A World Worth Protecting

by Stayrr

By the year 3029 CE, Earth’s technology has developed rapidly, borders no longer exist, and Earth has been unified, marking the beginning of the era of the Federation. At that time, a huge sword flew from the heavens, piercing the sun and causing a huge sensation on Earth. Perhaps because the scabbard of the sword was already in tatters, countless shards have broken off from it f

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Chapter 663: A Narrow Escape!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The entire cavern was flooded with power as the Thearch Collapse's destructive shock waves collided with the force of Daoist You Ran's self-destruction of his two heads. The clash created an incredible force. Regardless, it wouldn't have resulted in such destruction if it had taken place elsewhere.

Within the pillar hanging over the cavern were vast quantities of flesh and blood that had been distilled and used to heal the injured Never-Ending Clan and the damaged Death Dao Battle Robes. However, that wasn't its original function!

At the height of the Death Dao Battleship's glory, the pillar and its numerous blood and flesh veins had been used to transport fuel, which had been formed from the endless crushing of skeletons and grinding down of bones into fuel. The fuel was then sent to the wielder of the battle robes, who would then make use of the fuel to power and steer the battleship!

The pillar was akin to an eternal engine!

The force of both Wang Baole's Thearch Collapse and Daoist You Ran's self-destruction of his heads had destroyed the pillar and in turn… blown up this eternal engine with endless power!

That had been the cause of this unimaginable, vast power. The power wasn't contained within the cavern. It flowed up the pillar and spread throughout the numerous veins into the second level!

Countless blood and flesh veins exploded with the destruction of the pillar, causing the entire second level to quake. Cracks began to appear and widen, and eventually, the pillar collapsed.

A deafening explosion followed, rumbling in the air. The earth caved in, as a significant portion of the second level was affected by the explosion. The cultivators who had been engaged in fierce battles on the second level were all alarmed by the sight. Feng Qiuran, especially. She had exhausted herself while being pursued by her enemies and had suffered severe injuries that had almost caused her to pass out. Her strong will was the only thing keeping her on her feet right now.

At present, the lands caved in and shattered rock and stone spewed into the air. The entire world shook violently. Both Feng Qiuran and her pursuers were affected by the destruction around them, shock coloring their eyes as multiple explosions erupted around them at the same time.

The dozens of blood and flesh veins that were directly linked with the pillar came from the skies. They didn't escape unscathed after the pillar's collapse, allowing the destruction to spread to the first level.

The world was transformed drastically. Both sky and earth shattered, and the first level suffered a similar fate. Violent quakes shuddered through the worlds, with the sacrificial altars on the respective levels suffering the greatest damage!

All veins led back to these sacrificial altars. They rumbled as the veins suffered damage and collapsed, their grinding stuttering to a pause. The fearsome beasts that were pulling the handles were, in turn, yanked back violently.

As the tug-a-war of forces continued, numerous of the gigantic wooden handles began showing signs of splintering and cracking. Three handles snapped!

Handles cracked, beasts roared, and the earth shuddered. All three worlds on the first level shook. The entire Death Dao Battleship shook.

With the collapse of the pillar and its veins, and the quaking of the millstones, the interference given off by the battleship was severely weakened to the point that teleportation was now possible.

Zhao Yameng, who had been hiding on the second level and racing away from each cave-in, immediately sensed that. Panic flashed across her eyes. She looked around, but Wang Baole was nowhere in sight.

She had no idea where Wang Baole was at this moment, or what had happened to result in this series of catastrophic changes. She watched as the world collapsed around her. After a moment of silence, she clenched her jaw and twisted her teleportation talisman without hesitation.

The blinding light of teleportation flashed to life. Zhao Yameng vanished from the battleship in the next moment, reappearing outside the battleship, above the Sea of Fire in the region of the sword handle.

Zhao Yameng's breathing stopped momentarily. She seemed dazed, but soon, she let loose a sudden burst of speed and began racing towards the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. She attempted to reach out to Federation cultivators on her way!

