A World Worth Protecting

1

The mission, which hundreds of Never-Ending Clan members participated in, didn’t take long to complete. It ended six hours later. Wang Baole didn’t know the exact number of fatalities from the Dao Palace, however, based on what he had witnessed, it was definitely more than forty.

In the end, under the joint forces of multiple Soul Conduit realm cultivators, the city ruins were forcibly wiped off the face of the star, never to be seen again.

As for the cultivators who had been recruited to participate in the mission, they were permitted to leave with the mission’s completion. They left separately, and a dispirited Wang Baole dashed off towards the rear of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s mountain gates.

Having participated in the mission and witnessed the Never-Ending Clan fighting firsthand, there were no longer as many flaws in Wang Baole’s imitation of an Never-Ending Clan cultivator. Wang Baole no longer hid his tracks as he traveled, speeding through the air boldly instead.

He encountered quite a few Never-Ending Clan members along the way. He didn’t wait for them to spare him a glance, though. Instead, Wang Baole actively threw an assessing look at them. Their eyes would meet, and they would exchange nods before going their separate ways.

His journey was undisturbed by danger. Wang Baole returned once again to the back of the mountain gates of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Upon arrival, he stood and stared at the jackhammer-shaped Dharmic Artifact, listening to the thunderous rumblings it made. Little Missy’s voice rang out in his head.

“Where did you learn it… the Never-Ending Clan’s language!”

“This is the language of the Dark Sect. Don’t you know, Little Missy?” Wang Baole replied calmly.

Little Missy sank into a long bout of silence after hearing Wang Baole’s reply. She recalled the temporary void that she had experienced when Wang Baole had been in the Dark Artifact. She had her suspicions. At the same time, she couldn’t help experiencing a sense of helplessness once again—one caused by the incredulous Wang Baole. It seemed that no matter how impossible a task was, as long as she spoke it and got him to try it, he would, after some time, manage to succeed at the task.

Her head began to throb even harder at that thought. Despite realizing that Wang Baole had probably seen through her bluff regarding the Dark Sect, she still believed that whatever she had said remained true as long as she didn’t admit otherwise. She snorted.

“Of course I do. I’m just testing you!”

“Oh? What’s the point of this test? You’re not planning to get me to play the hero, are you? I’m really not cut out for that, Little Missy.” Wang Baole stretched lazily. He set aside the mixed feelings he felt towards the massacre on the Vast Expanse Dao Planet. His logic was simple. He was no saint. He only had the Federation in his heart and would only be responsible for the Federation.

The Federation, and the Dark Sect.

Even though his heart went out to the Vast Expanse Dao Planet, he could only give it his sympathy. That was why he had asked Little Missy that question—to stop her from talking and getting him to take on the restoration of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace as his duty.

“The truth is, while the Dark Sect has fallen, its foundations remain. Within the Never-Ending Clan is a mysterious and powerful entity who is a spy from the Dark Sect. This is information of utmost secrecy and confidentiality. The Dark Art that I’ve learned was originally passed down by this person. That’s why you can even consider me one of his extended disciples!” The gears spun furiously in Little Missy’s head, and she whipped up a tale in a matter of seconds. Once done with her tale, she couldn’t help but feel pleased with how quick she was on her feet.

“I tested you because I wanted to know if you had any chance of gaining my master’s approval. With his help, the possibilities in your future would be limitless!”

Little Missy grew even more pleased with herself as she continued. If she could conjure an image of her actual body, one would see her with her arms half-raised and fists pumping in the air, as if in a show of encouragement.

There was an increasingly odd expression on Wang Baole’s face. He hadn’t believed what Little Missy had said earlier. However, her current tale seemed reasonable. Wang Baole began to doubt himself. In the end though, he still decided not to believe her.

Wang Baole took into consideration his still being in the middle of a mission and decided not to express his disbelief. He nodded his head and went along with Little Missy. She grew more pleased and finally shared the location of the secret passage with Wang Baole.

Wang Baole was tickled by Little Missy as she gained peace of mind. She was rather adorable this way. After all, girls whose favor could be easily gained were all adorable creatures.

Having located the secret passage, Wang Baole continued to tease Little Missy while he sped down the pathway, deep into the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s mountain gates.

