A World Worth Protecting

Dao Palace battleships hovered outside Mercury. They seemed to have sensed Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran. The battleships shifted and turned towards the two, their intention to trap the duo clear.

Wang Baole had the advantage of speed and agility, though. He was currently brimming with confidence. He saw his destiny in the sea of planets. This feeling of a fish returning to the great ocean brought him an unimaginable sense of pride. With his hands behind his back, he turned towards Feng Qiuran, who was trailing behind him. He said nonchalantly.

“Elder Qiuran, I’m going to speed up from now on. I have my Thearch Armor and an extremely powerful physical body. The speed that I can unleash is something even I find unbelievable. My home lies in the stars, after all. Don’t push yourself too hard if you can’t catch up. Just let me know at once.” He was about to race off when an odd look appeared on Feng Qiuran’s face. With a wave of her right hand, a white light shot out from her storage bag.

The dazzling white light paused next to Feng Qiuran, expanding and transforming into an enormous sword that spanned a thousand feet long!

It might be shaped like a weapon, but the waves of spirit energy it was giving off, as well as its structure, clearly indicated that it was a small battleship. In fact, a shuttle might be a more precise term!

Its exterior shimmered with light, creating distortions in the space around it. It was like a beast, longing to race into the distance and whose desire was being thwarted temporarily with a rope around its neck. It kept struggling. Once the rope that bound it was loosened, it would rise and charge forward, disappearing without a trace!

Wang Baole was stunned momentarily at the sight of the shuttle. Feng Qiuran strolled forward calmly and boarded the white shuttle. She then turned her head casually and looked at the dazed Wang Baole. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes said it all. She seemed confounded by why Wang Baole was choosing to expend so much effort in flying when there was a perfectly serviceable shuttle he could use…

“If you have any strange preferences and wish to fly on your own, well, you could…” Feng Qiuran stared deeply into Wang Baole’s eyes as she conveyed her very considerate reply.

Wang Baole fell silent…

He stared at the shuttle. It was obviously an extraordinary artifact. Then, he lowered his head and stared at his own two legs. He was stumped, momentarily. Even an idiot could tell the difference between traveling via shuttle and via his own two legs… However, he had made such a grand statement earlier. It would be embarrassing to take it all back now. He was of half a mind to continue the act. Then, he noticed Dao Palace cruisers approaching all around them. Several cultivators had even rushed out from the cruisers. Mercury was beneath their feet. A gigantic vortex approached from the direction of the planet as well, which must be Mie Liezi. The expression on Wang Baole’s face turned serious.

“Elder Qiuran, unfortunately, the Federation is now facing an invasion by evil forces. As your junior, I regret not being able to escort you as we traverse space on foot and tour the stars in the Federation. So be it. I will make it up to you once we chase these evil men from our lands. Well… let’s hurry up and leave.” Wang Baole coughed as he raised his foot and stepped onto the shuttle. He stood next to Feng Qiuran, ignoring the strange look she was giving him. The expression on his face was that of the unperturbed. He didn’t seem the slightest bit embarrassed.

It was obvious that Wang Baole was great at convincing himself. Feng Qiuran was his senior and Li Xingwen’s wife-to-be. He should be addressing her as Grandmatron. There wasn’t anything wrong with giving way when in the presence of his grandmatron. That was called respecting one’s elders!

Having counseled himself mentally, Wang Baole suddenly realized how perfectly he had conducted himself.

Feng Qiuran spared a glance at Wang Baole. His complete lack of shame didn’t upset her. In fact, it was endearing. She began to view him as the young man that he was.

He’s still a child. She laughed, startled. She formed a series of hand seals with her right hand, causing white light to bathe the shuttle and flood the area around them like starlight. It began moving in the next moment. It unleashed an unimaginable speed and surged forward, slicing through space like a knife through butter. It raced into the distance before the battleships and cultivators around them could close in and before the vortex on Mercury that was Mie Liezi could approach.

The shuttle was a lot faster than a Soul Conduit realm cultivator. It ranked amongst the top treasures in the Dao Palace. Feng Qiuran was the Grand Supreme Elder and had witnessed the rise and fall of the sect. The shuttle had been placed in her possession and might be viewed as part of her personal inventory. The speed it unleashed brought Feng Qiuran and Wang Baole right through the blockade set up by the enemy battleships.

Wang Baole’s heart raced as he sensed the speed they were traveling at. An array formation cloaked the shuttle, forming a barrier that prevented the shuttle’s passengers from feeling any discomfort due to the extreme speed. There was no need for voice transmissions, he could speak freely. He turned and stared at the shrinking Mercury, and curiosity lit up his eyes.

