A World Worth Protecting

As the meat bag exploded, fluids splattered everywhere. Lin Tianhao slid out from the bag. His originally healthy, fit body was now skin and bones. He was almost skeletal, and his breathing was weak.

His rescue was timely. His eyelids fluttered as if he was trying to open his eyes. Wang Baole immediately pulled out pills and fed him a few. It was then that the giant corpse that was fighting the giant tree and Chen Feng seemed to have realized Wang Baole’s rescue. It roared.

As it thundered, numerous meat bags around them started to explode. The cultivators inside them were killed immediately and transformed into zombies. They opened their eyes. Their eyes were gray. Each one of them started howling like mad beasts and charged towards Wang Baole.

Wang Baole immediately grabbed Lin Tianhao and retreated hastily. He paused for a moment as he saw the meat bags around them explode continuously. He drew near a meat bag and slashed it open. He had no time to check it. He rushed towards another one and slashed it open as well.

The horde of zombies charging towards him was too overwhelming. They were once cultivators. Despite their drained and skeletal states, the clothes they wore were still mostly intact. Many of them were military cultivators, while a few were array formation cultivators.

Wang Baole tried his best to defend himself and save as many people as possible. He managed to rescue a dozen or so people before the horde of zombies drew near. Anyone else would have fallen into grave danger then, but Wang Baole was an extraordinary fighter. He howled furiously and sent his saber in a wide sweep, slashing his way out of the zombie horde and continuing his rescue efforts.

He had saved two dozen people when a meat bag hanging on the ceiling a distance away from him suddenly exploded. A surge of Core Formation realm cultivation erupted. Out emerged a Core Formation realm zombie!

He was the leader of Team Six!

As soon as he appeared, he charged towards Wang Baole with a sudden burst of speed. Wang Baole gasped. He stopped his rescue efforts and immediately grabbed Lin Tianhao and retreated hastily.

He unleashed the full power of his Dharmic Armament and slashed at the approaching Core Formation realm zombie!

A deafening explosion sounded in the air. Blood dripped from Wang Baole’s lips. He staggered back, his body like a kite suddenly cut from its string. The Core Formation realm zombie shuddered as well. He was pushed back multiple steps from that blow, his right arm sliced clean off by Wang Baole’s saber!

The Core Formation realm cultivator clearly didn’t possess the full strength and power of his former self before he had been zombified. He hadn’t a mind of his own. He had been reduced to a beast and its base brutal nature. His loss of an arm didn’t weaken his ferociousness. He howled and charged at Wang Baole again.

Wang Baole panted heavily. He knew that regardless of how weakened the enemy was, he was still a Core Formation realm cultivator. The difference in power between them was too great. He would be in grave danger should the zombie get close to him. He had no choice but to retreat, but he had Lin Tianhao with him. That made things difficult.

Wang Baole gritted his teeth. As he retreated, he flung Lin Tianhao behind him and yelled.

“Donkey, catch! Quickly, hide him!”

As Lin Tianhao was tossed into the air, the donkey appeared out from wherever it had been hiding and dashed forward, catching Lin Tianhao. It obviously knew the seriousness of the situation. It retreated immediately, dodging a few zombies. When it reached the entrance to the tunnel, it instinctively sniffed Lin Tianhao’s hand, which was hanging limply by its mouth. It seemed to be thinking.

Wang Baole, who was frantically dodging the Core Formation realm zombie’s attacks, snuck a glance and caught the expression on the donkey’s face. He got furious immediately and hollered.

“Scram, you can’t eat that. If you do, I’ll make you shut your mouth for three years!”

Wang Baole wasn’t sure if the donkey had finally learned obedience or if the threat of having its mouth shut for three years got to it, but a look of innocence immediately settled on its face. It stopped sniffing and fled instantly.

Wang Baole was still slightly worried. He was obviously the one in grave danger here, but the thought of the donkey taking a few nibbles at Lin Tianhao…

Wang Baole dared not think further. His head throbbed. He switched direction as he fled and banked on his speed to avoid the zombie. The Core Formation realm zombie had lost its former speed as well after zombification. Anxiety simmered inside Wang Baole. He knew that he could escape. He also knew that he was the one keeping the zombies contained by forcing their murderous attention on him.

As soon as he left, the zombies would likely turn on the other cultivators whom he had saved and were still currently unconscious.

I can’t hold on like this much longer. The more Wang Baole thought about it, the more his head throbbed. He made full use of the mosquitoes to survey his surroundings. The sight of dozens of zombies surging forward made him clench his teeth. He waved his hand. Multiple lightning bolts descended and formed a thick lightning cloud in the cave.

The lightning cloud didn’t cover a large area. As soon as it formed, it exploded. The zombies that had been approaching Wang Baole and charging at him were instantly blown to bits.

