A World Worth Protecting

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Wang Baole gave it everything he had as he shouted out those words. It was a shout that was fueled by the very essence of his life. If this proved to be useless in scaring off the stone giant, Wang Baole had a feeling that he was going to die.

He was truly worried that his loud shouting wasn’t powerful enough, so he continued yelling.

“My senior brother, Chen Qing, is a mighty cultivator who has slain many other powerful cultivators. He reigns supreme in the Never-Ending Star Domain and is treated like a king in many parts of the universe!”

“Your humble junior here has mistakenly stumbled into your domain and disturbed your rest. But I haven’t hurt any of your people. Why would the esteemed senior choose to make things difficult for me over something so minor?” Wang Baole tried his best to exude the power from his essence technique as he spoke. This was something his senior brother had given him, something that his senior brother had created himself. That meant that it was something that was uniquely Chen Qing’s!

Such unique ownership was the best proof of one’s identity. If the stone giant were merely at the Planet realm, Wang Baole wouldn’t have thought this method effective. It was highly unlikely for someone at the Planet realm to come across someone like his senior brother.

But a being at the Eternal Star realm… was an entirely different creature altogether, especially one who was lord of an entire clan. Someone like that must have heard of his senior brother’s name or heard rumors about him.

As Wang Baole continued his yelling, the donkey was panicking inside the storage bracelet. As for Little Wu, he was secretly crying inside. He didn’t believe a single word that Wang Baole had said. Nevertheless, those words still gave him an inkling of hope. The power of the stone giant was simply too much for them to bear.

Wang Baole and Little Wu stared unblinkingly at the skies as the giant’s palm rushed towards them, ready to crush everything in its path. In the next moment… the palm suddenly stuttered to a stop!

The sudden stutter sent tornadoes rippling outward and sweeping into the Dharmic Battleship that Wang Baole was on. It shuddered, ready to cave in at any moment. However… the palm didn’t descend upon it. As long as it didn’t, the Dharmic Battleship remained safe despite the bout of quaking.

It’s working! Wang Baole’s breathing quickened as his spirits perked up. He looked up and could sense someone’s gaze. It came from the stone giant and swept downwards at them.

The gaze was heavy with power and appeared to see through everything. It paid no attention to the Dharmic Battleship or to Wang Baole’s Divine Justice Shield and defenses, piercing straight through everything and seeing them at their very core. It saw right through Little Wu as well with a single sweep.

The inspecting look made Wang Baole nervous. He kept his fists cupped and tried to make himself look as deferential and respectful as possible.

Little Wu did the same, looking down fearfully.

The gaze, heavy with power, swept across them a few times before retreating. Along with it went the gigantic hand that had reached out towards them earlier!

Wang Baole’s spirits rose as he watched the enormous hand lifting away from them. He felt as if he had just barely escaped death. The feeling made him realize how incredible his senior brother was. The layer of protection that his senior brother afforded him meant that no matter where he went, other cultivators were going to treat him with a certain degree of courtesy. Of course, he couldn’t always rely on his senior brother. If he were to cross paths with his senior brother’s enemies… it would be the end of him.

At that thought, Wang Baole took a deep breath, looked up, and then said, “Thank you very much, Senior!”

“Leave!” As Wang Baole’s voice reverberated through the cosmos, a husky voice erupted in Wang Baole and Little Wu’s heads with a thunderous boom.

The voice had been transmitted through the stone giant’s Divine Sense. It didn’t matter that they didn’t speak the same language. Those words were directly imprinted into one’s soul. They were firm and strong words, and the transmission sent sharp pain spiking in Wang Baole’s head. He might not be able to take it if the stone giant were to continue speaking.

It wasn’t as if he had no chance of holding up under the stone giant’s voice. Regardless, the difference in the level of their cultivations made Wang Baole realize the difference that separated the strong and the weak once again. Anyone else who shared his thoughts would have immediately left the galaxy, just in case the stone giant decided to regret his earlier decision to let them go.

In fact, that was what Little Wu was thinking then. He had just survived death, and the only thought he had in his head at that moment was to get out of that horrible place as soon as possible.

Wang Baole wasn’t any ordinary man, though. Gears spun furiously in his head as he analyzed the situation. It was obvious to him that the stone patriarch knew of his senior brother. Even though the stone patriarch had seemed intent on sacrificing Wang Baole, he had chosen to let him go after he had mentioned his senior brother.

This meant that the stone patriarch didn’t know his senior brother in person but had heard of his reputation. He didn’t want to make an enemy of his senior brother over something so minor. It didn’t matter whether Wang Baole was making things up. It wasn’t important to someone as powerful as he was.

Besides, it means something that I could call out Chen Qing’s name. The stone patriarch is a smart man. I know what he’s trying to say. He’s saying that he doesn’t care if I’m telling the truth or lying, he’s not interested at all. He just wants to be left alone. Wang Baole rapidly dissected the situation… and came to a conclusion.

