A World Worth Protecting

The giant tree listened quietly to Sect Lord Xu, the man who had once fought him for a chance at attaining a breakthrough on the moon. The gears in his head began to spin furiously as he continued to reveal nothing on his face, maintaining a polite, deferential appearance. He cupped his fists and bowed deeply.

“I thank Sect Lord Xu for your advice!”

Sect Lord Xu, who had risen to the Nascent Soul realm, eyed the giant tree with a deep, meaningful look. He didn’t say more. He walked ahead, towards Wang Baole’s palace.

The giant tree followed hastily. As the other new arrivals scattered, the giant tree followed Sect Lord Xu to the fourth grand palace on the main peak.

The heavy Spirit Qi in the air, the presence of dozens of Nascent Souls, the Soul Conduit realm presence exerted by Mie Liezi and the other two Grand Supreme Elders, and the array formation enveloping both heaven and earth—everything made the giant tree shake in his boots. His heart grew increasingly heavier.

It worsened when they arrived before the fourth palace, and the giant tree saw Wang Baole’s towering statue in front of the palace. It was a shocking sight. He could feel power emanating from the palace itself. His breathing quickened. What made things worse was the look of deference and respect on Sect Lord Xu’s face as he stood at the entrance and bowed deeply at the shut gates. This was someone who had reached the Nascent Soul realm and could easily crush him.

“Xu Yunkun greets the Grand Supreme Elder. I have brought Fellow Daoist Osmanthus, as you instructed.”

A flood of emotions threatened to pull him under as he watched the scene unfold before him. He had prepared himself mentally, but seeing a Nascent Soul realm cultivator treating Wang Baole with such deference still made his breathing quicken uncontrollably. His heart raced. He lowered his head instinctively as he cupped his fists as well and said bitterly.

“Osmanthus Moon greets the Grand Supreme Elder.”

The halls descended into silence after their greeting. A long moment passed. Then, Wang Baole’s voice rang out, slow and calm.

“You may enter.”

Sect Lord Xu knew that he shouldn’t be present during this meeting. Upon hearing Wang Baole’s words, he bowed again and left without sparing the giant tree a single glance.

The giant tree began panicking and sighing at the same time. He dragged his feet for some time before gritting his teeth and stepping towards the palace. He pushed the doors open. Wang Baole’s figure, back turned towards him, appeared in his view as soon as he stepped inside.

“Osmanthus Moon greets the Grand Supreme Elder!” Sighing inwardly, the giant tree lowered his head deferentially, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply.

The grand hall of the palace was extremely lavish. Besides the enormous chair placed at the end of the hall, its two sides were lined with seven to eight chairs as well. Nine statues were positioned around the hall. They looked like guards and exuded the power of an array formation. It terrified the giant tree.

Wang Baole had his back towards the giant tree. He stood next to the chair at the end of the hall, gazing at a statue in front of him. He appeared not to have heard the giant tree’s greeting. It was as if the statue in front of him contained a secret that required his detailed study.

Time passed slowly, and Wang Baole seemed to show no signs of turning around. He appeared to only have eyes for the statue. The silence was torture for the giant tree. He was wrought with anxiety. The palace’s looming aura enveloped him, and his nervousness grew as he stood bitterly, waiting.

Everything was made worse by… the familiarity of the scene unfolding before him… When Wang Baole had first arrived on Mars, he had summoned him to his office. Then, he had done the same to Wang Baole, to take him down a notch.

This was Wang Baole repaying the favor. The giant tree was powerless to stop him and could only wait silently. The palace doors gradually slid shut, and silence descended. The heavy Spirit Qi in the air led to the formation of Spirit Fog in the hall.

In the fog, Wang Baole gave off an aura of mystery. The giant tree’s unease grew. Fifteen minutes passed. As the giant tree’s fear and anxiety reached their peak, Wang Baole’s voice finally rang out raspily in the hall.

“Fellow Daoist Osmanthus…” Wang Baole rose slowly to his feet as he spoke.

