A World Worth Protecting

1

As Chen Qing continued to bask in his self-satisfaction, and as Wang Baole looked on with incredulity and envy, a soft cough sounded behind them. It echoed and made the self-satisfied Chen Qing shudder violently. He turned around hastily, the happiness on his face being replaced by a serious expression. His earlier perverted look transformed to one of righteousness as he lowered his voice and bowed.

“Greetings, Master!”

It had to be said that Chen Qing was indeed very experienced. That was why he had been able to react so quickly. Wang Baole was comparably more inexperienced and slower on the uptake. It took him a moment to turn around and see his master, Ming Kunzi, standing behind them.

“Greetings, Master!” Wang Baole bowed hurriedly. He didn’t think that he had been slow to react, but that his senior brother, Chen Qing, must have felt sheepish at his own behavior and thus reacted more quickly.

Wang Baole noticed that their master, Ming Kunzi, didn’t seem to notice Chen Qing. He was instead gazing kindly at him.

“Baole, how’s your Corpse Face coming along?”

Wang Baole hastily replied upon hearing what his master said.

“Dear master, your humble disciple has already familiarized himself with the Corpse Face Art. I’ve followed the will of the Heavenly Dao exactly when I painted the Corpse Face for the dead souls. In addition, every time, sympathy and compassion would rise in my heart, so I’d draw a few more strokes for them.” Wang Baole was extremely pleased with his painting skills. When he said that, Chen Qing, who was standing beside him, blinked. He seemed to find his master’s question slightly strange. Feeling slightly guilty, he decided to steer the conversation away. At present, his Junior Brother Baole was the best way to change the topic.

He spoke hastily, “Master, don’t listen to Junior Brother Baole speak rubbish. I was next to him and saw very clearly that Junior Brother Baole has been mischievous. His Corpse Faces were indeed decent, but this guy… I don’t know why, but he kept painting fatties… It didn’t matter if they were men or women, they all turned out to be fatties. I can almost imagine the future, when this batch of souls is reborn, that the world would suddenly be filled with a whole lot of fatties…” Chen Qing sighed. He lowered his head and winked at Wang Baole. He wanted to tell his Junior Brother that he was sorry, but this senior brother had no other choice. He could only use his Junior Brother as a distraction.

Wang Baole glared. He wanted to explain himself, but then he saw what his senior brother was trying to hint at him. He held back his feelings of injustice and began to sulk. He didn’t say a word.

Ming Kunzi didn’t seem to pay much mind to what Chen Qing said, nor did he pursue it further. Instead, he gave Wang Baole a few tips on the finer details of painting Corpse Faces. Next to them, Chen Qing appeared obedient. He nodded from time to time, as if agreeing with what his master had just said, as if his master was simply too amazing.

After a while, Ming Kunzi left. When he was leaving, Wang Baole noticed his master’s right hand. It appeared more blurry than before. It was like what had happened on the boat, when he had seen his master’s finger.

The sight shocked Wang Baole. He was about to ask his master about it when the latter went away.

“What is the reason behind that?” Wang Baole hesitated before he communicated his doubts to his senior brother. When Chen Qing heard his question, there was surprise and shock on his face.

“You must have made a mistake, I don’t see anything.”

Wang Baole was caught in a slight daze. He thought hard about it and wondered if he had indeed made a mistake. The next day, when he went to visit his master again, he paid greater attention and observed that his master’s hand appeared normal. He couldn’t help but rub his eyes. He thought perhaps there really was something wrong with his eyes.

The doubts in his heart didn’t lessen though. He simply kept them to himself.

Time passed steadily. Another two weeks passed. During this period, Wang Baole continued to paint Corpse Faces every day. With the great number of paintings he did, his Corpse Face Art reached great heights. In addition, with his senior brother helping him to regain his memories, he began to recall the second level of the Dark Art.

The second level of the Dark Art was called… Soul Guidance!

<em>The first level of the Dark Art is Corpse Face, and the second level is Soul Guidance. This is a divine power and a cultivation technique… the Dark Fire is like Spirit Qi. It will continue to accumulate inside the body… </em>As Wang Baole’s memories continued to surface, he consolidated what he now knew about the Dark Art in a manner coherent to himself.

