A World Worth Protecting

Terrifying breathing that seems human and inhuman at the same time, and an aura that resembles a Divine Armament’s aura… This tomb is quite interesting! Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He stared at the bright door that had been conjured by the hexes and that had now disappeared with their rapid departure, as well as the tomb, that seemed to have resumed normalcy. After a long silence, he sighed deeply.

“There’s something very strange about this tomb. It’s going to be a challenge for us to uncover its secrets with our current level of cultivation. Perhaps when we reach the Soul Conduit realm… we’d be able to try our hand at it.” Zhao Yameng stared at the tomb behind the hexes. She recalled the breathing from the tomb and the terrible impact it had on her before speaking gravely.

Kong Dao was similarly cowed. The three of them stared at one another and decided to give up. They raced towards the Worship Palace Pavilion with the intention of teleporting back from the pavilion. Due to certain special reasons, they couldn’t teleport directly to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. The teleportation would only send them to the borders of the sword body. They would then need to pass through the borders and enter the region of the sword handle.

Even so, this would save them a lot of time. They were silent as they traveled back to the Worship Palace Pavilion. Thoughts of the tomb and what had happened to them filled their minds. Wang Baole sensed that he might have missed something. He wasn’t sure what it was until they entered the Worship Palace Pavilion, chose to activate the teleportation spell, and Zhao Yameng suddenly spoke.

“There might be another way we can try to uncover the secrets behind the tomb… something to do with wood. If we can find ourselves a wood-based cultivator, we might be able to fight against the green mist and enter the burial mound… but such cultivators are extremely rare. There’s also an element of risk involved. The cultivator has to be formed entirely of pure wood for there to be any chance of success,” Zhao Yameng said, then sighed. She had thought of this idea after arriving at the pavilion.

Pure wood? Upon hearing what Zhao Yameng had said, Wang Baole lifted his head abruptly. His mind cleared. It was like the sudden parting of stormy clouds. His thoughts became clear to him, and he realized what he had been missing earlier. A strange light shone in his eyes.

Right, that’s what I overlooked. A pure wood-based cultivator… Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. As he remained deep in thought, the teleportation spell flared to life around them. They gradually vanished from inside the Worship Palace Pavilion.

The spell’s glow dimmed following their departure, and everything resumed normalcy. Nothing seemed to have changed, save the burial mound, from which the sounds of breathing could occasionally be heard amidst the rising and falling of green mist.

In the area bordering the sword body, a short distance away from the region of the sword handle, energy waves of a teleportation spell rippled in the air and were followed by the appearance of Wang Baole and his friends. They verified their location and immediately started running. It didn’t take them long to leave the region of the sword body and step into the Sea of Fire beyond the region of the sword handle.

The clearly scorching heat blew into their faces. However, due to the difference in temperatures in the sword body and the sword handle, the hot winds felt cool instead. Wang Baole took a deep breath in and pat his storage bracelet. It contained not only vast quantities of materials but also a purple identity token.

This was his most priceless gain during the entire trip!

An adopted disciple! Anticipation shone in Wang Baole’s eyes. He looked at Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao, and they seemed to share similar thoughts. Be it an inner sect disciple or an outer sect disciple, both were considered the cream of the crop in the present Vast Expanse Dao Palace. All of them would be valued greatly by the Vast Expanse Dao Palace.

One could imagine the drastic transformation to their status upon their return.

“Let’s go back. Next time, let’s get Yifan to join us too. We can get a few more storage bags and do another round of scavenging!” Wang Baole pushed aside his greed for what lay inside the burial mound and said. His spirits soared as he spoke. Kong Dao too seemed to have released himself from the pent up emotions he had about the burial mound. He thought about his loot and the bright future ahead of him and was overcome with excitement.

Zhao Yameng smiled faintly. She pushed a lock of hair, stirred astray by the wind, behind her ear. Her eyes were clear and filled with hope for the future. The three of them transformed into rainbows, crossing the skies and heading in the direction of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace.

