A World Worth Protecting

Sun Hai didn’t expect Wang Baole would dare attack him. He was a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Even though Wang Baole might have unleashed power that could rival someone at the Nascent Soul realm during his trial, a Core Formation realm cultivator… was still a Core Formation realm cultivator. Regardless of how much he had advanced in cultivation, he wouldn’t be a match for Sun Hai as long as he wasn’t at the Nascent Soul realm!

“Wang Baole, you’re tempting fate!” Sun Hai laughed furiously. He formed a series of hand seals with his right hand then flung it forward. A black octopus appeared. It spat a cloud of black mist in Wang Baole’s face as its tentacles shot out towards Wang Baole.

This was no mere octopus. It might be an illusion, but the power that it exuded could rival a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Even though it might not be the match of a true Nascent Soul realm cultivator, it still surpassed a typical perfected Core Formation realm cultivator. If its opponent had been any other ordinary Core Formation realm cultivator, this single attack would have ended the fight!

There was also the force of Sun Hai’s cultivation distorting the surrounding space. It was as if a mysterious power had descended. Anyone whose cultivation wasn’t as powerful as Sun Hai’s would tremble under the weight of his cultivation!

Everything happened within the blink of an eye. The attack was unleashed as soon as Wang Baole approached. That wasn’t the end of Sun Hai’s attack. He had every intention of letting Wang Baole know the unbearable price of lashing out at a Nascent Soul realm cultivator!

Destroying your cultivation is punishment enough! A murderous glint flashed across Sun Hai’s eyes. His cultivation began to churn, and cultivation belonging to someone at the Nascent Soul realm rumbled as it erupted. His hands came together to form a series of hand seals, then flung apart and swept all around him!

Vast amounts of seawater appeared out of thin air and surrounded them. They covered the skies and the lands, forming gigantic waves that rushed towards Wang Baole, threatening to pull him under!

“A mere Core Formation realm cultivator. See this? This is the power of someone at the Nascent Soul realm!” Sun Hai’s voice thundered. It filled the emptiness. It was as if Sun Hai had become a god. He had transformed into a furious ocean and was about to crush Wang Baole.

The Core Formation realm cultivators around them watched on excitedly. They stared unblinkingly at the scene before them, regret shining in the eyes of most of them. It was clear that to them, Wang Baole… was a dead man walking.

Sect Lord Xu was frantic. He wanted to help, but the force of a Nascent Soul realm cultivation slowed down his own cultivation. His help would arrive late.

It appeared as if nothing could stop Sun Hai. It was then that shock flashed across Sun Hai’s face. Wang Baole, who had been trapped by the octopus and the sea of fury, unleashed an incredible aura!

Blood-colored meridians and slivers of white extended outwards. It took but the blink of an eye for the Thearch Armor to encase Wang Baole. The red meridians and white slivers of bone gave him a fearsome appearance that shocked everyone. Wang Baole disregarded the octopus’ approaching black mist and tentacles. Raising his right hand, he grabbed the octopus!

Wang Baole paid no heed to the desperate whipping of tentacles. There was no expression on his face as he tightened his fist. The octopus wailed and was instantly crushed. It burst into mist, then dissipated.

The entire fight seemed like a cakewalk. The octopus appeared weak, like paper that Wang Baole easily crushed. He lifted his head and stared at the stunned Sun Hai as an aura rivaling Sun Hai’s erupted from his Thearch Armor!

It clashed with the suppressive force from Sun Hai’s cultivation in an invisible battle.

The battle sparked a series of thunderous explosions. It was as if two invisible giants were battling it out. As Wang Baole unleashed his power, Sun Hai’s breathing quickened. The latter tried to recover from his shock. Murder flashed in his eyes. His hands formed a flurry of hand seals. The seawater around them gathered rapidly and surrounded them, forming a statue that towered hundreds of feet tall!

The statue was the likeness of Sun Hai. Once again, it tried to exert force over Wang Baole.

Wang Baole shook his head slightly. The expression on his Thearch Armor was that of slight disappointment. As the statue approached, he took a step forward, lifted his right fist, and sent a punch flying!