“We meet again!”

Those words sounded familiar. The giant tree grimaced. His head remained lowered as he found himself at a loss for words.

“Fellow Daoist Osmanthus, do you know why I’m the fourth Grand Supreme Elder in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace?” Wang Baole had what seemed like a smile on his face. His eyes fell on the giant tree as he asked softly.

The giant tree fretted. He finally understood how Wang Baole must have felt during their first meeting on Mars. He had asked a similar question then. He knew Wang Baole wanted him to play along. He also knew that he wasn’t in any position to refuse Wang Baole, so he braced himself and whispered.

“Why…”

“Why? You’re asking me why?” Lightning flickered in Wang Baole’s eyes, and electricity erupted outside his body. He stared at the giant tree as he said slowly.

“That is because I was just one step away from the Core Formation realm on the moon. One step away. Just one! With my level of cultivation and battle prowess, if I had reached the Core Formation realm then, I could’ve attained the Soul Conduit realm by now. I wouldn’t be just the fourth Grand Supreme Elder!”

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. His words rang across the hall, sending the entire palace shaking. An overpowering force weighed down on the giant tree, causing his knees to turn to jelly. He almost fell to his knees.

The giant tree grimaced. He was overly familiar with those four words. He had frightened Wang Baole with them in the past. If he had a choice, he would try and find some way to leave this place and return to Mars immediately.

This ancient greenish-bronze sword was simply too dangerous a place for him to be.

The sense of danger and unease hadn’t passed. A stormy-faced Wang Baole walked to his seat and sat down slowly. He stared coldly at the giant tree and spoke again.

“I’ve been thinking. If I try eating some rare fruits now, would I be able to break through to the Nascent Soul realm… like that half of one fruit you swallowed back on the moon.”

The giant tree’s head buzzed when he heard that. He began heaving as he retreated subconsciously. An overpowering force erupted around him, immobilizing him and holding him in place.

The giant tree shook violently as terror surged inside him. This was why Wang Baole had him transferred to the Dao Palace!

He couldn’t accept this, but his struggles were to no avail. Wang Baole wasn’t the only one giving him immense pressure. His status and this palace had rendered the giant tree completely helpless. He still had his cunning though. Even though he was panicking, he could tell that something was going on here. If Wang Baole truly intended to eat him alive, there was no need for him to waste so much time talking. This gave the giant tree hope.

“Elder Wang… I…”

“I know what you want to say. I also know you can tell that I have no intentions of eating you at this moment. But Fellow Daoist Osmanthus, set aside your devious thoughts and guesses and just remember this one thing. You… owe me a fruit!” Wang Baole cut the giant tree off and said calmly. The unfathomable look in his eyes sent the giant tree shaking. He finally reached a realization after a long bout of silence.

Even though Wang Baole hadn’t said anything explicitly, he could tell that Wang Baole had something he required the giant tree to help him carry out in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. That was why he had been summoned here. The giant tree took a deep breath and bowed again.

This round, he was more serious and showed more respect.

“Your humble servant will do his best to fulfill your wishes!”

Wang Baole nodded. He liked talking to smart people. There was a reason why the giant tree had been able to get to where he was now. He hadn’t summoned the giant tree for some fruit. He had summoned him… for the burial mound that he had found in the hexed area near the Worship Palace Pavilion!

Based on Zhao Yameng’s analysis, there was a possibility that only pure wood-based entities could enter the burial mound. Wang Baole had begun considering potential candidates then. In his opinion, if the giant tree couldn’t fulfill the requirements for entry, there was really no one else he could find for the job.

That was why he had asked for the giant tree to be included in the third batch of Federation Seedlings.

“Fellow Daoist Osmanthus, I have something for you. Do this one thing for me, and I’ll not only forget everything that has happened between us, but I’ll even give you a chance to attain the Nascent Soul realm!”

Wang Baole said softly, in a low voice. Amplified by the palace’s array formation, it echoed and shook one to the core!