A World Worth Protecting

1

The news regarding the fourth Grand Supreme Elder stirred the entire Dao Palace, and commotion continued to spread. Feng Qiuran announced that a ceremony would be held in three days’ time, under the Hyacinthus Tree!

The news excited every Federation disciple in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Li Yi had fallen silent, sighed, and gotten herself under control. She might despise Wang Baole, but she couldn’t deny the difference in capability separating the two of them. It had reached a point where she was no longer in the position to despise him.

She also understood one thing perfectly. After the ceremony, Wang Baole would be conferred the position of the fourth Grand Supreme Elder. He would naturally take on the position as leader of the Federation disciples!

Every Federation cultivator, including those who would join their ranks in the future, would all fall under Wang Baole’s command. They would form the fourth faction in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace—the Federation faction!

The reality was indeed so. If Li Yi could guess it, many others could as well. During the next three days, Sect Lord Xu spent most of his time on Wang Baole’s Green Fire Island. He had taken up the post of the main person in charge of running the island for Wang Baole.

He had readily accepted and acknowledged Wang Baole’s superior role. His position as both the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s adopted disciple and Grand Supreme Elder ensured that the Federation President and the leaders of the other political forces would have to treat him with the utmost respect.

“Duan Muque’s probably going to be shocked when he finds out about this…” the Sect Lord muttered to himself. He felt secretly pleased about that. Wang Baole might have inadvertently ruined his plans when they had been on the moon, but Duan Muque’s meddling had been why his plans had been foiled.

That was why Sect Lord Xu quite looked forward to Duan Muque’s impending misfortunes. He made sure he adjusted his behavior when in Wang Baole’s presence as well, avoiding ever trying to pull rank or age on the latter. He was deferential to Wang Baole and helped the latter in receiving all guests who came to visit during the three days.

Wang Baole was both touched and grateful for his support. The thought of becoming a Grand Supreme Elder excited him. He shared the Sect Lord’s thoughts. He wondered how the Federation would receive him when he returned as Grand Supreme Elder.

His spirits soared at the thought. He continued to see guests for the next three days. Three days later, the day of the ceremony finally arrived!

The entirety of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, comprising one million cultivators, gathered. It was impossible for the main island to accommodate all of them, so plenty of them hovered in mid-air around the island. All eyes gathered on the enormous Hyacinthus Tree!

There were only three people under the tree at the moment—Feng Qiuran, Daoist You Ran, and Mie Liezi. They stood solemnly under the tree, under everyone’s gaze. Feng Qiuran took a deep breath and spoke slowly. Her voice was like thunder, booming with authority.

“Grand Supreme Elder Wang, please step forward!”

Feng Qiuran’s voice rang in the air. Regardless of their feelings on the matter, the Nascent Soul realm cultivators surrounding them echoed her words in perfect synchrony and with deference.

“Grand Supreme Elder Wang, please step forward!”

A multitude of voices rose and fell, a majestic aural wave that surged outwards and spread across the heavens. Everyone’s eyes turned towards the bottom of the main mountain peak and landed on the solitary figure standing there.

Wang Baole had white robes on. Sewn to the chest was the image of an ancient greenish-bronze sword. It looked surreal, flickering in and out of sight. His robes seemed to be imbued with a certain strange power. Dressed in those robes, Wang Baole looked like he was exuding a bright light that prevented everyone from looking directly at him.

These were the robes that only a Grand Supreme Elder was privileged to wear—the Grand Supreme Dao Robes!

The ceremony was divided into two parts. First, Wang Baole was to ascend the mountain with the entire sect as witness. He was to reach the core of the sect—under the Hyacinthus Tree. It was a spot reserved for the Grand Supreme Elders!

Then, he was to greet the Hyacinthus Tree!

Countless pairs of eyes stared at him. Wang Baole took a deep breath and ignored the array of emotions displayed in those eyes—envy, jealousy, confusion, and so on—and marched forward. He ascended through the skies, reached the top of the mountain with the tens of thousands of people watching, and arrived before the three Grand Supreme Elders. He straightened his back and looked at them.

They looked back at him, Mie Liezi with mixed feelings and a sense of powerlessness, Feng Qiuran with sincere joy, and Daoist You Ran with extreme calm. Daoist You Ran had his usual gentle smile on his face, and his eyes looked back at Wang Baole with encouragement.