His power was augmented threefold, and further amplified by the Thearch Armor. In addition, the increased strength from his breakthrough in cultivation meant that the punch Wang Baole had just thrown out had vastly surpassed the one he had made during the trial. The air trembled as his fist shot forward. Thunder boomed in the air as his fist landed, and the sounds of cracking rang out.

Numerous cracks began to appear on Sun Hai’s statue. It took but two counts for it to break apart. Sun Hai’s face turned pale. He retreated hastily, with incredulity in his eyes. But he wasn’t done here yet. Hovering in mid-air, he smacked his forehead heavily with his right hand. A beam of bright light shot out from his forehead and formed a mirror before him.

The mirror faced Wang Baole, and his reflection appeared in the mirror. Sun Hai yelled and slammed his palm on the mirror. As it shattered, Wang Baole shook. A strange light appeared in his eyes before he charged at Sun Hai.

It didn’t work? That’s impossible! Shock flashed across Sun Hai’s face. He retreated again with the intention of summoning another mirror. He was about to unleash the mirror’s attack once again when Wang Baole charged forward before the mirror could steal his reflection. With a raise of his right hand, he pulled out a black pike. Bolts of lightning swarmed the air, and thunder crashed as he lashed out with his pike.

Thunderous booms rang out in the air. It was the sound of the pike splitting the sky apart. It raced towards the mirror in a blur, intent on destroying everything in its path. Sun Hai’s pupils contracted. He tried to pull his mirror back, but he was too late. With a loud explosion, the black pike pierced through the mirror and caused the latter to explode into countless shards. Sun Hai shifted away in a blur, dodging the blow at the very last moment. When he reappeared, it was at the other end of the public square. He stared at Wang Baole with incredulity as well as shock in his eyes.

“Is this what a Nascent Soul realm cultivator is capable of?” Wang Baole turned and stared at Sun Hai. He shook his head and couldn’t be bothered anymore. He wasn’t in the mood to fight a weak Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Wang Baole walked towards the cauldron, where his donkey was imprisoned.

Sun Hai hovered in mid-air, the look on his face dark and furious. There was no denying it, however. Wang Baole was freakishly powerful.

His fighting abilities and Dharmic treasures had both reached the level of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. He was no different from one. In fact, his defense might surpass a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. He was able to overcome the pressure exerted by Sun Hai’s cultivation and inflict greater damage than Sun Hai!

However, if he were to simply let Wang Baole take his donkey away, Sun Hai imagined the news of that would spread throughout the entire sect in no time. He would be utterly humiliated. He regretted not staying his hand while he could. Just as he troubled over his current predicament, something flashed in his eyes.

That’s not right. He still has a fatal weakness… he can’t teleport!

At that thought, Sun Hai narrowed his eyes. He lifted his right hand and formed a series of hand seals. Vast quantities of seawater suddenly appeared, transformed into a pike, and charged at Wang Baole.

He took a step forward and vanished, reappearing next to Wang Baole. He jabbed his finger, then teleported away again without checking if he had succeeded in his attack.

“How annoying.” Wang Baole had no intentions of continuing the fight, but Sun Hai’s continued attacks made him frown. He pulled out a handful of beads… they were the Dimensional Lock Beads that could temporarily create a dimensional seal!

A single bead was sufficient to create a dimensional seal. Wang Baole had a generous nature, so he pulled out a dozen beads. As a result… the space around him immediately froze. Sun Hai, who had been able to teleport far away, froze instantly. He was locked in place!

Everything happened too quickly. Sun Hai had no time to react. Fear flashed across his eyes as Wang Baole raised his right hand and grabbed Sun Hai’s head!

Just as Wang Baole was about to unleash an attack, two auras came rushing from the direction of the main island. They surpassed that of the Nascent Soul realm and belonged to one at the Soul Conduit realm!

Mie Liezi’s voice rang out in the skies, an aural shockwave exploding between Wang Baole and Sun Hai.

“Stop!”