A World Worth Protecting

The ground shuddered as the commander of the Golden Pool Legion barked out the order. Then, countless beams of light erupted from the ground, and from beneath the earth, a gigantic dragonfly emerged, shrieking!

The dragonfly was thirty thousand feet wide and exuded an incredible aura that felt more powerful than an ordinary battleship but less so than a Dharmic Battleship. Its strength seemed to match a False Immortal realm cultivator and approach that of a Spirit Immortal. Its appearance drew the instant attention of everyone on the battlefield.

This was the Golden Pool Legion’s trump card, the ultimate weapon that the legion had painstakingly crafted over the years with the support of the Green Kraken Legion. It was half as powerful as a Dharmic Battleship. In fact, the legion only lacked certain essential materials before it could upgrade the dragonfly to full Dharmic Battleship-strength. Regardless, with this beast and a False Immortal from the Green Kraken Legion, the two legions would be able to unleash strength and power that bested every other False Immortal realm cultivator!

After all, Dharmic Battleships were precious rarities. There were fewer than a hundred of them to be found in the entire Divine Eye civilization. Even the Ink Dragon Legion hadn’t possessed one. The Golden Pool Legion’s possession of the dragonfly was a clear display of its wealth and power.

The dragonfly’s mere appearance stirred the entire battlefield. The sheer fluttering of its wings summoned invisible winds that swept wildly across the battlefield, winds that reached Wang Baole and sent the battleships around him shuddering. They appeared ready to self-destruct before their time.

That’s the one! Wang Baole’s heart began to race instantly, and a fierce desire surged within him as his heartbeat sped up. He shoved his emotions back down.

The Green Kraken Legion’s participation in the battle was evident from the flying sword that had appeared earlier. Wang Baole had recognized the aura exuding from the flying sword and was quite sure that it was Yi Nianzi!

That was why… he had to plan his next step very carefully. All his efforts would be for naught if he failed!

He’s only unleashed one attack and hasn’t tried to put a complete stop to the fight. That means that my guess was right. Because of the Patriarch’s warning and my increased worth, the Green Kraken Legion can’t attack me with their full strength without considering the repercussions of their actions!

He’s here because he wants to send a message and because… he’s looking for an opening to attack!

After all, this is a fight between the Golden Pool Legion and me, and he’s a Spirit Immortal. It would look bad on him if he joins the fight. He’ll be hard put to explain his actions to others… These thoughts flashed across Wang Baole’s mind. He now understood why the Golden Pool Legion had chosen to be on the defensive at the beginning.

They’re trying to make it look like they’re the ones being bullied and make a show of how powerful my Divine Justice Shield is. They’re giving Yi Nianzi an excuse to join the battle! Unfortunately, they’ve underestimated the true strength of my battleships… Wang Baole narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the situation swiftly. He eyed the dragonfly, which had summoned a defensive barrier and then kept its distance. Wang Baole calculated the distance separating them, then clenched his jaw. Fierce indignation shone in his eyes as he raised his right hand and began to form a series of hand seals.

The battleships around him stopped their charge at the Golden Pool Planet and began to retreat and head towards the distant rift.

Any observer would see this as an act of surrender upon seeing the appearance of the dragonfly. This was especially so after witnessing Wang Baole’s miserable state after the damages that had been wrought upon his battleships and the partial destruction of his fleet. Wang Baole’s decision to retreat would appear completely within reason!

He hadn’t activated the Divine Justice Shield at all. The commanders of the Golden Pool Legion could tell that something was going on. They knew that this was a deliberate move made by Long Nanzi. He intended to not let the Green Kraken Legion have any excuse to join the battle!

“That sly fox!”

“Trying to escape?”

“Does he think that the Golden Pool Planet is a place that he can come and go from as he pleases?” Upon seeing Wang Baole’s retreat, the commanders of the Golden Pool Legion sent a flurry of voice transmissions and came to a swift decision. The fleet of the Golden Pool Legion battleships and the gigantic dragonfly started charging and went into active pursuit!

Yi Nianzi hesitated momentarily, feeling an instinctive sense of unease. He had half a mind to stop the Golden Pool Legion, but the sense of unease that had come over him had been surreal and passed quickly. He couldn’t pin down the cause of his unease, no matter how hard he thought about it. Besides, Wang Baole was running away at top speed. If they were to lose him here… He wasn’t prepared to let him escape.

Death resulting from a challenge was entirely acceptable and within the rules. But if they were to let Wang Baole slip through their fingers, they would need to find another chance to eliminate him. The price they would have to pay for the second chance would be great.

That was why he hadn’t stopped the Golden Pool Legion despite his momentary hesitation.