Wang Baole couldn’t help feeling slightly bothered by Daoist You Ran though. He didn’t know where this feeling was coming from.

“Elder Wang, please extend your greetings to the Hyacinthus Tree. With the Hyacinthus Tree as your witness, you shall become the fourth Grand Supreme Elder of our Vast Expanse Dao Palace!” Feng Qiuran said softly, a serious look on her face.

Wang Baole nodded. He first turned and looked at the sea of Dao Palace disciples surrounding him. He could feel their eyes on him. Then, he turned back and stared at the enormous Hyacinthus Tree before him.

It was an ancient tree, and time had clearly left its mark on its thick and rough bark lined with numerous cracks. It was like an elder who had been around for a very, very long time, serving as both protector and witness for the Dao Palace.

Wang Baole stared at the Hyacinthus Tree and took a deep breath. He stepped forward towards the tree and, before the eyes of the Dao Palace disciples around him, cupped his fist and extended a deep bow towards the tree.

As soon as he extended his greeting, the Hyacinthus Tree suddenly swayed violently. The heavens and earth stirred. The air stilled while clouds came to a halt in the sky. The Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s array formation appeared, and the surrounding Sea of Fire erupted. The whole world seemed to be shaking.

Shock flashed across everyone’s faces. Those who had been reluctant to accept Wang Baole as their Grand Supreme Elder were all stunned. They stared at Wang Baole with shock and disbelief.

“He really achieved resonance with the Hyacinthus Tree!”

“He was able to affect the sect’s array formation!”

“Everything that happened that day was real!”

This had happened when Wang Baole had first revealed his adopted disciple identity token. Not everyone had witnessed that scene though. That was why there hadn’t been as great a reaction then. Now that everyone saw this with their own eyes, they were instantly flooded with a torrent of emotions.

The resonance he achieved with the Hyacinthus Tree seemed to be greater than the previous round. The three Grand Supreme Elders were standing the nearest to the tree and possessed the highest cultivation. They could sense that the most clearly.

As surprise flashed across their faces, Wang Baole trembled fiercely. He could sense a strange consciousness separating from the tree. It wormed into his storage bag swiftly and entered his adopted disciple identity token!

It seemed to be checking something. The consciousness soon left his identity token. The tree seemed to have ascertained Wang Baole’s identity. It began to shake more fiercely. The same consciousness shot into Wang Baole’s mind, forming images in his head!

Surprise flashed across Wang Baole’s face. He saw in the images… Feng Qiuran—or perhaps, he should say that he saw the giant tree’s memories, and in those memories, he saw a Feng Qiuran who had stood before the tree on a certain day in the past!

Feng Qiuran looked younger than she was now, and she had an infant in her arms!

She knelt before the Hyacinthus Tree with a look of bewilderment on her face, murmuring quietly to the tree!

Wang Baole’s breathing quickened. There was something strange going on here. It was then that he caught what Feng Qiuran was muttering…

“Ancient Hyacinthus Tree, the Never-Ending Clan ambushed us during our journey. The elders were badly injured and went into deep slumber. The ancient sword deviated from its flight trajectory and entered a region called the Solar System. There is a civilization found in this galaxy called the Federation. Contact with shards of the ancient sword has initiated the age of cultivation in the Federation… I wish to guide them on the path of cultivation. Once they have grown stronger, they will be able to help and repay the Dao Palace… The Dao Palace will be able to assimilate fully into this galaxy and find new roots here. We will be able to prosper and thrive, plant new seeds of civilization!

“In addition, I suspect that there are still remnants of the Never-Ending Clan hidden amongst us in the Dao Palace. I will find them all!

“That is the reason why I do not dare… to leave this child with me. I wish to send him away with the visiting Federation cultivators, to the Federation. He shall grow up there.

“He is too important. I am the only person in the entire Dao Palace who knows his true identity. He is… the reincarnation of the previous Dao Disciple, Wu Chen. He shall regain his memories once he reaches the Soul Conduit realm. I dare not let him remain in the Dao Palace. I seek your permission to send him away!

“Please bear a single fruit as a show of your approval…”