Zhao Yameng wasn't the only one who had escaped successfully. There were many others, including Feng Qiuran. She wasn't as lucky as Zhao Yameng though. She had reappeared in the sword body instead of the sword handle. She had been injured severely while on the battleship and spat out a mouthful of blood upon her reappearance outside the battleship, passing out and falling straight into the Sea of Fire.

Despite her serious injuries, she instinctively summoned a protective light barrier that prevented her from burning into mere ashes after sinking into the Sea of Fire.

The survivors made their escape when the opportunity had presented itself to them. As for Wang Baole, he had switched places with his avatar in the collapsing second level. He spat out a mouthful of blood upon reappearance. He too suffered grievous injuries. Fortunately, his physical resilience was extraordinary, and he also had the green lotus, which boosted his rate of recovery beyond that of an ordinary person's. Even though he was extremely weak now, he didn't lose consciousness. He immediately pulled out his teleportation talisman and attempted to escape after sensing the changes in this world.

He wasn't sure if he was going to succeed, but this was his only hope. He wasn't confident that his last attack had truly destroyed Daoist You Ran.

There's a great chance I only injured him seriously. There are still many Never-Ending Clan cultivators and enslaved Dao Palace cultivators on the battleship… Wang Baole had a dark look on his face. He twisted the teleportation talisman, and a burst of light erupted from it. Wang Baole was overcome with excitement as he disappeared in a dazzling burst of light.

When he reappeared again, it was outside the Death Dao Battleship and… in the sword body of the ancient sword!

Others might consider this a dangerous region where death hid behind every corner, but it was heaven to Wang Baole, who was an adopted disciple. He forced down the blood in his mouth and took a handful of pills. After finding out where he was, he dashed out with the intention to leave the area. He intended to return to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace as soon as possible and make use of the teleportation array formation to escape the ancient sword and return to the Federation. Only then would he be safe, at least for the moment.

Things were clearly not going to go according to his plans. He had been right about Daoist You Ran, the latter hadn't died. In addition, his hatred towards Wang Baole had exploded. There was no way he was going to allow Wang Baole to live. A furious howl rang out in what had been the cavern in the third level the moment Wang Baole teleported. A figure darted out amidst waves of spirit energy rippling outward and the explosion of shattered stone and rock.

The person was in a sorry state. Out of his six limbs, only three remained. Out of his three heads, only one remained. His body was covered in deep cracks that exposed blood and flesh and for some, bone as well.

It was… Daoist You Ran, who had narrowly escaped death!

He panted, chest heaving heavily as he watched everything fall down around him. He lifted his head and stared at the cracked and shattering passageway made of blood and flesh. His eyes turned red at the sight of it all. It wasn't irreparable, but the damage was going to cost him time. Even if he managed to restore everything, the battleship would still not be the same as it had been before. He howled furiously, his anger ringing out in the air!

"Wang Baole!" Daoist You Ran's hatred towards Wang Baole had grown so strong it was immeasurable. With red eyes, he appeared at the spot where Wang Baole had teleported away. Without hesitation, he formed a series of hand seals with his right hand and grabbed, expending his life essence decisively to look back in time!

Illusory figures appeared before him instantly. He saw Wang Baole shatter his teleportation talisman and teleport himself away. Daoist You Ran tugged one of his arms and shattered it without hesitation. The vitality contained within the arm materialized into a large hand formed of fog. It grabbed at Wang Baole's illusory figure!

It wasn't possible to capture Wang Baole's true form since he was long gone. What was left were mere traces, but they were sufficient for Daoist You Ran's use. What he intended to capture was the rippled strand that had been formed the exact moment of the teleportation. By tracing the strand, he would be able to perform his spell and teleport himself over!

A fierce light flashed across Daoist You Ran's eyes the instant his hand of vitality grasped Wang Baole's illusory figure.

"Found you!"

Daoist You Ran took a step forward and vanished!

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Chapter 664: In Murderous Pursuit!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole's staggering form continued running inside the region of the sword body, disregarding his increasingly serious injuries. He ran without rest, using everything he had in him.

Before he had started though, he left a puppet at the place he had teleported to. Then, without turning back, he raced away.