The distance of their journey necessitated multiple teleportations. They needed two weeks to make the trip back. They weren’t in a hurry, though. They laughed and talked during the journey back. It was relaxing. They teleported a few times and were three days away from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace when something drastic descended upon them in an unexpected manner!

They hadn’t come across any danger. Instead… Wang Baole heard cries of agony and fear inside his head!

The cries weren’t that of a human, but a donkey!

“Son! Son, son! Son!”

The donkey didn’t have a voice transmission ring. However, he had a certain connection with Wang Baole. Wang Baole might not be able to sense the donkey clearly if the distance separating them was too great, but across a short distance, the connection binding them was clear and strong.

At this moment, the donkey was relying on its mental connection with Wang Baole to call for help!

No one else would be able to hear this cry. Even if they did, they wouldn’t understand what the donkey was trying to say. They would only be able to sense the extreme anxiety as well as fear in its voice. Wang Baole was very familiar with the donkey though. He instantly knew what it was trying to convey when he heard its cries. The series of cries could be translated into a single word.

“Help!”

Wang Baole froze in his steps. His breathing quickened, and the look on his face darkened. He was about to find out what was going on with the donkey when the connection between him and the donkey was suddenly cut off!

There seemed to be some power standing between him and the donkey, disrupting their connection!

Wang Baole secretly trembled. Anxiety rose inside him. He might treat the donkey harshly, with regular punishments and beatings, but he still considered it his son. He was the only one who could beat it. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to bully it.

The donkey’s cries for help sounded tragic. It was like a slight yank at Wang Baole’s heart. Face grim, he sped up and raced forward.

Even though their connection had been severed, Wang Baole was able to pin down the donkey’s location based on what he had sensed earlier. It was in… the Vast Expanse Dao Palace!

What happened… Wang Baole could barely hide the icy glint in his eyes. As he raced ahead, Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao, while unaware of what had transpired, sensed the icy aura exuding from Wang Baole. They shivered and sped up as well.

“Baole, what happened?” After a few moments, Zhao Yameng couldn’t help but ask.

“Scram just called for help!” Wang Baole forced the words from his mouth. Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao knew the donkey’s name. Shock flashed across their faces when they heard what had happened. Wang Baole pulled out his voice transmission ring then and immediately contacted Sect Lord Xu of the Galactic Dusk Sect, who was currently in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace!

Sect Lord Xu knew nothing about this. He had been caught by surprise when he received the voice transmission. He told Wang Baole not to panic and that he was going to find out what was going on. Wang Baole maintained his speed as he raced towards the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, sending voice transmissions to others and making inquiries.

It didn’t take long before everyone reported to him, and he finally realized the cause of the donkey’s distress. The donkey had eaten a huge chunk of a Nascent Soul realm Elder’s alchemical cauldron. The Elder was called Sun Hai, and he belonged to Mie Liezi’s faction. The alchemical cauldron had been crafted from numerous rare and priceless materials. It had almost been destroyed by the donkey’s single bite.

Sun Hai had discovered the donkey’s misdeed and captured it in his fury. He intended to kill it!

“Baole, I’ve mapped out his relations. It won’t be useful. Sun Hai said that he won’t listen to anyone. He plans to use the donkey to refine a Blood Flesh Pill!”

Wang Baole’s head started throbbing when he heard that. He knew the donkey. This was something it was capable of doing. Its greed had landed it in trouble. But this was still his son. Upon hearing everything, he turned and looked at Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao.

“I need to go!” Having said that, he let loose a sudden burst of speed, unleashing his full speed, which approximated that of a teleportation. He transformed into a rainbow and dashed across the skies. The burst of speed reduced his traveling to a third of the time required. He would be able to reach the Vast Expanse Dao Palace within a day.

“Sect Lord Xu, no matter what you do, please, help me delay the event for another day!”

“Baole, I’ll do my best. Don’t act rashly though. I believe paying compensation would resolve this matter. Besides, you’ve just returned from the Worship Palace Pavilion. Your status is of a sensitive nature. We cannot eliminate the possibility that they are doing this intentionally. Be careful!”