The secret passage was extremely well-hidden. It was filled with dust and dirt, and some segments had caved in. That didn’t pose a problem to Wang Baole, though. He advanced steadily. Two hours later, Wang Baole appeared inside the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s mountain gates, within the mountain itself!

The mountain had been sliced into two, and an enormous Dharmic Artifact continuously extracted its galactic source. That resulted in multiple cracks and crevices in the mountain body—obstacles in Wang Baole’s path.

This wasn’t something that was completely insurmountable. It was merely time-consuming. Several hours later, with Little Missy’s guidance, Wang Baole finally made his way deep into the mountain and arrived outside a secret chamber!

The walls surrounding the chamber were lined with cracks, and there were remnant energies from a hex in place. The cracks in the walls might have damaged the hex and weakened the latter’s power, but it was still powerful enough that Wang Baole’s spirit was almost torn apart when he first experienced it. His spirit quaked, and his mind turned blank. His body swayed unsteadily and was on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, at that critical moment, the disguise cloaking Wang Baole’s actual form began to exude a gentle force that brought Wang Baole’s back to his senses. Face pale and spirit shaken, he retreated hastily. Even with the protection of the Vast Expanse Laws, he could still sense the immense danger before him.

“Little Missy, are you trying to get me killed…” Wang Baole grimaced. The alarming sense of danger he could feel now was far greater than that given off by a Soul Conduit realm cultivator. His experience in the Dark Dream allowed him to conclude, with some measure of certainty, that this hex had been set up by someone who was as powerful as his master in the Dark Sect.

Besides, it was incomplete and damaged. If it had been kept intact, he might not even have been able to enter these grounds. His soul would have been ripped apart while he was still a distance away.

“The hex’s core function is to hide this place… Don’t worry, the fact that the hex is still here means that the Never-Ending Clan hasn’t yet discovered this place. Get in, quick. The stone tablet I’m looking for is inside!” Little Missy coughed to hide her embarrassment, then spoke hastily.

Wang Baole hesitated for a long moment before approaching cautiously. Little Missy did her best to wield the Vast Expanse Laws around Wang Baole and fight the hex. As Wang Baole shuffled his feet forward, he finally reached the chamber’s stone doors. He gave them a push, and the doors opened slowly. Wang Baole took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stepped in.

As soon as he entered the chamber, the hex began to give off a blinding light. Strands of light appeared before Wang Baole. Any single one of those strands of light would have sent Wang Baole leaping out of his skin. Fortunately, he had the protection of the Vast Expanse Laws, so the light couldn’t cause him any harm.

The approach of each strand of light brought with it the shrieking sound of sharp slicing, which sent shivers traveling down Wang Baole’s spine. He could see the nexus of these strands of light in the room. Within the nexus floated something palm-sized, halved… the stone tablet!

It seemed as if it wasn’t real at all. It was translucent and covered with lines of inscriptions incomprehensible to Wang Baole. It seemed to be pulsating slowly with light, in accordance to some kind of rhythm. An indescribable, ancient aura surrounded the stone tablet.

As Wang Baole’s eyes fell on it, they seem to see the deaths of many, the destruction of stars, the collapse of the sun, and the withering away of the entire universe. At the same time… they also saw the source of everything, new life, new stars, a new sun, and the birth of a new universe!

It was as if the entire universe was housed inside the stone tablet. It wasn’t whole and appeared incomplete…

“What… is this…” Wang Baole’s breathing paused as he murmured.

“I have no idea either. But when I was a kid, my father once told me that this is the Dao that the supreme cultivator in another Dao Domain had discerned in six steps!” Little Missy muttered. Wang Baole’s bewilderment grew. After a long moment, as piercing shrills continued to attack his eardrums, Wang Baole finally came to his senses.

“How do we grab it? Let’s make a move soon. I have a feeling my clothes aren’t going to stay in one piece for much longer!”

“Don’t panic. I wasn’t stringing you along. Here, you will be able to draw the surrounding power, the power from the hex as well as that of the stone tablet. It’ll not only ensure your success in refining your scabbard, but your scabbard will also be able to absorb a sliver of power from this land, creating a foundation for it to evolve and transform into a supreme artifact!”