A World Worth Protecting

The sky had darkened from its originally blue hue, appearing to be an infinitely large canvas dotted with innumerable stars that enveloped the entire world.

Under this night sky, an aircraft sped past. A weak glow shone from its protective shield, causing the aircraft to flicker, as if it was vibrating.

Right now, other than Wang Baole and the man in black that he had captured, there were many others in the aircraft, all of whom were the travelers that had traveled with Wang Baole previously.

The passengers on the previous aircraft bound for Ethereal City had been stuck when the aircraft was immobilized in the air due to the siege, which also caused it to lose all means of communication. It was only with Wang Baole’s return that those passengers could be transferred to the functional aircraft.

Everyone on the aircraft was impressed by Wang Baole’s heroic solo return. They understood that one who was the target of so many Pulse Enrichment experts was definitely no one ordinary. Furthermore, under the pursuit, if anyone could choose the unbelievable option of ejecting themselves from the aircraft alone and eventually return successfully. It was inevitable that he would reek of the smell of bloodshed and combat.

A bloody stench emanating from Wang Baole, and the near-death appearance of the middle-aged man in black captured by him put everyone on board on tenterhooks. When they looked at Wang Baole, they became exceptionally respectful, afraid to question him, and terrified to provoke him in any way.

Wang Baole did not care at all regarding the reactions of everyone else. Right now, he was dressed in a bloodied Head Prefect Daoist robe and sitting in an independent room within the aircraft, staring intently in the direction of the Pond Cloud Rainforest outside the window for what seemed like forever.

Two days had passed, but memories of the slaughter and the images that he had seen at the Five Peaks haunted him like a dream.

“Her mask and the sword in her hands,” Wang Baole mumbled as he looked at the night sky, which was now pitch-black.

Was that really the cosmic ancient sword that pierced through the sun? It’s size is different though… Wang Baole let out a long sigh and buried this doubt deep in his heart. He recalled the pursuit where he was the only one out of ten that survived, and his eyes revealed a look of coldness.

Lin Tianhao! Wang Baole thought as he narrowed his eyes. The whole incident not only made him uneasy but also extremely worried about his family’s safety. In reality, when he departed from the Pond Cloud Rainforest two days ago, he had immediately contacted his parents. It was only after he confirmed their safety that he heaved a sigh of relief. Following that, he turned even more somber.

Even having a status as the sole Head Prefect of the Dharmic Armament faculty made me a target to be killed. If they switched their attention to my family members… Wang Baole shivered at the thought as he clenched his fist.

I am seventy percent sure that the mastermind is Lin Tianhao!

His father is a prominent character. The thing I need to figure out first is who his father is exactly.

His father’s identity is definitely nothing simple, otherwise the Vice-Chancellor would never swallow his pride and associate himself with the man’s son. From the looks of it, it might not be possible to get my revenge immediately.

Wang Baole closed his eyes, pensively thinking about how he could build on the foundation that he had now to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

Time passed, and in the days that followed, the aircraft did not meet with any severe danger. With the guard of the protective screen, attacks from ferocious creatures could be successfully resolved. The passengers on-board still held Wang Baole in high regard when they saw him, but their nervousness had gradually eased compared to the initial days.

At last, under the control of Wang Baole, the aircraft did not fly toward Ethereal City but instead landed directly on the Lower Academy Island of Ethereal Dao College.

The people on board the aircraft had no disagreements with the landing location. They all left quickly for Ethereal City after gratefully bidding Wang Baole farewell with cupped fists.

After bidding farewell to the other passengers, Wang Baole turned to look at the familiar Dao College. He inhaled a deep breath and headed straight toward the Chancellor’s peak with the middle-aged man in black.

There were few students on campus as the semester had not yet begun. However, Wang Baole was extremely famous on the Lower Academy Island. The handful of students who remained quickly noticed Wang Baole, and after seeing him clad in a blood-stained shirt, they stared with disbelief and reeled in shock.

“That is… Wang Baole?”

“What on earth happened? He is bloodied everywhere and seems to be injured in many places!”

As everyone reeled in shock, Wang Baole remained emotionless. He did not wear the bloodied clothes for this purpose—he had no other robes to wear. Now, he dragged the pale middle-aged man in black along. Even before the other students could spread the news of his return, he had already arrived at the Chancellor’s peak.

Under the bewildered gazes of the Chancellor peak’s attendants, Wang Baole stood directly before the main hall and began speaking loudly with cupped fists.

“Disciple Wang Baole, who has returned from near certain death, requests to see the Chancellor!”

His voice was loud and spread throughout the main hall. The Chancellor, who was meditating at the front of the hall, opened his eyes the instant Wang Baole spoke. Hearing Wang Baole’s words loud and clear, the Chancellor’s gaze firmed up. He raised his right hand and flung strongly.

Immediately, the door to the main hall began to open slowly. As the door opened, rays of sunlight shone through and reflected off Wang Baole’s bloodied appearance into the eyes of the Chancellor.

The Chancellor’s expressions changed the moment he saw Wang Baole, and he instantly stood up.

“What happened!?”

Wang Baole stood outside the main hall, looking at the Chancellor. After a long while, he closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he stepped into the main hall, flinging the middle-aged man in black aside before retrieving his voice transmission ring. He played the command sent out by the Dao College that prompted him to return quickly.

