A World Worth Protecting

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The way he had addressed Wang Baole in the past had been an indication of his higher and superior status as the Sovereign Patriarch of the sect. Even though every cultivator that belonged to the sect was a disciple of the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect, regardless of who they were, their status and rank weren’t in the same league as his.

That was why none of them deserved him addressing them as his fellow Daoist. None of them deserved him treating them as his equal. In the entire Divine Eye civilization, there had only been two people who he thought were worthy of being called his fellow Daoists. One was the patriarch of the Earth Hexagram Unity Sect, and the other was a Planet realm cultivator from the Violet Gold New Dao Sect.

And now, there was another one!

The Divine Sovereign Justice Sect’s Sovereign Patriarch had been impressed by the battle prowess that Wang Baole had displayed earlier in battle. The power that Wang Baole had displayed had surpassed that of a legion and had reached a level where he could establish his own sect. In fact, to a certain extent, he was more powerful than certain entire sects. That was because his Spirit Immortal realm army was made up of puppets. His puppet army would rise with his single command and attack without fear of death. On the other hand… sects would face some difficulty in getting their disciples to display a similar fearlessness in battle.

Wang Baole’s personal fighting capabilities had also similarly impressed the Sovereign Patriarch. Of course, even though Wang Baole had the ability to kill a perfected Spirit Immortal realm cultivator, these qualities alone would only have gained the Sovereign Patriarch’s special attention.

But then, Wang Baole had managed to hold his own against the attack of the Heavenly Spirit Sect’s left-hand elder and survive the full brunt of the attack. That had taken the Sovereign Patriarch by surprise. After that, Wang Baole had attacked relentlessly, unleashing a Planet realm finger and launching a counterattack. Wang Baole had almost managed to kill the left-hand elder in a coordinated attack with the Sovereign Patriarch.

Most importantly… after Wang Baole had executed the series of actions, another Planet realm finger had appeared above his head. Everything had led to the Sovereign Patriarch’s intense incredulity and shock. He could tell that this had been a show of strength on Wang Baole’s part. After all, anyone who had managed to reach such high levels of cultivation was unlikely to be an idiot. His show of strength had been somewhat effective. The Sovereign Patriarch had set aside whatever ideas he had been playing around with.

<em>He possesses the means to invoke Planet realm power and fight a Planet realm cultivator. His strength doesn’t seem ordinary. But if we consider the fact that he’s able to unleash the Divine Eye Art and the origin of his puppets…</em> The Sovereign Patriarch narrowed his eyes. As he considered various possibilities, he was reminded of what the Heavenly Spirit Sect’s left-hand elder had uttered to his sect lord—Dao Disciple.

The thought sent emotions swelling inside him. He had an idea of how amazing an opportunity Wang Baole must have come across in order to unleash such power at the early-stage Spirit Immortal realm and the considerable benefits he himself might gain from such an opportunity. However, he also knew of Wang Baole’s strength and calculative mind, as well as the relentless drive for vengeance that fueled his aggressive nature. The price that he might have to pay if he were to fail was too great to bear. Besides, his current circumstances didn’t permit him to act. The threat from the Violet Gold civilization wasn’t yet abated.

The Divine Sovereign Justice Sect might have won this battle, but the war had just begun. The greatest fear during foreign invasions was that of internal instability. If his actions were exposed, they would definitely repulse others. After all, if not for Wang Baole, the outcome of the earlier battle would have been drastically different. In a certain sense, Wang Baole had saved their lives.

Besides… Wang Baole’s strength and might had served an important function in this inter-civilizational war. These thoughts flashed across the Sovereign Patriarch’s mind and were rapidly considered. Finally, he set aside his personal interests, his pride, and his status and began to treat Wang Baole as his equal. The expression on his face and his words were filled with sincerity.

“If you hadn’t stepped in, the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect might not have survived the battle. Fellow Daoist Long Nanzi, please accept my salute!” As he spoke, the Sovereign Patriarch cupped his fists and extended a deep bow towards Wang Baole in the presence of all of his disciples.

“Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to thank me. I’m a member of the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect too. Besides, the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect has saved me numerous times in the past. I’m only doing what I ought to do.” A bright light flashed in Wang Baole’s eyes. The Sovereign Patriarch had guessed right. Wang Baole had summoned the second Planet realm broken finger not only because he wanted to intimidate the left-hand elder but also because he wanted to impress the Sovereign Patriarch. After witnessing the Sovereign Patriarch’s attitude towards him, Wang Baole spoke hastily.

“Fellow Daoist, this salute comes not only from me but from the entire Divine Sovereign Justice Sect. We thank the esteemed fellow Daoist for his aid!” The Sovereign Patriarch had a stubborn look on his face. His fists remained cupped. After extending the deep bow, he gave Wang Baole a look. He seemed like he wanted to say something. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“Fellow Daoist Long Nanzi, even though the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect has won this battle, our victory has only bought our civilization a bit of time before its eventual destruction… That’s why I’m going to make an unreasonable request of you… I hope that you’ll agree to it!”

