A World Worth Protecting

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1

The thought wasn’t directed at a single person but transmitted into the vast, open space. Everyone heard it!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>Darkness flashed across Wang Baole’s face then, and he narrowed his eyes. Someone else in his place would have been jittery with anxiety, but not him. His eyes swept past the commander of the Ink Dragon Legion. He had some inkling of what was going on.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span><em>This fox probably has something up her sleeve. She might be interested in an exchange, but there’s a higher chance of this being a way for her to save herself from embarrassment. That’s the only way to explain why she made sure everyone could hear her… when the more advisable approach was to send a personal voice transmission!</em> Wang Baole thought. This was only guesswork on his part, though. There was no way that a commander of an army fleet who had risen to the Spirit Immortal realm was going to be a simple idiot. No matter what, the high officials’ autobiographies had taught Wang Baole a lesson that he always followed.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span><em>Never bet your own personal safety on others never committing a mistake!</em>

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>Wang Baole’s eyes flashed at that thought. His gut feeling was telling him that this might be a chance for him to establish contact with one of the most powerful Divine Sovereign Justice Sect fleets in the Divine Eye civilization.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span><em>I’ve lost too much today, and I have no outlet for all the pent-up frustrations that I’m feeling now. That’s why… I have to test the waters and make a good impression on the right party!</em> Various thoughts flashed across Wang Baole’s mind.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>Before the commander of the Black Armor Legion could reply, he pulled out a jade slip and imprinted his Divine Sense into it. Then, he raised it up into the air and shouted, “Senior Xu Feizi, your junior Long Nanzi thanks you for saving his life. To express my gratitude, I will donate a hundred Ink Dragon Fish to the Black Armor Legion. I swear to fulfill my promise within three years!”

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>He directed his promise at the entire fleet instead of the individual and cleverly called it a donation. This sweetened the nature of the deal and softened its seeming brashness. Compared with the way the Ink Dragon Legion had offered their deal, his deal was clearly the better one.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>It made the cultivators of the Black Armor Legion give Wang Baole a few more studied looks. Even the elder lying inside the rainbow-colored bubble on the Black Armored Beetle gave him a side-glance, a hint of a smile appearing on the elder’s face. He turned towards the Ink Dragon Legion commander next with a look of unconcealed condescension. He dug his ear and then spoke casually.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>“To think that a cultivator at the False Immortal realm who is also the commander of the Ink Dragon Legion couldn’t even compare with a random cultivator affiliated to our sect when it comes to propriety and tact. If you truly want this kid’s life, why not offer a hundred Ink Dragon Fish for it as well?”

The female commander’s face turned thunderous instantly. She glared at Wang Baole. The Ink Dragon Fish was an extremely unique lifeform. When reared to maturity, it would effectively become a biological battleship. Prior to that, its adolescent form could be used as material for building other types of biological battleships. They were extremely useful for boosting battleship capabilities. The means of acquiring Ink Dragon Fish had been monopolized by the Violet Gold New Dao Sect, and it was extremely difficult for those who didn’t belong to the sect to obtain one. That was why each one of those Ink Dragon Fish was seen as priceless.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>The fish were resources that were to be used strategically. The sect might turn a blind eye towards one or two Ink Dragon Fish being given away, but not a hundred. First of all, she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on so many. Even if she managed to get a loan, such a gift would be a serious violation of their sect rules.

Wang Baole was right. She might want his life, but once he had escaped into Divine Sovereign Justice Sect territory, she had been prepared to let this matter pass. It simply wasn’t worth it to trespass into their competitor’s territory and violate unspoken rules just for a moment’s satisfaction.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>But allowing Long Nanzi to live was going to leave a stain on her pride too. Others might not submit to her authority after this incident. That had been why she had initiated a negotiation. She had thought the idea through. It would be best if the Black Armor Legion agreed to her deal. If not, she would have had a way to stand down from this matter as well. It wasn’t the issue of her not being able to kill Long Nanzi, it was the issue of the Black Armor Legion protecting the latter. Besides, there was no way this Long Nanzi was going to remain indefinitely in Divine Sovereign Justice Sect territory. He had to leave eventually.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>All of her careful planning was thrown into chaos when Wang Baole said that he would make a donation of a hundred Ink Dragon Fish within three years. His promise essentially elevated his worth. That meant that she would have to have him killed secretly. Otherwise, any attempts on his life openly would give the Black Armor Legion an excuse to demand compensation from the Ink Dragon Legion!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span><em>Curse him!</em> This was the first time the commander of the Ink Dragon Legion experienced the influence of mere words and how it could shift the balance of power. The look on her face was thunderous. Yet, she could only grit her teeth and turn away from the enemy. She would find a chance to exact vengeance.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>Her disciple stood beside her. He was the youth that had almost been killed by Wang Baole earlier. He clearly hadn’t realized the situation like his master had. In terms of intellect, he couldn’t compare with Wang Baole either. As a result, he hadn’t yet seen the dilemma his master was currently in. But he knew that the chances of him getting his vengeance today were slim. As he left, his eyes shone with hostility as he glared at Wang Baole, who was standing at the glowing edge of the border separating the two territories. Vicious words spewed out from his mouth.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>“Fatherless rascal, I don’t believe you can hide in the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect’s territory forever. I’ll catch you one day, then I’ll skin you alive and strip you of your bones, using your fat to light my lanterns. After that, I’ll yank your soul out and imprison it inside the body of a female servant and use her as a cauldron. You’ll wish that you were dead!” Having said that, he snorted and turned away, ready to leave with his master.