Hearing the message stored in Wang Baole’s voice transmission ring, the Chancellor turned solemn. Looking at the man in black flung aside by Wang Baole, he stepped out right away, directly toward the man in black.

“I…” The middle-aged man in black was shaking violently. He had wanted to beg for forgiveness, but before he could say anything, the Chancellor, who carried a gloomy expression that expressed his intense anger, threw a tight slap onto one of his acupuncture points.

He did not kill him but was using a method that Wang Baole did not comprehend to disrupt the man in black’s consciousness. The Chancellor’s ring shone brightly and transformed into a sharp pin that pierced into the middle-aged man in black’s acupuncture point. The man in black convulsed in cramps, his memories being forcefully searched under the influence of the Chancellor’s numinous treasure.

Wang Baole drew a breath watching this scene. He did not speak, merely observing silently.

Before long, as the Chancellor retracted his palm and the pin, the middle-aged man in black shivered and immediately collapsed, white foam spewing from his mouth as he convulsed uncontrollably.

He was pitiful and miserable, but all that meant nothing in the eyes of the Chancellor. At this very moment, the Chancellor of Ethereal Dao College’s Lower Academy Island seemed to be forcefully suppressing his emotions, but the fury in his eyes appear to be overwhelming him.

“I will give you an explanation for all that has happened!” the Chancellor said.

“Thank you, Chancellor!” This was the second sentence that Wang Baole had spoken so far. After that, he cupped his fists again before turning to leave.

After he left, the Chancellor’s expression remained awful. He let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Investigate the truth of this matter!” he ordered.

The instant he finished his sentence, an old, croaky voice spread from behind him.

“Yes, sir!”

Wang Baole did not head out after returning to the Cave Abode. Instead, he waited to hear of the matter’s conclusion. He understood his status in Ethereal Dao College and could infer that the matter was not trivial to Ethereal Dao College. He was even more clear of Lin Tianhao’s background. Even though he did not know the specifics, the impact of Lin Tianhao’s background on this matter was something that he could not put his finger on.

Two days of waiting came and went. At the Chancellor’s peak, the Chancellor was standing at the top of the mountain, looking at the bright moon in the night sky while listening to the hoarse voice coming from being him.

“Chancellor, the matter has been thoroughly investigated. I even went on a trip to the Pond Cloud Rainforest. After searching the scene and studying the bodies found, the conclusion was that there was a total of twenty-seven individuals involved, all of whom were recruited to impersonate sky pirates. The group included two peak Pulse Enrichment Realm experts, and there was one at the half-step True Breath Realm! As for the aircraft that escaped, it has also been found, but regrettably, it has been destroyed.”

The Chancellor had already known of this matter from the man in black’s memories, but he was still appalled now that he had gained confirmation of the matter. He turned to look at the individual behind him.

“Did Wang Baole really single-handedly fight all the attackers head on?”

“That is most likely right. He was the only one, and I have verified this with the rest of the people on-board the aircraft. I also checked the corpses and found that most of them died after a single blow. Many were killed by Dharmic artifacts, and there were many traces of Dharmic artifact debris left behind. As for the aircraft, it was destroyed by a flying creature. There was nothing unusual about that as it was the Pond Cloud Rainforest after all. From all these details, it can be inferred that the battle was extremely dangerous and treacherous.”

The croaky voice that spoke beside the Chancellor carried a sense of disbelief. “Wang Baole must have exhausted all the Dharmic Armament knowledge that he has learned in the Dao College and used them to their fullest. He could have used some secret techniques, but nonetheless, the whole incident was real, and the mastermind is Lin Tianhao and his followers. Cao Kun and Jiang Lin were probably the ones who incited him and suggested the idea!”

After staying silent for a moment, the Chancellor said, “Secrets… Everyone has secrets, and that is not a big deal. However, Lin Tianhao… what guts he has! How dare he try to challenge the bottom line of the four major academies!”

Following that, he abruptly turned around and headed straight toward the Upper Academy.

It was apparent that the whole matter implicated Lin Tianhao and the bottom line of the Dao College, necessitating a need to report to the Upper Academy of Ethereal Dao College.

However, from the beginning till now, there had been no mention of the mosquito at all. Furthermore, from the memories and testimony of the middle-aged man in black, no one else knew about the youth with the protruded mouth and ape-like chin that appeared in the black fog. It was as if all of that had never happened and had been remotely erased without a trace in an unusual manner.

Time passed in a flash, and another two days came and went. There were only a few days left before school commenced once more. The investigation and how the incident was handled was finally made known immediately to Wang Baole, directly from the Chancellor.

After receiving the notification and the conclusion of the matter, Wang Baole was still appalled, despite him having made educated guesses previously.

“How can the bottom line be so easily breached? The safety of you and your family members should not be a concern. The College guarantees that. So what if it’s a senator! Should anyone try to cause trouble again…” This was the final statement in the notification.

Wang Baole’s breathing was urgent. He revealed a resolute gaze and was more determined than ever. The decision made by the Dao College made him suddenly realize that he could put his faith in the school.

Your father is a senator? That is no big deal. Lin Tianhao, Cao Kun, and Jiang Lin—I, your Grandpa Wang, will keep all of you under my reign! Wang Baole laughed heartily toward the sky as he stood up and turned on his voice transmission ring to send Liu Daobin and company a message, calling all the inspectors under his leadership to return to the college early.