A World Worth Protecting

1

His caution led to reduced speed in his pursuit. The repressed resentment he experienced while inside the battleship surfaced again. His cultivation clearly surpassed Wang Baole vastly, but Wang Baole was like a slippery eel that constantly slipped out of his reach!

He had been so close to killing Wang Baole earlier, but Wang Baole had managed to escape. Even though he had been injured grievously, he hadn’t passed out. In fact, he continued to release numerous lightning spheres while running away, triggering multiple hexes in the sword body and creating greater chaos. Despite his Soul Conduit realm cultivation, Daoist You Ran had to proceed with great caution.

“Wang Baole!” Daoist You Ran was beyond infuriated. He was panicking as well. He couldn’t leave the battleship for long, as there were too many things he still needed to attend to in the battleship. The longer he got delayed here, the greater the impact he would face when trying to repair whatever damage had been done to his plans.

Amidst his panic, a look of determination settled in Daoist You Ran’s eyes!

Ahead of him, Wang Baole continued running away. His mind was going blurry. If not for the green lotus inside his body, unleashing its full power and allowing his body to continue healing as his injuries continued to grow more serious, he would have passed out a long time ago.

Despite the green lotus, Wang Baole was at the end of his rope. It was solely his will to survive that was driving him forward as he continued to be pursued.

Wang Baole had lost almost all sense of direction. He had only one place, and a single thought, in mind. That was to find the Immortal Platform and escape!

But… the difference in cultivation and his injuries were gradually making that a wild dream. He might not be in such a bad state if Daoist You Ran weren’t hot on his heels, but he had barely stumbled about for half an hour before explosions erupted behind him once again.

Daoist You Ran had expended a portion of his life without hesitation and charged through numerous hexes, which exploded in his path. He was like a bolt of lightning, racing forward fearlessly. Compared to his power, Wang Baole was like dust, destined to be shattered into a million pieces should they collide.

Wang Baole laughed bitterly as danger once again approached. There was no despair in his eyes, though. He didn’t seem to have any intentions of retreating. His Thearch Armor might have been destroyed, and Little Missy might have lost consciousness, but Wang Baole still had a final trump card!

His problem was that he didn’t know how to unleash this trump card. After all, it hadn’t been triggered despite the intense danger he had faced in the cavern. Perhaps the only way to awaken it was to be in even greater danger!

Wang Baole wouldn’t have risked that, but now… he might die anyway, so there wasn’t much point in being afraid.

Vicious determination flashed across Wang Baole’s eyes at that thought. Just as Daoist You Ran appeared, like a sudden bolt of lightning, Wang Baole turned and faced him. His hands came together to form a series of hand seals, and he pressed them hard on his dantian and yelled, “Devouring seed!”

Daoist You Ran charged forward as Wang Baole unleashed the full power of his devouring seed. His right hand lifted and transformed into a mountain peak formed of black fog that surged towards Wang Baole.

“Die!”

The attack was so powerful that it seemed to affect even the heavens and earth, as well as the mountains and rivers that rested between the two. When it landed, waves of energy rippled through space, and the air showed signs of tearing. However, just as it was about to land on Wang Baole, the devouring seed inside him unleashed its powerful suction force and transformed him into a black hole.

A vortex materialized and started to spin, causing the incoming mountain peak to shudder. It appeared that the vortex was on the verge of devouring it whole!

The difference in their sizes led to a bizarre sight, something akin to a snake trying to devour an elephant!

“I noticed something strange inside your body. You want to drain my Dharmic powers? Sure, do your worst!” A flash of viciousness flickered in Daoist You Ran’s eyes. He activated his cultivation, and waves of spirit energy exploded from his body.

The blast inundated Wang Baole, leaving him shuddering. His devouring seed churned desperately as it tried to suck dry the terrifying power contained within the mountain peak. It managed to drain a great portion of it. However, the remaining smaller part of it continued to surge outwards, flooding over Wang Baole and the area around him.