Fortunately, after some time racing in the sword body, he finally found himself in a familiar area. He was able to identify where he was.

I'm not anywhere near the sword handle… Pale-faced, Wang Baole's spirits sank, and his heart grew heavy as he realized where he was.

He knew he only had two options. He could follow the original plan of traveling to the sword handle and returning to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, where he could then use the teleportation array formation to leave the ancient sword and return to the Federation. Or, he could venture deeper into the sword body!

The first option was definitely the better choice and the one he preferred. However… even though it might seem simpler and worry-free, there were greater chances of the unexpected happening.

If Daoist You Ran survived and comes after me, I won't be able to avoid his pursuit even if I escape into the sword handle…

I can only bet on his death or that he wouldn't be able to catch up with me in time. Wang Baole fell silent. He was torn. However, the mental struggle didn't last long before decisiveness flashed across his eyes. He turned and started running in another direction—not towards the sword handle but deeper into the sword body!

The blood in his body continued to churn as he ran. Fortunately, his physical body was resilient, and his recovery was boosted by the green lotus. That allowed him to maintain his speed.

Nevertheless, he couldn't keep the blood from rising to his mouth. After flying for some time, he finally couldn't stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood.

There were small pieces of flesh mixed with the blood. He didn't know where they came from, but the churning he had been feeling inside him eased considerably after he had spat out that mouthful of blood. However, the moment of ease was followed by dizziness and waves of pain that continued ceaselessly.

Hurt my internal organs… There was a dark look on Wang Baole's face. He extended his senses into his body and concluded that those chunks of flesh had probably been his organs.

Throwing them up had felt like hollowing himself out. Endless exhaustion rose inside him and spread to every part of his body. His vision was growing blurry.

A sudden urge to just lie down assaulted him, threatening to pull him under like a tsunami. Before that could happen, Wang Baole bit his tongue. The pain helped clear the fog from his mind. His eyes cleared as his breathing quickened.

I can't stop. I can't just rely on luck! Wang Baole took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and continued running. He had chosen to enter the sword body to avoid pursuit. It wasn't because he couldn't gamble on the outcome if he had chosen otherwise but because he dared not do so!

He would be left with no other options should he lose that gamble. If he chose to enter the sword body, the potential for trouble might seem greater, but so was his chances of survival.

After all, the hexes in the sword body posed no danger to him while they were obstacles to others!

Even so, Wang Baole knew how powerful Daoist You Ran's cultivation was and how many tricks he had up his sleeve. If Daoist You Ran did come after him, Wang Baole couldn't simply place all his hopes on the hexes.

I need to keep widening the distance between us and give myself more time so that I can venture deeper into the sword body. There's a greater chance then that Daoist You Ran will find it difficult to pursue me. That's going to be hard though… Wang Baole's eyes flashed as the gears in his head spun furiously. He kept on his path, advancing rapidly towards a place he remembered.

No matter what I choose in the end, be it to escape or ensure that Daoist You Ran is too afraid to come after me, I'll need to perform another long-distance teleportation!

I can either make use of the teleportations that result in the frequent change in landscape, or I could make use of… the Immortal Platform! There was a look of determination in Wang Baole's eyes. He remembered that an Immortal Platform could be found in the direction he was now traveling.

His long-term plan was to travel towards the Immortal Platform and make use of it to teleport away so that Daoist You Ran could no longer come after him. His short-term plan was to locate areas that were in the midst of teleportation and make use of them to teleport further away!

After organizing his thoughts and making up his mind, Wang Baole swallowed another pill and continued running. A loud rumbling erupted from where Wang Baole had reappeared outside the battleship. Daoist You Ran emerged.

His appearance was immediately sensed by the puppet that Wang Baole had left behind. It blew itself up instantly. Daoist You Ran was one step too late in stopping it. He got to the puppet and stared at the pile of disintegrated materials with a dark look on his face.

Vicious, decisive, careful, and with numerous tricks up his sleeve… I've underestimated Wang Baole! The murderous intent in Daoist You Ran's eyes intensified. He formed a series of hand seals and unleashed some spell that located where Wang Baole was. Then, he started the chase. He was determined. This time… he wasn't going to rest until Wang Baole was dead!

