A World Worth Protecting

1

It was unlikely that there was anyone on the ancient sword who knew the identity of the woman who was currently gazing at Earth. Even if there was someone who did, they wouldn’t have the chance to enter the fourth level in the battleship and gaze upon the figure in the glowing sphere of light.

It didn’t matter whether what she practiced was the Star-Seeding Dao or the Heaven-Seeding Dao though. This had almost nothing to do with Wang Baole at the moment. His final battle with Daoist You Ran had awakened his scabbard and released a hexed strand that it had absorbed previously, killing the latter.

If news of this were to spread, it would surely shock the entire Dao Palace and the Federation. It was an impossible feat!

Wang Baole had relied on numerous external powers, such as his various mystic techniques—Soul Guiding, Dream Spinning, Ten Thousand Tribulations, and A Thousand Lives. He had also relied on the Thearch Armor’s self-destruction mechanism and the spirit energy he had drained from the Death Dao Battle Robes. In addition, Daoist You Ran hadn’t been fighting at peak condition. Wang Baole’s final blow had been the result of something unexpected as well.

Daoist You Ran had frozen for an imperceptible moment during his attempt to teleport away and avoid the black strand. Wang Baole, Little Missy, and even the mysterious woman hadn’t noticed that.

That was the true cause of Daoist You Ran’s death. With his cultivation, he would have been able to avoid a fatal hit even if he couldn’t avoid being hit at all.

His death had led to the mysterious woman’s construction of a new Daoist You Ran. She might have inserted Daoist You Ran’s memories into the new body, but there was still a time-lapse between his death and his rebirth.

Perhaps she hadn’t cared about that, or perhaps it was like she said and what she practiced was the Heaven-Seeding Dao. She followed certain laws that she had been enlightened of and set herself. She observed the fates of the others. Instead of interfering with destiny directly, she transformed herself into a supreme consciousness that tried to influence and nudge others along discreetly.

That was how… Zhao Yameng had appeared in the sword handle after being teleported out of the battleship and had enough time to run away. Others wouldn’t have been able to return to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace in such a short period of time, but Zhao Yameng was a true inner sect disciple of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. She had the right to activate a small part of the array formation on the ancient sword, as well as the knowledge to do so.

This had allowed Zhao Yameng to locate a teleportation array formation on an island in the shortest possible time, modify it, and teleport herself a farther distance.

This had allowed her to establish communications with Sect Lord Xu and the others in the Dao Palace. When the Sect Lord received Zhao Yameng’s voice transmission and heard the contents of her frantically conveyed message, his breathing quickened, and alarm flashed across his face.

“Mie Liezi has been enslaved. Feng Qiuran’s status is unknown. Daoist You Ran is from the Never-Ending Clan! The mission was a trap. Most of the cultivators who participated in the mission are dead or enslaved. Sect Lord Xu… you must evacuate everyone immediately!”

Shock colored Sect Lord Xu’s face. He didn’t hesitate though and chose to believe what Zhao Yameng had told him. There was no time for him to consider the matter in detail. He immediately contacted the giant tree. The latter was to gather all cultivators from both the Dao Palace and the Federation. He was going to activate what they had set in place prior to and during the mission.

Wang Baole had left orders prior to the mission. Sect Lord Xu was an old and cunning fox himself. He hadn’t approved of the rescue mission and had prepared for the worst. Even though he was still shocked by what he had just found out, he didn’t panic. Instead, he carried out his plans meticulously.

It took but six hours for everything to be in place. When Sect Lord Xu had first arrived with the second batch of Federation seedlings, he told Wang Baole that his mission was to construct a second teleportation array formation in secret. This was to be their contingency plan.

This should’ve been a difficult task. However, with Wang Baole, the fourth Grand Supreme Elder, supporting and covering his tracks, everything went smoothly. While the rest had been away on the rescue mission, he was the sole Nascent Soul realm cultivator in the entire sect. He might not have the rights to activate the Dao Palace’s teleportation array formation, but he had his backup teleportation array formation ready for deployment.