He also knew that the Dark Corpse Face Art was akin to a cultivation technique that was taught to Foundation Establishment realm disciples in the Dark Sect. By mastering this technique, one might be able to achieve a breakthrough in the Foundation Establishment realm and form the Dark Core, and, after which, begin to practice Soul Guidance. However, this way of training was no longer in fashion.

To those who were gifted, the Dark Sect would have the disciple practice Corpse Face until they reached the perfected Foundation Establishment realm. After which, they would begin to practice the second level of the Dark Art, Soul Guidance. This would spur the mutation of the Dark Fire inside their body, and the Dark Fire would grow in strength and number. When the disciple formed their Core, it would be stronger for it.

This was because the Soul Guidance technique accelerated the absorption of Dark Qi and compressed the Dark Fire inside one’s body.

This allowed multiple Dark Fires to appear. The number of Dark Fire appearances would differ according to each individual’s natural talents.

According to the Dark Sect’s records, the highest number of times the Dark Fires multiplied was eighty-one times. This meant that eighty-one Dark Fires layered over one another and eventually formed a Dark Core. Its power was immense. The person who had achieved such a feat was… the Senior Brother beside him, Chen Qing!

Others had managed to reach a couple of dozen layers as well.

As a means of attack, the Soul Guidance technique would summon a Dark Hand from inside one’s body. This Dark Hand could pierce through the flesh of all living creatures and grab hold of its soul!

This was Soul Guidance!

Powerful beyond measure!

If a Dark Core realm cultivator unleashed this technique, its power would be even greater!

After regaining these memories, Wang Baole’s breathing quickened. Besides painting Corpse Faces every day, he began to practice the Soul Guidance technique. It was still a struggle for him to practice this divine power, but its effect of increasing one’s Dark Fires was clear, especially where Wang Baole was concerned. The Dark Fires inside his body grew from its original three to four, then five, then six, then seven…

At the end of the two weeks, he had seventeen Dark Fires inside his body. When they were layered together, their combined power surpassed that of what he had in the past!

Now, when he walked around in the Dark Sect, the mere aura that he exuded would strike fear and awe into the hearts of those souls outside the sect who had sinned greatly in their past lives and had been punished and made into servants. When they saw him, they would quake in their boots and prostrate themselves before him.

This was an awesome aura that Wang Baole hadn’t possessed when he had first returned to the Dark Sect!

Wang Baole had thought that the days that followed would be as peaceful as they were now, that they would pass quietly. However, after seven days passed, suddenly, one day at noon, sudden winds swept into the Dark Sect. Lightning descended, and the heavens boomed with thunder. The skies darkened as an overpowering aura descended from the starry skies!

The aura was simply too overpowering. There were seven presences, and six of them had surpassed the power of a heavenly presence. When they descended, the entire sky quaked, and the planets beyond the Dark Sect shuddered. All living creatures felt a weight upon them. It was as if time itself had slowed down.

They were secondary to the seventh presence. As soon as it appeared, all planets beyond the Dark Sect let loose a loud booming sound. It was as if they were about to collapse into themselves. One could even see lines of fractures appearing on each planet. The Gates of Rebirth on the planets began to sway, and their brightness dimmed. The rivers of souls passing through the gates trembled and froze, seemingly unable to move.

Every Dark Sect disciple on the planets began breathing quickly and unevenly. Alarm and shock rose like waves in their minds. It was the same for the giant planet that the Dark Sect was on. Giant beasts trembled, countless souls shrieked, the earth shook, and the heavens thundered. In the skies above the Dark Sect appeared… seven suns!

Amongst the seven suns, six were crimson red. Only one was purple!

As soon as they appeared, a voice filled with intense fury and violence howled from within the purple sun!

“Ming Kunzi, hand over my daughter’s soul!”

As the howl thundered out, an intense purple light exploded from the purple sun. The same happened with the surrounding six red suns. Light blanketed the entire region in an instant. Violence and heat, carrying infinite destruction, seemed to be threatening the complete annihilation of the region! It appeared as if it was about to crush and turn everything into dust!

As the overwhelming power erupted, within the Dark Sect, an equally overpowering aura erupted. Numerous moons rose to the skies. There were thirteen bright moons, and each one of them exuded a power that rivaled the red suns. They pushed back the intense aura of the red suns, and it was then that the fourteenth moon rose into the sky!

The color of this moon was black!