When Daoist You Ran locked onto Wang Baole and left in pursuit, a distance away from him, alarm flashed across Wang Baole's face as he raced ahead. He had left the puppet behind to keep watch. It would be great if Daoist You Ran didn't follow the traces that had been left behind by his teleportation and given chase, but if he did, Wang Baole would know immediately. That would be the worst-case scenario. However, Wang Baole was prepared for it. That was why he didn't hesitate when he sensed Daoist You Ran. Instead, he let loose another burst of speed!

He had been traveling at top speed, but this wasn't the time to worry. He set aside concerns for how it might aggravate his injuries and unleashed his full speed as well as his Lightning Immortal Transformation. He was like a bolt of lightning. He stopped searching for any regional teleportations that might be in the vicinity and instead concentrated solely on reaching the Immortal Platform.

Time was of the essence. There was no room for distractions. With his full speed unleashed, he charged brashly into one hex after another, passing them one by one.

The hexes lost their effect as soon as Wang Baole approached, allowing him to pass through before reactivating themselves again. Wang Baole approached his destination rapidly.

Daoist You Ran, on the other hand, possessed powerful cultivation that allowed him to force his way through hexed areas. Even should the hexes explode around him, the resultant damage was minimal. However, there were still too many of them, which caused some delay. His speed, which should have surpassed Wang Baole's, was slightly reduced because of that.

In addition, the sword body was governed by chaotic laws that led to great uncertainty during teleportations. Daoist You Ran was forced to rely on his spells as he conducted his pursuit. He could only narrow the distance between him and Wang Baole, unable to reach him in an instant!

The distance between him and Wang Baole narrowed as he chased after the latter anxiously. When he finally saw Wang Baole in the distance, he gritted his teeth and chose to teleport instead of charging through the hexes.

He vanished then reappeared less than a hundred feet behind Wang Baole, his face pale. He hastily waved his hand and made a grab at Wang Baole before retreating hurriedly.

The space he had stood at earlier immediately caved in. Numerous, gaping tears in space appeared, ready to rip everything apart. Even though Daoist You Ran was a powerful cultivator, he still gasped at the sight.

Wang Baole raised his right hand in a wave, sending a Dharmic Armament out behind him that self-destructed. The shock waves collided with Daoist You Ran's grab. Wang Baole spat out another mouthful of blood. Daoist You Ran's attack had been hasty, and he had managed to block it successfully with his Dharmic Armament, but the backlash still managed to aggravate his existing injuries.

Wang Baole didn't slow down though. Instead, he picked up his pace and formed a series of hand seals while he continued to run. Numerous spheres of electricity materialized. He flung them into the hexed areas that he passed by, blowing them up and triggering a series of explosions as the hexes blew up in his wake. His intention was to create obstacles in Daoist You Ran's path as well as to stir more chaos.

The sword body was already filled with chaos, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. What Wang Baole was doing was adding fuel to the fire, intensifying the chaotic elements and inflaming the Sea of Fire.

"Wang Baole!" The expression on Daoist You Ran's face was dark and stormy. He had to dodge some of the explosions, which in turn widened the distance between him and Wang Baole. He dared not teleport easily now. He had struggled with his earlier attempt and nearly landed where he hadn't wanted to due to the chaotic laws of this place. Even though he had forcibly changed his landing, that had led to a spatial collapse. After his shock, he had learned to be more cautious.

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Chapter 665: Killed!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

His caution led to reduced speed in his pursuit. The repressed resentment he experienced while inside the battleship surfaced again. His cultivation clearly surpassed Wang Baole vastly, but Wang Baole was like a slippery eel that constantly slipped out of his reach!

He had been so close to killing Wang Baole earlier, but Wang Baole had managed to escape. Even though he had been injured grievously, he hadn't passed out. In fact, he continued to release numerous lightning spheres while running away, triggering multiple hexes in the sword body and creating greater chaos. Despite his Soul Conduit realm cultivation, Daoist You Ran had to proceed with great caution.

