A World Worth Protecting

Wang Baole was in one of the minor strongholds along the seventh line of defense that was engaged in the battle for mankind’s survival. He didn’t possess the capability to command and direct the battle, and neither did he possess invincible cultivation. To a certain extent, he was but an insignificant True Breath disciple.

He was also shaken by fear, and his body trembled uncontrollably; however, Ancient Martial realm warriors around him continued to engage in battle. As a cultivator, how he could try to escape the battle of the Beast Tide?

Let’s do this! Wang Baole decided. It was as if he was back in the Pond Cloud Rainforest, and a wave of murderous intent burst forth from his person. He leaped into the air, stepped onto the flying cruiser, and traveled amongst the ten Fire God Cannons under his charge. He inspected and repaired cannons without rest, and made sure they were all running smoothly.

It was then that the countless waves of beasts outside the stronghold rushed into the ten-thousand-feet perimeter, thundering as they charged. The big-bearded commander-in-charge watched as they approached. A tinge of madness colored his eyes, and he raised his right hand and swept it across in a violent wave.

“Array Runes!”

A thundering roar rose. At the ten-thousand-feet perimeter surrounding the stronghold, an array formation flashed into being. The array formation cultivators from the four Dao Colleges as well as the array formation masters from the army struck, activating the power of the array formation buried underground. In an instant, Spirit Qi shot up into the heavens within the ten-thousand-feet perimeter. The light of the array formation dazzled and blinded.

It was as if the force of invisible mountains suddenly descended, transforming into a strong force that cast a shadow over the ten-thousand-feet perimeter!

The beasts that had charged into the ten-thousand-feet perimeter, into the thundering roars and blinding light of the array formation, seemed to sink into a mudslide. Their movements slowed to a crawl, and in their struggles, they cried out in rage to no avail.

As the beasts slowed due to the array formation, a staggering rain of swords flew from within the stronghold. They were the swords belonging to the Flying Sword troops comprised of all Combat cultivators from the colleges as well as cultivators from the army. The flying swords soared straight into the ten-thousand-feet perimeter, tearing everything apart wherever they passed.

The flight of the swords interweaved with one another, forming a net of swords. All of a sudden, shrieks of pain rang out, and the smell of freshly spilled blood hung heavy in the air. The lands outside the stronghold bled red. From afar, it looked like a carpet of flesh and blood.

Blood and violence permeated the air. If it had been any other occasion, one would have thrown up. But, on the battlefield, the smell of blood stirred the beasts into a blood frenzy and pushed the men to kill!

The coordination of the array formation and flying swords turned the ten-thousand-feet perimeter into a no man’s land for the beasts. The Fire God Cannons, having undergone a short spurt of repairs, commenced their firing again. Their targets—the beasts beyond the ten-thousand-feet perimeter!

Both the areas within the ten-thousand-feet perimeter and beyond were transformed into a living hell. Multitudes of howling beasts were torn to shreds in large swaths.

The scene of their destruction brought no cheer to the men. When they raised their heads and looked into the distant primordial jungles, they could see the waves of Beast Tides between the heavens and earth, an ocean that spanned across the horizons without end…

The sight was a heavy-weight that sank the hearts of everyone.

Big-bearded commander-in-charge took in the sight, then took a deep breath before his voice resounded throughout the entire stronghold.

“Brothers, and friends from the four Dao Colleges, fear not. I, Old Zhang, have stood guard here for ten years. I’ve seen too many Beast Tides. The size of this one may be big, but my experience tells me that as long as we survive this wave, and stand strong, the Beast Tide will ebb and weaken!”

Big-bearded commander-in-charge was clearly not adept at stirring up the crowds. Regardless, his words during that time were a boost to many and caused hope to glimmer in their eyes.

Wang Baole also took a deep breath. He knew that hope was a precious commodity to many at times like that. He traveled swiftly in silence and continued his work on the Fire God Cannons.

He knew that his contributions on the battlefield were negligible. All that he could do was to ensure that the ten Fire God Cannons under his care maintained their levels of destruction.

The fighting continued. The ground quaked, and the mountains shook. An hour passed, slowly. The time that would have sped past on an ordinary day seemed to crawl by on the battlefield.

The Beast Tide was relentless, their numbers countless. However, under the combined destructive force of the array formation, the torrent of swords, and the Fire God Cannon firings, the two camps seemed to reach a delicate balance!

An avalanche of ferocious beasts continued charging forward despite round after round of massacre, only to be held at bay a ten thousand feet away. Even if the beasts were to successfully dodge the Fire God Cannons, they would be slain by the array formation and flying swords.

The beast camp will not stand by as this balance continues… Wang Baole had a grave look on his face. As he continued repairs on a Fire God Cannon, he raised his head and stared at the distant hurricane as well as the seven Foundation Establishment realm beasts that had not yet moved to attack.

The moment his eyes fell on the hurricane, his pupils contracted to pinpricks. He watched as the hurricane expanded and spread out suddenly, rousing waves of clouds. As the clouds rolled outwards, from within the eye of the hurricane, out flew a…

Gigantic bat!

