A World Worth Protecting

It was no simple feat to seal the new catacombs. Fortunately, the scale of the current Beast Tide was small. It had simply taken them by complete surprise. However, with the battle capabilities the new city zone possessed, it wasn’t impossible to fight the beasts off.

Wang Baole chose the simplest, most straightforward, and most brutal solution. He arrested Li Yi, took control of Li Yi’s Global Dharma City, and locked down the entire city zone with the authority he had seized from her. Then, he ordered everyone to evacuate the area.

Wang Baole locked down the area around the new catacombs and had the beasts trapped within the area. Then, an icy glint flashed in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he ordered the cannons to fire!

Excluding this area, the rest of the new city zone had been built according to the design of Wang Baole’s Eternal Fortress and was augmented by the Qi Fostering Spirit Array Formation. The power of the array formation roared to the skies. Numerous Baole Cannons and Fire God Cannons appeared instantly. They aimed at the western zone, targeted the new catacombs, and fired simultaneously.

The combined artillery forces from the other three zones threatened to wipe everything out. Cannon fire rained down on the Beast Tide. Shots thundered in the air. The array formation transformed into endless strands that criss-crossed and sliced through beasts, mutilating flesh and spilling blood. Howls of agony pierced the heavens.

A good half of the entire western zone was destroyed in the attack, buildings collapsing and disintegrating into dust. But Wang Baole didn’t care.

He knew the key thing was to get the situation under control quickly. There were no workers in the area; only buildings remained. It was true that significant resources had gone into constructing the area, but since Li Yi had committed a wrongdoing, she and the White Deer Dao College would have to pay for the resultant destruction!

Explosions boomed as multiple cannon shots were fired repeatedly. The earth shuddered. Jin Duoming and Kong Dao stood beside Wang Baole, shocked. Their eyes fell on Wang Baole at the same time. Gone was the constant smile on Wang Baole’s face; it had been replaced by a cold, emotionless look, and his eyes glittered with a cold light.

This guy is vicious! Kong Dao and Jin Duoming came to the same, deep understanding of Wang Baole’s true character. They might have had similar assessments in the past, but Wang Baole’s typical behavior was the complete opposite of vicious. It made it easy for others to forget what they knew about his true character.

At that moment, however, he had instantly chosen to abandon half of the western zone. It was true that the workers in the western zone had long since evacuated, but such a decision wasn’t something everyone could have made so decisively.

After another round of cannon shots, when the Beast Tide was finally being pushed back by cannon fire, Wang Baole took a deep breath and immediately led a large army of cultivators charging into the western zone, where the beasts had been trapped and sealed in. They left death and destruction in their wake, exterminating whatever beast remnants they came across before they finally reached the location of the new catacombs.

Wang Baole stared at the eerie catacombs. A chilly air exuded from inside. He immediately formed a series of hand seals and used his authority to access the new array formation and seal the new catacombs.

Strands from the array formation appeared, dashing in from all directions and weaving themselves rapidly over the catacombs. It was then that a roar, brimming with resentment and anger, rumbled from inside. Seven to eight beasts exuding a Core Formation realm cultivation surged forward and tried to stop the seal from settling.

“Everyone!” Wang Baole’s eyes narrowed, and he roared immediately. As his voice resounded in the air, the Core Formation realm cultivators from the various political forces dashed out from behind him and clashed with the beasts inside the catacombs.

The sounds of battle rose to the heavens. The glow and dazzle from spells lit the skies, visible from afar. As they fought against the beasts, Wang Baole continued to set up the array formation and seal the catacombs without interruption.

Kong Dao and Jin Duoming clearly understood the importance of what was happening. This concerned the security of the new city zone. If they failed to repair this loophole in their security, Li Yi wouldn’t be the only one held responsible, both of them would be implicated as well.

Besides, they had chosen unanimously to keep the matter under wraps. They hadn’t reported it to the Governor. Lin Tianhao had also carried out preventive measures to stop any news from leaking out.

Of course, with so many people as eye-witnesses, it was inevitable that the Governor would find out about this matter. However, if they could resolve it before the administration started questioning them about accountability, the only person who would be held responsible would be Li Yi.