"Wang Baole!" Daoist You Ran was beyond infuriated. He was panicking as well. He couldn't leave the battleship for long, as there were too many things he still needed to attend to in the battleship. The longer he got delayed here, the greater the impact he would face when trying to repair whatever damage had been done to his plans.

Amidst his panic, a look of determination settled in Daoist You Ran's eyes!

Ahead of him, Wang Baole continued running away. His mind was going blurry. If not for the green lotus inside his body, unleashing its full power and allowing his body to continue healing as his injuries continued to grow more serious, he would have passed out a long time ago.

Despite the green lotus, Wang Baole was at the end of his rope. It was solely his will to survive that was driving him forward as he continued to be pursued.

Wang Baole had lost almost all sense of direction. He had only one place, and a single thought, in mind. That was to find the Immortal Platform and escape!

But… the difference in cultivation and his injuries were gradually making that a wild dream. He might not be in such a bad state if Daoist You Ran weren't hot on his heels, but he had barely stumbled about for half an hour before explosions erupted behind him once again.

Daoist You Ran had expended a portion of his life without hesitation and charged through numerous hexes, which exploded in his path. He was like a bolt of lightning, racing forward fearlessly. Compared to his power, Wang Baole was like dust, destined to be shattered into a million pieces should they collide.

Wang Baole laughed bitterly as danger once again approached. There was no despair in his eyes, though. He didn't seem to have any intentions of retreating. His Thearch Armor might have been destroyed, and Little Missy might have lost consciousness, but Wang Baole still had a final trump card!

His problem was that he didn't know how to unleash this trump card. After all, it hadn't been triggered despite the intense danger he had faced in the cavern. Perhaps the only way to awaken it was to be in even greater danger!

Wang Baole wouldn't have risked that, but now… he might die anyway, so there wasn't much point in being afraid.

Vicious determination flashed across Wang Baole's eyes at that thought. Just as Daoist You Ran appeared, like a sudden bolt of lightning, Wang Baole turned and faced him. His hands came together to form a series of hand seals, and he pressed them hard on his dantian and yelled, "Devouring seed!"

Daoist You Ran charged forward as Wang Baole unleashed the full power of his devouring seed. His right hand lifted and transformed into a mountain peak formed of black fog that surged towards Wang Baole.

"Die!"

The attack was so powerful that it seemed to affect even the heavens and earth, as well as the mountains and rivers that rested between the two. When it landed, waves of energy rippled through space, and the air showed signs of tearing. However, just as it was about to land on Wang Baole, the devouring seed inside him unleashed its powerful suction force and transformed him into a black hole.

A vortex materialized and started to spin, causing the incoming mountain peak to shudder. It appeared that the vortex was on the verge of devouring it whole!

The difference in their sizes led to a bizarre sight, something akin to a snake trying to devour an elephant!

"I noticed something strange inside your body. You want to drain my Dharmic powers? Sure, do your worst!" A flash of viciousness flickered in Daoist You Ran's eyes. He activated his cultivation, and waves of spirit energy exploded from his body.

The blast inundated Wang Baole, leaving him shuddering. His devouring seed churned desperately as it tried to suck dry the terrifying power contained within the mountain peak. It managed to drain a great portion of it. However, the remaining smaller part of it continued to surge outwards, flooding over Wang Baole and the area around him.

Cracks began to appear on his body, and bones began to shatter and turn to dust. Wang Baole clenched his teeth and bore the agonizing pain. It was nothing compared to the growing devouring seed inside his body, which continued to expand as it continued sucking crazily. He felt as if he was going to be ripped apart. It felt like he was housing an Anti-Spirit Bomb.

"Drain that. Don't you enjoy doing that? Come on, keep on draining!" Daoist You Ran's face was twisted into an ugly look of violence and blood lust.

Pain colored Wang Baole's face. He felt as if his body was going to be ripped apart at any moment and that his body and soul were going to be destroyed. This feeling grew with the passing of every second. He felt his flesh turn to mist. The destructive force assailing him, warping everything out of shape, seemed ready to wipe him out completely. Even Little Missy was startled awake by the immense danger that Wang Baole had gotten himself into. She realized what was going on and started shrieking in his head.