The bat was purple all over, and its eyes glimmered with cold cruelty. It flew from the eye of the hurricane to the edge, and the seven Foundation Establishment realm beasts swiftly gathered around the bat in a protective circle.

The appearance of the bat shook many to their core; even Wang Baole, upon seeing the bat clearly, was affected. His breathing quickened, and buzzing sounded in his mind.

As everyone was knocked off balance, the bat opened its mouth wide with a vicious look on its face. It seemed to be screaming amidst its fearsome posturing, sending a blast of ultrasonic waves towards the stronghold.

Those of the Ancient Martial realm couldn’t sense the ultrasonic wave, but its hit landed true on True Breath realm cultivators. It was akin to a sharp blade piercing through one’s brains. In an instant, many cultivators let out a pained cry. Tremors shook throughout Wang Baole’s body as well. Fortunately, the devouring seed was triggered in the nick of time and blocked the shrill shriek from penetrating his mind. However, that didn’t stop blood from seeping out of his nose.

The thundering roar was accompanied by a wave of inscriptions bursting from within the bat. It swept towards the stronghold in a rush and passed into the ten-thousand-feet perimeter in a blink of an eye. Where it passed, the inscriptions on the array formation darkened and were rendered useless!

The Sword Rain lost stability in the same instant as well and was drained of all nimbleness. Their owners called the swords back immediately, but the damage had been done, and some swords shattered instantly.

The greatest damage was dealt to the Fire God Cannons. It seemed that the cannons were the bat’s true target. The wave of inscriptions surged over, and with a blow, sent a third of the hundred-odd Fire God Cannons convulsing. They seemed to lose all power and were turned into scrapped metal instantaneously!

One of the cannons included a cannon under Wang Baole’s charge. Wang Baole wiped away the blood from his nose, studiously ignored his discomfort, and rushed towards the cannon to inspect it. He quickly discovered the inscriptions carved on the inside of the Fire God Cannon had disintegrated into dust!

The Fire God Cannon originally had a self-destruct option, which was no longer possible. Wang Baole’s hasty inspection of the remaining cannons found a few of the cannons had fragmented inscriptions. The cannons were a step away from a complete malfunction!

What kind of beast is that! Wang Baole was shocked to his core. That was the first time he encountered a beast that could affect inscriptions. It was clear that even big-bearded commander-in-charge had not seen it coming, as anger colored his face.

The attack shattered the earlier balance between the two camps. As everyone in the stronghold stayed frozen in shock, the roars of the beasts resounded in the air. The Beast Tide was like a giant wave crashing forward from a ten thousand feet away, surging towards the stronghold in a frenzied charge.

It was then that four Sword Qi shot into the air from within the stronghold—overpowering Spirit Qi from the four Sword Qi suppressed even that of a True Breath. The aura exuded equaled that of the Foundation Establishment realm beasts on the edge of the hurricane; it was almost identical to the latter, and could even be discerned as slightly stronger!

Foundation Establishment realm cultivators! Wang Baole’s eyes widened. His heart rose in excitement as he stared at the four Sword Qi soaring in the sky. They were four flying swords, and standing on the four flying swords were three men and a woman!

The four exuded an overwhelming, awe-inspiring aura. It was clear that they had been waiting in hiding for a long time. Their explosive reveal must have been because their target was the bat that appeared from the eye of the hurricane!

Just as they dashed out like bolts of lightning, the seven Foundation Establishment realm beasts surrounding the bat surged forward and held them at bay. A tinge of bloodlust flashed across the beasts’ eyes.

The four must have guessed that would happen. They originally planned to wait a little longer, but the bat’s attack was too ferocious. If they had continued to lie in wait, the casualties would have been alarming. There was even the possibility of the stronghold falling, so they had no choice but to strike.

It was a tactical blunder. They should have disregarded the losses to the stronghold since their task was to exterminate the bat. Based on their deduction, the bat’s death would be a major blow to the Beast Tide.

But they were still cultivators at heart. They had advanced, a step at a time, from an ordinary person to their current position. It was impossible for them to disregard the deaths of so many!

The four cultivators clashed with the seven Foundation Establishment realm beasts and engaged in an aerial battle. It seemed they had staged an ambush, but many in the stronghold could tell that they were launching a proactive attack and drawing the seven beasts—beasts that would unleash a terrible destructive power once they entered the battlefield!

The sight before him sent shivers down Wang Baole’s spine yet again, and his breathing quickened. The light in his eyes brightened even more fiercely as he stared at the beasts around him. His body swayed as he sped off to repair the Fire God Cannons with everything that he had. As the Beast Tide on land approached in a thunderous roar, the remaining Fire God Cannons fired again. Fragmented inscriptions spiraled into further magical instability following the round of shots. Some let out a despairing creak, and after that, one shot and broke down completely.

Big-bearded commander-in-charge saw it all. With his eyes red, he roared, “All Dharmic Armament cultivators, direct all efforts to repairing the Fire God Cannons. The Fire God Cannons cannot fail! We will hold them back and give you more time!”

Upon saying that, big-bearded commander-in-charge issued his command. In a blink of an eye, save the few left to stand guard, the entire army rushed out of the stronghold and, alongside the cultivators from the four Dao Colleges, went head to head with the Beast Tide for another round!