“This is quite impressive.” Wang Baole squatted and touched the shuttle’s exterior. His knowledge in Dharmic Armaments told him that this shuttle was possibly at least a ninth-grade Dharmic Armament. It might even be of a higher grade. It might not be a Divine Armament, but it was likely almost as powerful as one. He lifted his head and turned towards Feng Qiuran.

“Elder Qiuran… could I borrow the shuttle for study later?”

Feng Qiuran’s eyebrow rose. She was about to speak when Wang Baole’s voice transmission ring started vibrating. Li Xingwen’s voice, filled with concern and anxiety, rang out.

“You little rascal, still not dead? You holding up alright?”

Wang Baole felt a surge of warmth upon hearing Li Xingwen’s voice. He set his voice transmission to play through the speaker, then spoke at his voice transmission ring.

“I thank the grandmaster for his concern. Please, do not worry. Baole will carry out his duties as you have commanded. I’ll deliver the grandmatron to safety on Venus even if it kills me!”

There was a clear pause on Li Xingwen’s end. He spoke again after a few seconds of silence, his voice gentle.

“Baole, you’ve done a good job. Your grandmatron means everything to me. I haven’t been eating or sleeping this entire time, worrying myself sick over your grandmatron’ safety.”

Feng Qiuran’s breathing grew uneven when she heard those words ringing out from the voice transmission ring. A myriad of emotions flashed across her eyes, and a strange look settled on her face. Wang Baole couldn’t help but approve of the old fellow. Those were indeed the quick reflexes of someone who had once been the president of the Federation. He had guessed correctly from Wang Baole addressing Feng Qiuran as Grandmatron that the voice transmission had been put on speaker.

“Baole, I’m on the way. You have to protect your grandmatron and be careful of the Never-Ending Clan… Baole, I’m going to owe you a huge favor for this. I…” Li Xingwen’s voice was filled with agitation, anticipation, and his desire to see Feng Qiuran as soon as possible. He didn’t have a chance to express those feelings fully. Wang Baole was feeling increasingly awkward when Feng Qiuran finally coughed. She couldn’t take it any longer either.

“Li Xingwen…”

“Qiuran!” The sound of a chair being overturned rang out from the voice transmission ring. It was followed by Li Xingwen’s voice. He was beside himself with emotion.

“Li Xingwen, you…”

“How are you doing, Qiuran? Are you tired? Have you been hurt anywhere? Do you feel any discomfort? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you after you arrive in the Federation. I’ll make sure those who made you suffer pay for it, even if it kills me!”

Feng Qiuran was rendered speechless by Li Xingwen’s passionate declaration. She had lived through war. It had aged her. Love had become a foreign, distant thing. His declaration had shaken her deeply, causing her face to flush ever so faintly. Wang Baole coughed softly. Li Xingwen was behaving like a lovesick fool. That didn’t stop him from eavesdropping, though.

Li Xingwen knew Wang Baole very well. He immediately told Wang Baole to hand the voice transmission ring to Feng Qiuran. Wang Baole had no choice but to obey. With the voice transmission ring in hand, Feng Qiuran quickly deactivated the speaker mode, switching to private voice transmissions instead.

Wang Baole had no idea what Li Xingwen said, but Feng Qiuran’s face seemed a lot redder to Wang Baole’s curious eyes when she finally ended the conversation with Li Xingwen. The look in her eyes was no longer as lost. Faith and confidence had replaced it.

Something stirred inside Wang Baole. He opened his mouth and tried the new string of words on for size.

“Grandmatron Qiuran?”

Feng Qiuran raised her head and glared at Wang Baole. She didn’t reject the new form of address, though. Instead, she adjusted the direction the shuttle was heading, then spoke hurriedly, as if nothing had happened.

“Your grandmaster has shared the route with me. Based on this route, it should take us about two days to reach the destination and meet up with them. After that…” The expression on Wang Baole’s face suddenly shifted. He lifted his head suddenly. A bright, red light appeared above them and transformed into a sea of red that enveloped their shuttle instantly!

Beyond the sea of red, space distorted itself as an entire fleet of Dao Palace battleships appeared. There were more than ten thousand of them. Each one was shooting out a bright red light. That was what had created the sea of red and trapped Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran’s shuttle!

The worst had yet to come. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran shook with alarm as four distinct spirit energy signatures erupted from the mass of Dao Palace battleships… radiating Soul Conduit realm cultivations!