A World Worth Protecting

1

As the Federation Seedlings gradually awakened, like Wang Baole, all of them began to notice the people around them. They all grew alert and subconsciously moved towards each other. Somehow, be it willingly or not, they all gathered behind Wang Baole.

Everyone here had left their homes and stepped onto the piece of foreign ground that was the ancient greenish-bronze sword. Therefore, they needed to seek solace in each other’s company. At the same time, even though they were unwilling to admit it, Wang Baole was no doubt the most capable. At that moment, Wang Baole’s presence had instantly become an indicator of leadership without needing any words to explain it.

That was especially so for Kong Dao, Zhuo Yifan, and Zhao Yameng. Even though the three of them were elites on their own, at that moment, they still stuck by Wang Baole, looking at the surrounding cultivators from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace with vigilance.

Instantly, silence filled the entire teleportation array formation.

However, the silence didn’t last long amongst the Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators, who were each experiencing different emotions. Soon, a rainbow emerged quickly from the mountain peak a distance away. It arrived so quickly that it created wind and thunder. Looking at it from a distance, one could see a person dressed in a blue Daoist robe, with flashes of lightning accompanying him, arriving at the speed of light.

As the loud boom reverberated and the sound of thunder grew louder, that person arrived in mid-air above the teleportation array formation, stopping. He was a middle-aged man, carrying an expressionless look. At the same time, waves of cultivation aura unique to a Nascent Soul realm cultivator emerged continuously from him, causing the space around him to warp.

The surrounding Vast Expanse Dao Palace disciples immediately greeted him with cupped fists, even though they didn’t say anything. However, based simply on his cultivation and the reaction of the disciples, it could be seen that this person was of high status.

Wang Baole and company also raised their heads to look at the person who had just arrived. When their eyes met, Wang Baole held his breath. He felt that the man’s eyes were like a sharp blade, causing his heart and mind to tremble.

As Wang Baole trembled and the other Federation Seedlings hyperventilated, the middle-aged man in mid-air retracted his gaze and began to speak calmly.

“Federation cultivators, Elder Feng is waiting for all of you at the Heavenly Questions Pavilion. Follow me right now!” The middle-aged man turned, stepping into mid-air as he moved towards the mountain peak. Looking from a distance, his hair was blowing in the wind, making this middle-aged man dressed in ancient robes seem like a mythical god that exuded an indescribable elegance.

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes and cupped his fists immediately. The other Federation Seedlings behind him followed suit. After that, with Wang Baole leading the way, all of them flew out. They followed the middle-aged man into mid-air towards the mountain peak, under the unfriendly gazes of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators.

As they rose to the skies, they saw a bird’s eye view of the entire area. The skies were the color of fire, and even though it was lit, it was a blur, as if a veil was covering it. If they took a closer look, they could see that beyond the veil of the sky, there were flames rolling vigorously.

The ground consisted of a sea of fire and lava that gave off a heatwave in all directions. The entire world was like a gigantic steaming basket, making it difficult for one to breathe. However, it was also here that a level of Spirit Qi that was several times more concentrated than on Earth could be felt.

Even though the Spirit Qi didn’t liquefy, it was extremely concentrated and seemed to be completely different in terms of quality to that on Earth. Wang Baole only took a few deep breaths and was shocked. The absorption of the Spirit Qi by their bodies, as well as their desire for it, made everyone tempted and surprised, and their eyes glowed brightly.

It seemed that the cultivation techniques that they had trained in and their cultivation were very suitable for the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, which was on the ancient greenish-bronze sword. Therefore, despite the high temperature, it was still a haven for cultivation for all of them, one that was even better than the Federation!

On top of that, the numerous islands on the fire sea caused Wang Baole and the other people to be shaken. No matter how they looked at it, the islands seemed more like mountain peaks, with the rest of the mountains buried under the fire sea. Only the tips of the mountains weren’t submerged, and that formed the islands.