Everyone shared the same understanding. They also knew that time was key. That was why everyone from every political force was unleashing their full power at the moment and fighting against hordes of beasts with everything they had. They were all fighting to give Wang Baole the time to seal the catacombs.

Just as everyone joined forces and was able to push the Beast Tide back, establishing a stalemate in the battle, a fearsome, thunderous roar louder than the previous suddenly erupted from inside the catacombs.

The thunderous boom was accompanied by the sounds of crackling, like the sounds of ice rapidly spreading through the catacombs. It was as if a giant hand was reaching outwards from the depths of the new catacombs. Where it passed, the surrounding walls turned to ice.

The beasts fighting to get out were all affected by the chill and immediately turned to ice. The giant hand surged forward, exuding a terrifying and overpowering aura. The surrounding cultivators, including those at the Core Formation realm, were all alarmed.

They were caught in a tight spot. Wang Baole’s seal wasn’t yet completed. Wang Baole’s breathing quickened. He knew that if they couldn’t hold back the beasts, they would have no choice but to notify the Governor.

He was unwilling to do that unless he had absolutely no other choice. An icy glint flashed in his eyes. He uttered the first few words of the scripture in his heart!

“Enlightened…”

Those words echoed inside Wang Baole’s heart. A familiar presence suddenly erupted in the distant heavens. This was different from what had happened in the past. Wang Baole could sense clearly… eyes from the distant regions of the universe opening and gazing over suddenly.

My god… did I wake it? Wang Baole shuddered. He had no time to think though, as the awesome presence traveled through the universe and descended. The giant hand that had been stretching out madly and without fear suddenly shuddered violently. It seemed to be terrified and dared not move forward. Instead, it shrank back hastily, like a mouse that had just seen a cat!

Everyone was shocked at the sight. They released a breath of relief, and an indescribable feeling arose in their hearts. They had felt the unbelievable presence as well. They looked at Wang Baole with a strange and curious look in their eyes.

However, they were at a critical stage in their attempt to seal the new catacombs. No one had time to think further. They made use of the sudden oppressive presence and intensified their resistance against the Beast Tide. Wang Baole seized the opening as well and completed the sealing!

The strands of the array formation finally transformed into a complete web over the new catacombs. The beasts were trapped inside, and while they kept attacking the seat, they couldn’t nudge it.

Wang Baole let loose a breath of relief. He quickly organized the cultivators to exterminate the beasts that had escaped. He also issued an order to Lin Tianhao to get the cultivators from the other three zones to comb through the western zone, starting from the perimeter and moving inwards in their search. They were to ensure that not a single beast remained.

From the start of the incident, beginning with the zone-wide hunt to the final verification that no beasts remained in the western zone, the entire incident spanned four hours. It was after the four hours had passed that the furious reprimand from the Governor finally arrived.

The Governor had clearly been informed that the danger had been resolved. She was therefore focused on finding out the cause of this incident. Wang Baole didn’t speak a single word. Instead, he looked at Kong Dao and Jin Duoming.

Kong Dao had witnessed Wang Baole driving back the Beast Tide and resolving the situation. He was silent for a while before the scene of his earlier rescue by Wang Baole surfaced in his mind. His feelings and views towards Wang Baole were complicated, but he had to admit that he did have a certain degree of admiration towards Wang Baole.

He inhaled a deep breath and reported everything from his own perspective and stance: how Li Yi had unilaterally modified the city plans, how that had sparked off the Beast Tide, and how everything had been resolved. He shared everything he knew in detail.

Jin Duoming shook his head and smiled wryly. He didn’t make any statements regarding the matter, but that in itself spoke volumes about what truly happened. Lin Tianhao, who had been standing at one side, handed over the evidence he had gathered to the Governor. He also handed over a jade slip that contained the contents of their initial meeting, which Wang Baole had instructed that he recorded. The facts were laid out clearly before the Governor.

The Governor remained silent for a moment. Then, she issued an immediate order to strip Li Yi of her vice mayorship. She was to be transferred out of Mars, and would never again resume office on Mars!