He wasn’t done yet. Wang Baole formed hand seals rapidly. A sea of fire rose, its destructive force surging outwards explosively. It was the Heated Burst mystic technique.

A thundering roar rose as lightning shone beneath Wang Baole’s feet. His startling speed surged, and with a sudden burst of speed, he slashed open another four meat bags before they exploded, saving another four people.

He had reached his limits though. The bags of flesh around him kept exploding. The zombies’ numbers rose. The walls started shifting, and the earth started loosening—out popped gruesome faces and skulls. Wang Baole was torn. Finally, he clenched his teeth and prepared to make his escape.

It was then that a roar rang out. The other two Core Formation realm cultivators from the military who had been split up earlier finally arrived. When they saw the sight before them, alarm and horror colored their faces. One of them raced towards the giant tree and Chen Feng and joined their battle. The other raced towards Wang Baole to face the Core Formation realm zombie.

There was deep sorrow in their eyes. They knew that what stood before them was no longer their past comrades in battle.

Wang Baole finally let loose a sigh of relief at the sight of reinforcements. He raced towards the other meat bags and slashed open another dozen before all the meat bags finally exploded!

That was the best he could do. He had saved nearly forty out of more than a hundred cultivators. The rest… had all transformed into zombies!

It was then that the other Foundation Establishment realm cultivators arrived and appeared at the entrance of the tunnel. Every one of them had looks of horror and shock on their faces. They joined the battle. Wang Baole was finally released of most of his burden in fighting the zombie hordes alone. A chaotic battle erupted in the cave.

Cries of anger, sorrow, and pain surged in the cave like tsunami waves. They rose and ebbed. The giant tree transformed into a towering Osmanthus tree and ripped the giant corpse apart and then turned and joined the other battle. The battle slowly reached its end.

All the zombies were decimated. Silence fell. Wang Baole panted and realized that almost seventy percent of the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators who had joined the fight had been killed in battle.

Out of the three Core Formation realm cultivators from the military, two sustained minor injuries. Chen Feng’s injuries were more serious. The giant tree himself had a somber expression on his face. He was less concerned about his injuries. What darkened his mood was what had happened here. Wang Baole hadn’t been the only one who had found it familiar. He himself had found it incredulous as well.

That was why he had risked expending his vitality and resuming his original form in the first place. He hadn’t planned for the latter. He had intended to seal his original form to save his strength, as he was building up his resources so that his cultivation might advance.

However, the scene in the Blood Cave made him realize that wasn’t possible. Even he had doubted himself upon the sight. Others would feel the same too. Should someone make use of this to stir trouble for him, he would be at a disadvantage.

Damn it! What exactly is this cave? Why is it imitating me? The giant tree simmered in his frustrations. He looked at Wang Baole and grew even more annoyed. There was nothing he could do though. He didn’t try to destroy the corpses. After speaking to Chen Feng, they decided to store the corpses in their storage bracelets.

He dared not destroy them. He was afraid of further misunderstandings. He intended to bring them back and allow the Martian administration to study the evidence. He was going to use that to clear his name.

Those who had been rescued by Wang Baole were all fed pills. They were unconscious but mostly unharmed. Those who remained alive were all overcome with strange feelings. What they had encountered in the cave was vastly different from the Mars they knew and remembered.

The Mars they knew and remembered was dangerous, but it was dangerous because the dangers were unknown, not because they were bizarre and out of this world, like what they had encountered in the cave…

Weighed down by thoughts, they soon finished the clean-up. The giant tree, Chen Feng, and the other two Core Formation realm cultivators led the party out of the cave with dark, solemn looks on their faces. Wang Baole found his donkey. He saw that all of Lin Tianhao’s limbs had remained intact and sighed a breath of relief.

He followed the rest out. They sealed the cave before boarding the cruiser and racing away.

As the cruiser engines roared, the giant tree suddenly lowered his head and stared at the sealed cave. He sensed, vaguely, a gaze coming from the cave. Regardless of how hard he looked, he saw nothing.

Wang Baole didn’t notice that, but he realized that since he had entered the cave at the end of the tunnel, the unknown power that had roused his Dark Fire had vanished.

He had been busy saving people then though and had no time to think about it. Now, he sank deep into thought. He stared at the sealed cave below them.

This place must have something to do… with the Dark Art… Little Missy said before that once one reached a certain level practicing the Dark Art, he would be able to wield the power of death… Wang Baole became silent. He sensed the Dark Fire stirring inside him again without rhyme or reason. A contemplative look appeared on his face.

Neither he nor the giant tree noticed the donkey sniffing the air then. It stared at the cave below them, and its eyes brightened. It started to lick its lips.

On the ground, the boy, whom no one could see, stood. His remaining left hand tightened into a fist. He stared unblinkingly at the donkey, his teeth almost cracking as he clenched his jaw tight.