"Wang Baole, you're crazy. What are you doing?"

"Devouring seed… explode!" Wang Baole wasn't crazy. He pulled out the mask which Little Missy was resting in as he yelled out those words and flung it far away with the remaining strength he had left. Little Missy would be far away from the center of the devouring seed's explosion. Even if he were to be destroyed, in both body and soul, Little Missy would still have a chance to survive.

Little Missy panicked. She couldn't stop Wang Baole, though. She could only watch as Wang Baole barked out the order, as the devouring seed grew increasingly unstable inside his body, and as the green lotus showed signs of shattering, appearing to be on the verge of self-destruction alongside the devouring seed. Daoist You Ran seemed to realize what was happening as well. His spirit energy surged in response, ready to retaliate against any attack… Then, suddenly, Wang Baole's scabbard, which had been refined to the seventh-grade and had resisted his control since then, shuddered violently. It seemed to sense impending death. A black strand darted out from its shaking body!

It was one of the hundreds of hexed threads that had been infused and sealed inside Wang Baole's scabbard during its refinement on the Vast Expanse Dao Palace Main Star!

It raced towards Wang Baole's devouring seed, sucked the destructive energy held within the devouring seed, and devoured it completely. A black light flared up within the black strand. It leaped out of Wang Baole's body and appeared between him and Daoist You Ran!

This was a completely unexpected development. Daoist You Ran had the edge over Wang Baole earlier, but the sudden appearance of the black strand sent alarm flashing across his face as he sensed the spirit energy contained within it. He retreated instantly, even risking teleportation.

It was too late… As Wang Baole spat out a mouthful of blood, he could sense his scabbard unleashing its power. He panted and lifted his right hand with great difficulty. Then, he yelled at the retreating Daoist You Ran.

"Kill!"

The skies in the sword body shuddered with the fall of his hand and his single word. Countless hexes shattered. The ancient sword trembled. The black strand rushed forward like a blade that could cleave through all living things, passing smoothly through all defenses and everything in its path. The abyss shattered in its wake. Shock and alarm colored Daoist You Ran's eyes as he teleported himself away. Then, something shifted suddenly in his eyes. His body stuttered imperceptibly for a second!

Everything happened too quickly. That was why no one had noticed. Not Wang Baole, not even Little Missy. The black strand descended like a bolt of lightning, slicing through Daoist You Ran!

A pained scream rang out in the air and was followed by a sudden silence. Daoist You Ran's body was cleaved into two clean halves, and blood spurted out as the two halves fell. Wang Baole spat out another mouthful of blood, and depleted of all energy, he too finally fell.

Little Missy materialized at that instant. Face pale, her form blurry and indistinct, she grabbed hold of Wang Baole immediately. Her eyes were filled with pain and heartache for Wang Baole, but she seemed relieved too. She turned and stared at the cleaved halves of Daoist You Ran then and discovered illusory starlight glimmering in the exposed wounds of the two halves. Her face was instantly filled with shock!

"Star-Seeding Dao?"

Little Missy shuddered as shock flickered in her eyes. She didn't hesitate and carried Wang Baole away hurriedly, racing not towards the Vast Expanse Dao Palace in the sword handle but… towards the Immortal Platform, where Wang Baole had intended to go!

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Chapter 666: Husband!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

A myriad of emotions flickered across Little Missy's face as she carried an unconscious Wang Baole away with her. There was loss and bewilderment, anger as she clenched her jaw, and hesitation and doubt. They were all the result of having seen the illusory starlight in Daoist You Ran's corpse.

Ordinary cultivators wouldn't have been able to see such starlight. This unique spell was only visible to special spiritual forms!

"Star-Seeding Dao… a legacy that the Vast Expanse Dao Palace inherited from a mysterious place. My father called it the sect's most powerful Dao after reading up on it!" Little Missy murmured to herself. She was no stranger to the Star-Seeding Dao. She hadn't been qualified to learn it, but she was aware of how powerful it was.