A relentless pursuit began in the cosmic space around the Golden Pool Planet. Thunderous explosions erupted in space as the battleships around Wang Baole blew apart, one after another. His face looked considerably paler, and one could see the panic and fury in his eyes. He kept pulling out battleships and throwing them behind him, activating their self-destruct mechanisms in an attempt to slow down his pursuers.

His efforts appeared to be failing. Wang Baole’s attempts began to weaken under the relentless pursuit of the massive Golden Pool Legion fleet. The dragonfly, with power equivalent to half that of a Dharmic Battleship, helmed the pursuit. Fierce winds erupted in its wake. Wang Baole’s battleships barely survived past five counts before they were crushed and torn into bits.

“Golden Pool Legion, you’ve gone overboard. I’ve already retreated. Do you need to go to this extent?” The look on Wang Baole’s face was that of pure panic. His eyes swept past the battlefield and landed on the countless wrecked and destroyed battleships, his heart secretly bursting with glee. He kept a constant watch on the dragonfly and its location. He had been using himself as bait to draw the beast’s pursuit while secretly maneuvering the wrecked battleship remains around them. The decimated parts drifted towards the dragonfly without anyone’s notice.

Wang Baole slowly guided everything into place, and the dragonfly slowly approached the location that he had planned for. A look of mad glee appeared on Wang Baole’s face as soon as the beast reached his targeted position. With a wave of his hand, Wang Baole pulled out the last hundred battleships in his storage bracelet and roared.

“Don’t push me!”

His roar was a drop of water in an ocean, hardly stirring a ripple on the battlefield. The final hundred battleships that he had summoned looked ready to cave into themselves as the dragonfly fluttered its wings.

It was then that… Yi Nianzi’s eyes widened. He had been watching the battle intently all this while. At that moment, the expression on his face shifted!

Something’s wrong. The… the wrecked battleship remains are moving! Long Nanzi appears to be escaping, but he’s obviously drawing the dragonfly towards the battleship remains!

“Golden Pool Legion, stop your pursuit immediately. Get the dragonfly away from the battleship wreckage!” Yi Nianzi’s breathing quickened as his panicked voice thundered across the battlefield. With a single step, he appeared amidst the stars and rushed towards the battlefield!

His revelation had come too late!

As the Golden Pool Legion froze in their tracks upon hearing his order to desist, Wang Baole, who had been fleeing all this while, suddenly turned around. His eyes shone brightly, and his hair danced madly around his face. He lifted both hands and pressed them into a hand seal. Then, he let loose a loud roar.

“Parasites, go!”

A purple light erupted from numerous pieces of wrecked battleship remains. These were parts that had belonged to the final hundred battleships and had been destroyed by the dragonfly. They had been completely devoid of life a moment earlier. But upon Wang Baole’s roar, they came to life and, as if suddenly possessed with a mind of their own, rushed at the dragonfly with startling speed!

The same thing happened to the countless wreckages that littered the battlefield and had been part of Wang Baole’s former fleet. Half of those destroyed parts began glowing with a purple life. As if imbued with life, they became like starving demons fighting for human flesh as they lunged… at the dragonfly!

It was a terrifying sight to behold indeed—countless shards broken off from destroyed battleships suddenly glowing with a purple light and then moving. No one could react in time to the suddenness of it all. The purple light appeared to possess a strange power. As the glowing shards layered themselves over the dragonfly, they melded with the dragonfly as if they had been a part of the beast all along. They had latched onto the dragonfly like parasites!

A Dharmic Battleship was a living being. That was the source of its incredible power. At that moment, the dragonfly let loose a terrible cry. It seemed to be terrified and in pain. There were simply too many shards that had latched onto the beast. Its howl was short-lived, silenced quickly as countless shards… buried its entire being and transformed it entirely!

It no longer looked like a dragonfly. Instead, it looked like an enormous locust!

Its red eyes glowed with madness as it turned towards the Golden Pool Legion, whose members were stunned into silence and gaping with shock, as well as Yi Nianzi, who had just arrived on the battlefield. Then, it let loose a fearsome roar!

Its roar thundered across space, sending powerful ripples through the battlefield. The aura it exuded appeared more powerful than before. Should it self-destruct now, the resultant explosion might unleash a power that rivaled that of a Spirit Immortal realm cultivator!

The Golden Pool Legion trembled under the weight of such power, and a dark look descended upon Yi Nianzi’s face. Wang Baole landed on the locust’s head with a single step, then looked at Yi Nianzi with what seemed like a smile on his face.

“Senior Yi Nianzi, we meet again.” As he spoke, Wang Baole lifted his right hand and made a quick hand seal. Around him, a good half of the Golden Pool Legion battleships swerved around suddenly and turned their weapons onto Yi Nianzi and the remaining Golden Pool Legion fleet!

A smattering of purple, glowing shards could be found on these battleships!