The stone patriarch is wary of my senior brother and afraid of trouble. If that’s the case… Wang Baole’s eyes brightened, and his heart started racing. He contemplated giving what he was thinking a go. He was going to regret it if he didn’t. Since he had made a show of calling his senior brother’s name, he might as well get something out of it.

At that thought, Wang Baole looked up and sent his Divine Sense into the cosmos.

“Senior, it has been a hard journey for us. We traveled long and far before we were able to reach this place. I mean… could we have some Stone Bamboos as a form of souvenir?”

Little Wu’s eyes widened when he heard what Wang Baole had just said. Incredulity shone in his eyes as he looked at Wang Baole in disbelief. The tension he had been feeling had barely settled before it surged inside him again. The imminent threat of danger that had dissipated erupted inside his head. If not for his fear of offending Wang Baole, he would have openly cursed at the man.

Wang Baole’s request seemed completely unreasonable to Little Wu. It felt like he was trying to push his luck.

Dear gods, isn’t he afraid that the stone patriarch will just end him with a smack? Little Wu’s heart raced. He stared at Wang Baole with pleading eyes, which seemed to be begging Wang Baole to stop playing these games and just run…

But Little Wu soon learned a lesson. In life… the depth of one’s courage made all the difference!

The stone patriarch fell silent upon hearing Wang Baole’s request. His gaze fell upon the shuddering Little Wu. Wang Baole was extremely nervous but also strangely confident. Even if the stone patriarch was to turn down his request, the worst Wang Baole was going to suffer would be a repeated order for him to leave.

However, should the stone patriarch agree to his request, it would be akin to striking the lottery.

In the end… moments after the stone patriarch’s gaze had swept past them, a snort sounded in Wang Baole’s head. Then, the enormous stone giant raised his right hand and sent it waving… not at Wang Baole. With a single wave of his hand, three Stone Bamboos were uprooted from the planets and sent flying towards Wang Baole.

Little Wu’s eyes almost popped out of his head as he witnessed the scene. Awe and incredulity colored his eyes as he looked at Wang Baole. Wang Baole himself was brimming with excitement even though he pretended to look composed. He maneuvered his locust into intercepting the Stone Bamboos, then cupped his fists and made a deep bow.

“My thanks, Senior! Your humble junior will take his leave now!” Wang Baole decided not to push his luck and try for more Stone Bamboos. He steered the locust into retreating, and with a burst of speed, they left the galaxy of the stone golems.

Wang Baole let the donkey out after they were clear of danger. Little Wu was now gazing at Wang Baole with adoration in his eyes. He didn’t believe all that talk about a senior brother at all. Regardless, Wang Baole had been able to come up with such a story at the most critical and dangerous moment and had even gone on to request something valuable as a souvenir. He had to acknowledge Wang Baole’s gutsiness.

Wang Baole looked up, not seeming to be bothered by Little Wu’s stares. Despite the mild, composed look on his face, he was secretly extremely pleased. A comfortable, soothing sense of satisfaction coursed through his body.

I can’t deny how useful Senior Brother’s name is, Wang Baole thought happily. As Little Wu continued to stare at him in adoration, Wang Baole waved his hand and sent the locust into the distant cosmos at full speed.

As they sped away from the galaxy of stone golems, the stone patriarch remained standing next to the Eternal Star, eyes looking into the distant stars. His gaze appeared to be tracking Wang Baole’s locust. There was a contemplative look in his eyes, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

Next to him stood the two dozen Spirit Immortal stone golems that had pursued Wang Baole earlier. One could see hints of resentment and anger on their faces. The rest of the clan, their people who were stuck on the four planets, appeared to feel similar sentiments.

In their eyes, anyone who trespassed into their galaxy and tried to steal their Stone Bamboos was an enemy of the clan, and an enemy was to be captured and offered up as a sacrifice. This was the first time in so many years that the stone patriarch had chosen to let someone go.

That wasn’t the worst of it. He had given away three Stone Bamboos, which the clan had painstakingly cultivated and grown. If they were to include the one that the enemy had dug up himself, they would have lost four Stone Bamboos. That was an extremely heavy loss for the civilization to bear.

The stone patriarch could sense his people’s fury. After a moment of silence, his Divine Sense thundered in the minds of every stone golem.

“That rascal and his bragging are hardly worth my attention. I’m not going to believe that the legendary Chen Qing is his senior brother just because he said it. But… the one standing next to him. His aura… clearly shows that he’s a true-born son of the Black Earth Empire. I’ve encountered such an aura in the past. There’s no way I could’ve mistaken his identity… The Black Earth Empire has been fighting for independence from the Never-Ending Clan recently. It’s best that we stay clear of these madmen!”