His words were laced with malice. Many of the cultivators in the Black Armor Legion turned their gazes towards Wang Baole after hearing those words, some appearing to be visualizing the details of what the young cultivator had promised to inflict on Wang Baole…

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>Wang Baole froze. He had been cursed and scolded by many people countless times throughout his cultivation. They had sworn to strip him of skin and bones and had called him despicable and shameless. He had grown used to those by now. However, this was the first time he heard that one could yank a man’s soul out of his body and trap it inside a female body. The thought of that sent Wang Baole shivering, his body quivering with disgust and fury!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span><em>What a bastard! What kind of brain does he have to come up with such bizarre ideas? He wants to rape me? There’s no way I can leave him alive!</em> Thoughts of murder rose inside Wang Baole. He had been the victim in the entire fiasco. They had wanted to rob him of his resources and his battleship, so he had attacked in self-defense. Then, before he could win against the younger one, the older one had come to the rescue. Now, the younger one had so brazenly spewed such malice at him!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span><em>That’s just too much!</em> The more Wang Baole thought about it, the more furious he got. He had been boiling with rage, the anger within him pent up with no proper outlet, and had been extremely reluctant to just let things go. The rage was a red blur that clouded his judgment. Now, having been incited further, he could no longer control his rage. Just as the commander of the Ink Dragon Legion prepared to leave, with her disciple following behind her, and as the Black Armor Legion, including the elder inside the rainbow-colored bubble, believed that the matter had come to an end, Wang Baole struck!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>His fury erupted and filled his body instantly, and he charged across the border, displaying a speed that he had never displayed before. Everyone watched in disbelief, hardly expecting his sudden attack and finding it unbelievable that he would choose to strike at this moment. Wang Baole dashed forward, crossed the border, and rushed straight at the Ink Dragon Legion commander’s disciple!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>He was like a bolt of lightning whose approach was imminent. The first to react to Wang Baole’s attack wasn’t the youth but his master. She whirled around, alarm coloring her face as she raised her right hand in a sweeping gesture. A large seal charged at Wang Baole with the intention of driving him away.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>Wang Baole’s eyes flashed with madness as he watched the Ink Dragon Legion commander’s attack rush at him. He raised his right hand and unleashed his full power as he struck the seal. The collision sent Wang Baole quaking violently, blood spilling from his lips. At the same time, his right hand broke into pieces, then exploded as he himself was flung back from the shock waves emanating from the seal.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>He wasn’t done yet, though. One broken finger from the fractured arm burst into black flames instantly, which pierced through the barrier of the seal and darted with lightning speed towards the youth. Just as the young man, white with shock and soaked in relief, thought that he had survived a fatal blow, the burning finger appeared before him and pierced clean through his forehead.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>The youth shuddered, and a hole appeared between his brows as the force of the blow sent him staggering a few steps backward. There was a lost look in his eyes, and he wanted to turn around and look for his master, but before he could do that, his head exploded, and both his spirit and flesh were decimated!

Everything happened too quickly, within the span of a moment. Any normal person would have viewed Wang Baole’s actions as those of a madman. No one could have predicted that he would do that, which was one of the reasons he had succeeded!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>“Kun’er!” The female commander of the Ink Dragon Legion watched with incredulity as the series of events unfolded before her eyes. She let loose an enraged howl and turned her furious glare onto Wang Baole, who was attempting to make use of the residual shock waves from his collision with the seal to retreat back to the other side of the border!

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>His chest had caved in, and he had lost his right hand. On top of that, his face was pale, and his breathing uneven. Even so, there was a certain satisfaction and wildness in his eyes that left a deep and startling impression in the minds of all of the cultivators who had just witnessed the scene. They gasped in shock.

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>“He’s got guts!”

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>“This Long Nanzi isn’t a simple character!”

<span> <span style="font-style: italic"></span></span>“To think that he dared to strike despite the circumstances he was in. Come to think of it, the hundred Ink Dragon Fish that he promised earlier, was he already preparing an escape plan then? This kid… he’s quite a smart one!”

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