After activating the smaller teleportation array formation, Sect Lord Xu immediately sent the Federation cultivators away in batches. Their numbers were few. As a result, their departures progressed swiftly even though the teleportation array formation was a relatively small setup.

The giant tree led the first batch home so that he might inform the Federation of everything that had happened on the ancient sword. He himself stood quietly inside the teleportation array formation, modifying the array formation so that it would self-destruct after the final teleportation. He didn’t activate the self-destruct mechanism though. Instead, he held onto his voice transmission ring and gazed into the distance, waiting anxiously.

He had gained knowledge of most of what had happened inside the battleship through Zhao Yameng’s voice transmission. He knew the low odds of Wang Baole’s survival, which caused his spirits to sink. Regardless, a fierce light continued to shine in his eyes.

A day passed as he waited. Zhao Yameng, who had utilized her rights as an inner sect disciple and her knowledge to modify teleportation array formations, finally returned. Both of them activated the teleportation array formation. She stared in the direction of the Death Dao Battleship silently. Both of them knew that they could wait no longer. They sighed and initiated the teleportation.

They didn’t inform the Dao Palace disciples of what had gone on in the battleship as they didn’t know whom to trust. The fate of the Federation was at stake, so they dared not risk that.

The sounds of explosions suddenly rumbled in the air as the teleportation array formation began to break down. The sounds it was giving off were louder than all previous teleportations. It resounded throughout the Dao Palace and caught the attention of the Dao Palace disciples.

Dugu Lin was the first to sense it. He vanished from where he had gone into seclusion and reappeared at the teleportation array formation. It was located behind Grand Supreme Elder Wang Baole’s grand palace. There were traces of a destroyed array formation on the ground. Emotions flickered across Dugu Lin’s face, but he remained silent.

It didn’t take long before the disappearance of the Federation cultivators caught everyone’s attention. News traveled across the Dao Palace like wildfire, causing shock and suspicion. That didn’t last long. Soon, a deafening explosion erupted in the distant Sea of Fire, shaking everyone to the core. They turned towards the direction of the explosion and saw an enormous battleship rushing towards them from the distant Sea of Fire.

It was the Death Dao Battleship!

Daoist You Ran had clearly repaired and restored the battleship. It wasn’t at its ideal, full functionality, but it functioned. It approached the Dao Palace steadily, then stopped right before it. The main Dao Palace island was like an ant compared to the enormous battleship. Shock filled the Dao Palace cultivators. They trembled under the authority and power emanating from the battleship. Then, numerous figures darted out from the Death Dao Battleship!

These were all familiar faces. They were the cultivators who had left on the rescue mission. Most of them were Nascent Soul realm cultivators, though a few were at the Core Formation realm. The two that attracted the most attention were Mie Liezi and Daoist You Ran.

Their faces were dark and solemn. A closer look would reveal that the expression on Mie Liezi’s face was more dazed than stormy, while Daoist You Ran was the one who was truly furious.

His senses had clearly informed him of the disappearance of all Federation cultivators from the Dao Palace. He knew what that meant.

He and Mie Liezi, alongside a dozen or so Nascent Soul realm cultivators, flew out. They hovered in mid-air above the main Dao Palace island. Everyone on the island lowered their heads and extended their greetings.

Dugu Lin stood amongst the crowd. His eyes fell on his master. He was one of the rare few who had noticed the dazed look on his master’s face. He stared at his master, then shut his eyes, concealing the sorrow hidden deep within.

As the Dao Palace cultivators fell to their knees in greeting, Mie Liezi spoke. His hoarse voice resonated in the air like thunder.

“The Federation cultivators broke their promise and abandoned their principles. With Wang Baole as their leader, they stole precious treasures from the Never-Ending Clan battleship and harmed cultivators from the Dao Palace. These despicable and shameless cultivators staged an ambush on Elder Feng Qiuran. Because of them, the Dao Palace suffered tremendous losses!

“The Federation is not to be trusted. They have to pay a price for what they have done!

“I hereby make the following announcement. All Dao Palace cultivators are to gather immediately. We are declaring war on the Federation. We shall… wipe the Federation from the face of the Solar System. They shall become the fuel that will light the Vast Expanse Dao Palace’s path towards our former glory!”