is a terrifying virus, but its life span lasts only two hours. The Federation has studied it and has come up with a way to deal with it!

“As for the culprit… we’ve confirmed that it’s an unknown extraterrestrial civilization!”

When the Federation President said this, every resident who was watching the screening grew furious. Even though they had learned that this was indeed true from various media sources, at this moment, many people still wept. The terror in their hearts intensified. There were even signs of a mass mental breakdown in various regions.

Duan Muque paid no attention to all that. His expression and tone of voice remained solemn as he continued speaking.

“Secondly, once we found out about this, the Federation activated the planetary array formation that hasn’t yet been fully constructed. Even though it’s only halfway through completion, it still has the ability to seal and lock down the area. We have also activated the various array formations on the major planets. The Federation army has also been activated, and they are now spread across the entire Solar System and on the hunt. We must… have our vengeance!” Duan Muque shouted his last statement. His aura was no longer solemn at this moment but colored with a tinge of madness and a grim determination!

As soon as his words rang out, they resonated with countless others. The call for vengeance echoed throughout the various regions, and countless Federation residents shouted in unison!

“Thirdly, the Federation isn’t without our Nascent Souls. Previously, the esteemed elder has been away in seclusion, which is why we found it inappropriate to disturb him. Yesterday, he came out from seclusion. He will make a personal trip into space and hunt down the culprits!” At that juncture, the Federation President raised his right hand. An illusory screen appeared behind him. Within the screen reflected the broad expanse of the starlit universe. There was a sword-shaped cruiser speeding through space. Within the cruiser sat an old elder in meditation!

The image of the elder was indistinct and blurred. He was unrecognizable. But where the cruiser passed, a series of ripples in the fabric of space was left in its wake. It was an awesome sight. It was then that the elder opened his eyes. In his eyes was a deep, unfathomable light. His gaze pierced through the screen and stirred everyone in the depths of their souls.

The earlier terror that had risen subsided greatly with the unprecedented appearance of a Nascent Soul, but those earlier feelings of fear were set to rest. The majority of cultivators were roused by the announcement. They knew what a Nascent Soul truly signified. That was why they grew excited. It was as if they had just seen the birth of hope!

“Fourthly, the Federation has successfully invented… an Anti-Spirit Bomb. It is still in its infancy, but its power when exploded… rivals that of a Nascent Soul!”

“We have manufactured our first batch of Anti-Spirit Bombs. There are a thousand of them! If we trigger fifty of such explosions, killing a Nascent Soul will no longer remain an impossible feat! It doesn’t matter how strong the extraterrestrial civilization is, a thousand bombs… are sufficient to wipe them out!” The Federation President declared loudly. There was no video recording of the bombs, but the evidence that he had provided for the previous three announcements was sufficient for the populace to believe in the fourth. With this faith, a great part of their fear fled and faded away.

Duan Muque’s announcement had been an astounding success. The reveal of a Nascent Soul as well as of the Anti-Spirit Bomb had strengthened the public’s confidence.

However, a small minority knew that even if the Anti-Spirit Bomb turned out to be successful, there wouldn’t be many of those around. They wouldn’t number in the thousands and would count themselves lucky to have even a hundred Anti-Spirit Bombs.

Duan Muque didn’t give the populace a chance to react. He swept his large hand aside, and the screen behind him shifted, the silhouette of the Head Senator appearing.

“The Senate will cooperate fully with the Federation to ensure the culprit receives his due punishment. We will fight to the death!”

“The Trilunaris Corporation will contribute its full efforts towards this battle!”

“The Five Generation Sky Clan…”

“The Galactic Dusk Sect…”

“The Plume Manifestation Connate Sect…”

“The four Dao Colleges swear to protect the Federation with its life!”

The silhouette of the Head Senator disappeared and was followed by the representatives of the various political forces. They appeared on the screen, and they were not alone. Behind each one of them were armies of cultivators. Their eyes shone with determination and murder, and they had their desire for vengeance written on their faces.

The entire Federation populace was no longer worried. The Federation officials in the various cities began to comfort their residents and ease their worries. The domestic crisis wasn’t only resolved—the people had gathered and formed strong popular support!

Cries for vengeance and justice became common suddenly. As they spread across the Federation, somewhere in space, a black jellyfish that had merged seamlessly into the dark canvas of space was dashing ahead. It hadn’t yet left the Solar System. It remained and was in the vicinity of Mars, and, judging from where it was headed, it would pass by Mars!

This wasn’t because the three cultivators didn’t want to leave, but because the lockdown by the Federation had led to their increased prudence. This was especially since, after the lockdown in the Solar System, they sensed the presence of two Nascent Souls seemingly searching for them.

The three cultivators became more careful. After all, this patch of the universe contained many entities that terrified them. The rewards they had reaped on Mercury gave them great satisfaction though. They had made up their mind. Their top priority now was to leave as soon as they could.

“With the elder’s jade pendant helping to conceal our presence, I’m thinking maybe we can do this another time… then break out of the array formation and leave!”

“That’s a bit risky…”

The three of them talked for a while and reached a consensus. They decided not to go ahead with the idea. Suddenly, the black jellyfish that had been speeding ahead shuddered violently. It seemed to be sending out a certain emotion, causing the three of them widened their eyes. The cultivator with a centipede on his face hastily pulled out the compass, performing a series of hand seals.

The compass light dazzled suddenly, and an image of Mars appeared. It was amplified countless times until it was revealed that resting deep underground in Mars was a sea of shadow!

Even though they couldn’t see its true form in detail, they could still sense through the compass and feel the extraordinary spirit energies given out from within this shadow!

“It’s a Dark Artifact, my god. It’s actually a Dark Artifact! No wonder the Sea Glutton reacted that way!”

“How is that possible! This is a Dark Artifact. Legends speak of only a few surviving Dark Artifacts in the entire universe. The legends say that a person who wields a Dark Artifact has power over the cycle of life, death, and rebirth!”

Their breathing quickened, and they felt torn. A long moment later, they looked at one another. They knew that they wouldn’t be able to rest well at night if they simply left like that. They gritted their teeth and came to a decision.

“Let’s go take a look. If there’s a chance of taking it, we’ll take it. If there’s no chance, we’ll immediately leave and inform the elders. We’ll call for our clansmen to destroy this civilization and take everything they’ve got!” The red eyes of the three men turned even redder. They steered the black jellyfish in another direction and headed straight for Mars!