“Is that so?” Wang Baole narrowed his eyes and spoke with little consideration.

“Does the esteemed fellow Daoist wish for me to aid the Violet Gold New Dao Sect?”

The Sovereign Patriarch wasn’t surprised that Wang Baole had guessed his thoughts. After all, it would have been impossible for Wang Baole to advance from being an ordinary person to his current position without having intelligence and wisdom that surpassed the average person.

In fact, those had been his thoughts exactly. He knew very well that the Heavenly Spirit Sect had mounted an attack against the Violet Gold New Dao Sect when they had invaded his sect. He knew very well how the survival of both sects was dependent on the other. If the Violet Gold New Dao Sect were to be wiped out, their hopes for surviving this inter-civilizational war would be extinguished as well.

Even though he might seem physically fine, he had exhausted a considerable portion of his cultivation during his earlier fight with the two Planet realm cultivators in order to keep the Heavenly Spirit Sect’s sect lord occupied while inflicting severe damage to the left-hand elder. He was still up for another fight, but he couldn’t disregard his physical discomfort. Besides, he was also worried that the sect lord of the Heavenly Spirit Sect might attack his sect again should he leave.

That was why the best solution was to let Long Nanzi, the second most powerful person in the sect, lead an army to aid the Violet Gold New Dao Sect. However, he knew how dangerous the mission was going to be, and he also knew of the past conflict between Long Nanzi and the Violet Gold New Dao Sect. That was why he hadn’t been forthcoming with his request.

But Wang Baole had spoken his thoughts out loud. The Sovereign Patriarch took a deep breath and decided not to say anything more. He cupped his fists again.

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes and considered the matter. He knew that he had to provide aid. Trying to fight a war would become harder if the Violet Gold New Dao Sect were to be wiped out.

“So be it!” Wang Baole nodded at that thought.

The Sovereign Patriarch looked up and gave Wang Baole a long, meaningful look when he heard that. He immediately issued orders for the first legion to follow Wang Baole’s lead. He didn’t send Daoist Gu Mo away with the legion, though. The role of commander was given to the butler instead.

He also instructed three mid-stage Spirit Immortal realm cultivators to join the party. Fairy Ling You was one of the three cultivators. Some simple arrangements were made swiftly. Then, Wang Baole’s army and the first legion took off immediately, charging through the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect’s teleportation portal and rushing in the direction of the Violet Gold New Dao Sect.

Even though the Sovereign Patriarch couldn’t join the mission personally, he had given the butler a small statue. The power of his avatar had been sealed in the statue. It might not be equivalent to the true strength of a Planet realm, but its self-destruction would nevertheless unleash some measure of Planet realm power.

He hadn’t hidden his actions from Wang Baole. Instead, he had handed the statue to the butler in Wang Baole’s presence as a show of his sincerity.

Wang Baole had nodded to himself when he had seen that. His army and the first legion stepped out of the teleportation portal and into the Divine Eye civilization’s public space. Upon Wang Baole’s command, the army charged towards the Violet Gold New Dao Sect.

Even though they had saved considerable time with the use of the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect’s teleportation array formation, the journey to their next battleground would still take two hours.

The battleships charged tirelessly through the cosmos, while everyone on board rested. The previous battle had been intense, and now, they were going to join another battle as reinforcements. Everyone was tired, both physically and mentally. Just as Wang Baole was about to settle down for meditation, the butler, for reasons unknown to others, made arrangements for Fairy Ling You to be by Wang Baole’s side…

He gave careful and specific instructions for her to get along with Wang Baole and do her utmost to fulfill his every whim and fancy.

Fairy Ling You kept her silence amidst the sect’s change in attitude towards Wang Baole. She was a reserved person and wasn’t good at taking the first step when it came to interactions with others. She stood near Wang Baole awkwardly. Even Wang Baole began to feel uncomfortable. Both of them stared at each other for a long time.

“I mean, we’re old friends by now. Why don’t… you lay down on my lap and rest for a bit?” Wang Baole coughed and tested the waters.

Fairy Ling You had been feeling slightly nervous, and his words made her tense up instantly. The look on her face shifted, and she couldn’t stop herself from glaring at Wang Baole before turning and walking away.

Wang Baole touched his face and sighed as he stared at Fairy Ling You’s alluring back.

<em>Luckily, she didn’t agree to that. I wouldn’t know how to turn her down if she did. There are too many people lusting after my good looks, after all. What was the butler thinking anyway?</em> Wang Baole coughed awkwardly. After extending his Divine Sense and ensuring that the area was safe, he narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand. With a flip of his right hand, he pulled out a storage ring!

It was what he had gotten off the Never-Ending Clan Planet realm cultivator during the Flame Patriarch’s mission. The storage ring that he suspected hid a treasure but that he had been unable to unlock!

<em>Let’s see if I can unlock it now!</em> Anticipation shone in Wang Baole’s eyes. He unleashed his cultivation and allowed his Divine Sense to rush into the storage ring!