Cracks began to appear on his body, and bones began to shatter and turn to dust. Wang Baole clenched his teeth and bore the agonizing pain. It was nothing compared to the growing devouring seed inside his body, which continued to expand as it continued sucking crazily. He felt as if he was going to be ripped apart. It felt like he was housing an Anti-Spirit Bomb.

“Drain that. Don’t you enjoy doing that? Come on, keep on draining!” Daoist You Ran’s face was twisted into an ugly look of violence and blood lust.

Pain colored Wang Baole’s face. He felt as if his body was going to be ripped apart at any moment and that his body and soul were going to be destroyed. This feeling grew with the passing of every second. He felt his flesh turn to mist. The destructive force assailing him, warping everything out of shape, seemed ready to wipe him out completely. Even Little Missy was startled awake by the immense danger that Wang Baole had gotten himself into. She realized what was going on and started shrieking in his head.

“Wang Baole, you’re crazy. What are you doing?”

“Devouring seed… explode!” Wang Baole wasn’t crazy. He pulled out the mask which Little Missy was resting in as he yelled out those words and flung it far away with the remaining strength he had left. Little Missy would be far away from the center of the devouring seed’s explosion. Even if he were to be destroyed, in both body and soul, Little Missy would still have a chance to survive.

Little Missy panicked. She couldn’t stop Wang Baole, though. She could only watch as Wang Baole barked out the order, as the devouring seed grew increasingly unstable inside his body, and as the green lotus showed signs of shattering, appearing to be on the verge of self-destruction alongside the devouring seed. Daoist You Ran seemed to realize what was happening as well. His spirit energy surged in response, ready to retaliate against any attack… Then, suddenly, Wang Baole’s scabbard, which had been refined to the seventh-grade and had resisted his control since then, shuddered violently. It seemed to sense impending death. A black strand darted out from its shaking body!

It was one of the hundreds of hexed threads that had been infused and sealed inside Wang Baole’s scabbard during its refinement on the Vast Expanse Dao Palace Main Star!

It raced towards Wang Baole’s devouring seed, sucked the destructive energy held within the devouring seed, and devoured it completely. A black light flared up within the black strand. It leaped out of Wang Baole’s body and appeared between him and Daoist You Ran!

This was a completely unexpected development. Daoist You Ran had the edge over Wang Baole earlier, but the sudden appearance of the black strand sent alarm flashing across his face as he sensed the spirit energy contained within it. He retreated instantly, even risking teleportation.

It was too late… As Wang Baole spat out a mouthful of blood, he could sense his scabbard unleashing its power. He panted and lifted his right hand with great difficulty. Then, he yelled at the retreating Daoist You Ran.

“Kill!”

The skies in the sword body shuddered with the fall of his hand and his single word. Countless hexes shattered. The ancient sword trembled. The black strand rushed forward like a blade that could cleave through all living things, passing smoothly through all defenses and everything in its path. The abyss shattered in its wake. Shock and alarm colored Daoist You Ran’s eyes as he teleported himself away. Then, something shifted suddenly in his eyes. His body stuttered imperceptibly for a second!

Everything happened too quickly. That was why no one had noticed. Not Wang Baole, not even Little Missy. The black strand descended like a bolt of lightning, slicing through Daoist You Ran!

A pained scream rang out in the air and was followed by a sudden silence. Daoist You Ran’s body was cleaved into two clean halves, and blood spurted out as the two halves fell. Wang Baole spat out another mouthful of blood, and depleted of all energy, he too finally fell.

Little Missy materialized at that instant. Face pale, her form blurry and indistinct, she grabbed hold of Wang Baole immediately. Her eyes were filled with pain and heartache for Wang Baole, but she seemed relieved too. She turned and stared at the cleaved halves of Daoist You Ran then and discovered illusory starlight glimmering in the exposed wounds of the two halves. Her face was instantly filled with shock!

“Star-Seeding Dao?”

Little Missy shuddered as shock flickered in her eyes. She didn’t hesitate and carried Wang Baole away hurriedly, racing not towards the Vast Expanse Dao Palace in the sword handle but… towards the Immortal Platform, where Wang Baole had intended to go!