The island they were on was apparently the largest one in the region. It could also be said that it was once an astonishingly large mountain and that there existed numerous palaces on this mountain peak, covering it densely from the bottom to the top. The locations where the palaces were built seemed random, yet profound and intentional at the same time.

At the same time, the three halls on the mountain peak were especially eye-catching. They looked identical and were located at the highest point of the mountain. If one stood there, they could get a bird’s eye view of all the smaller islands.

Behind the three halls was a huge rock, which had a wilted ancient tree growing on it. The ancient tree was leafless and only had thick branches spread wide in all directions. An astounding suppressive force was being given off from within it, and it also seemed to surpass the three great halls, becoming the god of the island and the mountain peak!

Even though the large tree had wilted, just by looking at its branches, it was imaginable that before it began to wilt, it was covered in leaves and definitely looked majestic and imposing.

This was what Wang Baole and company saw when they were in the skies. Even though there wasn’t anything particularly special about the layout of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, they were still shocked by everything they saw.

The journey from the bottom to the top of the mountain was accompanied by a large number of auras given off continuously from the mountain peaks of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. The weakest of the auras were representative of the Core Formation realm, and occasionally, the aura of a Nascent Soul realm could be felt. That was especially so inside the palace where the mountain peak was at. There were three streams of force that were similar to that of heaven’s power that were so strong that they gripped one in shock.

It was as if three gods existed on that mountain peak. That made Wang Baole hold his breath, and the Federation Seedlings behind him, including Zhao Yameng and company, also felt their hearts beat rapidly. They moved even closer to Wang Baole.

<em>Compared to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, the Federation is weak… Therefore, this cooperation is unequal. The Federation must be betting that this so-called Light Faction is indeed forming an alliance with the Federation willingly! </em>Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He hummed and heaved a sigh of relief, as based on his judgment, it would have been more suspicious if the other party had been courteous to them from the moment they arrived.

Even if the low-level cultivators weren’t courteous but were treating them equally, it would have put Wang Baole on high alert. Therefore, the disregard and hostility he experienced from most of the other Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators seemed normal.

<em>Let’s see if I have the chance to test the waters… </em>As Wang Baole thought, everyone silently followed the middle-aged man until they reached the mountain peak and arrived at the Heavenly Questions Pavilion in the middle.

The pavilion was vast and filled with an aura that was similar to a giant beast laying in ambush. It was so strong that it was able to shock the heavens and earth, and it made all of the Federation Seedlings nervous. After arriving, they didn’t wait long before the gate of the Heavenly Questions Hall opened up. As it opened, an authoritative voice emerged from within the pavilion.

“Federation cultivators, enter the hall and make your greetings!”

The voice reverberated in everyone’s ears. Wang Baole took a deep breath and was the first to step out into the hall. The moment he stepped in, he immediately saw that there were three seats at the top of the hall. Right now, there were three people sitting in them. Of the three people, the person in the middle was a middle-aged woman, who looked beautiful despite her age. She was clad in a colorful dress and appeared extremely elegant. Her gaze was gentle as she looked at Wang Baole and the other Federation Seedlings that followed behind.

On the left of this woman was a skinny middle-aged cultivator dressed in a black robe. He was expressionless, and his body was similar to that of a skeleton. His gaze was empty, which sent a chill down one’s spine as if their spirits were also trembling with fear.

On her right was an elder. He had his eyes shut, as if in meditation. He seemed disinterested in the Federation Seedlings who had arrived.

Other than the three of them, there were also eight cultivators, a mix of young and old, men and women. They were all looking at Wang Baole and company. The middle-aged man who had led them here was amongst them.

At the same time, the young men and women who seemed to be of similar age to Wang Baole and company, and were beside the three leaders, didn’t appear to have the opportunity to take a seat. Their cultivation levels seemed to be that of late-stage Core Formation realm, but the fact that they could stand beside the trio of leaders showed that they too held a high position. Wang Baole swept his gaze on them and seemed to have concluded that they were also disciples.