It could be viewed as a mystic art of cloning or, alternatively, that of enslavement. However, its true essence was neither. Its principles defied normal logic. One must know that despite the numerous stars in the universe, there were different types of stars, be it a planet or an eternal star.

However, the Star-Seeding Dao didn't differentiate between planets and eternal stars. The stars were instead divided into three tiers and three corresponding realms.

The Star realm, the Moon realm, and the Sun realm!

At the Star realm, the cultivator was required to fall into a deep slumber. Depending on the level of his cultivation, he would be able to give out numerous Star Seeds that would then fuse themselves with the living creatures of the universe. These creatures would then be able to practice cultivation until the time came when the cultivator harvested all the Star Seeds with a single thought.

The harvest wasn't merely for the Star Seeds but for all cultivation and vitality housed inside the Star Seed hosts. Then, by applying another mystic technique, the harvested gains would be augmented multiple times. The cultivator would break through the Star realm and enter the Moon realm!

This somewhat resembled what the State Preceptor had done when he had refined the giant python puppet, whose will had eventually been usurped by the donkey. However, it was much more powerful than what the State Preceptor had done.

As for living hosts for the Star Seeds, cultivators were considered inferior candidates. Hosts that fully unleashed the mystic art's power were entire stars. A Star Seed implanted in a star would allow all living creatures on the star to play host to the Star Seed!

As long as enough stars were harvested, one could attain powers that vastly surpassed that of a typical Star realm cultivator upon reaching the Moon realm. Of course, the most fearsome and powerful would be a cultivator at the Sun realm. One would be able to plant seeds in an entire patch of universe, harvest said region, and gain unimaginable power!

Little Missy had no recollection of anyone who had ever attained the Sun realm, though. There had only ever been one person who had attained the Moon realm in the entire Vast Expanse Dao Palace. She remembered clearly that her father had sighed after browsing the contents of the mystic art and said that this mystic art wasn't from this universe. He hadn't said anything more after that.

What she remembered about the Star-Seeding Dao made one thing very clear to Little Missy, and it was that… Daoist You Ran was but a mere Star Seed host. That meant… there was someone else in the ancient sword who was the true mastermind behind everything that had happened.

You Ran was but one of his dancing puppets!

This was a surprising revelation but not a shocking one. The part that made her clench her teeth and feel lost was related to the uniqueness of the Star-Seeding Dao. It was a legacy that had to be inherited. Such an inheritance… required someone with cultivation at the Star realm being willing to use his own soul to form a seed!

Basically, a Star realm cultivator had to surrender his own soul to create the original seed for the next partitioner of the Star-Seeding Dao. The first person from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace who had inherited this legacy from a mysterious place had acquired such a seed, which had been in slumber for an unknown number of years.

He had been the pioneer who had acquired the Star-Seeding Dao. The legacy had then been passed down from generation to generation in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, and there had been only one cultivator every generation.

The last cultivator of the Star-Seeding Dao was Lord Zhou… Could it be him? It can't be anyone from the Never-Ending Clan. Such a mystic art requires the predecessor's complete consent for the inheritance to be valid. Even a powerful cultivator at the Star realm wouldn't be able to influence the inheritance! Little Missy fell silent. She was more confused than ever. She had fallen into a deep slumber after being injured severely and entering the mask. She had no inkling of what had happened after that.

The mask had been shattered, and she had become incomplete, losing many of her memories. She had found the enormous corpse on the moon familiar but had no recollection of him.

Of the memories she currently had, those regarding Lord Zhou showed a mild-mannered, dignified man with unbending righteousness. She didn't believe that such a person could be capable of these deeds—especially those that had taken place in the Death Dao Battleship.

The familiar heads hanging on the ends of the tentacles, the devouring of Dao Palace cultivators, and the plan to sacrifice the entire Federation—these couldn't be the actions or desires of the man in her memories!

Little Missy fell into a confused silence. Wang Baole rested in her arms as she continued racing through the skies. They finally found the Immortal Platform. She struggled to activate the Immortal Platform, sending Wang Baole away. Her blurry form finally dissipated, sending her and her confused heart back into a deep slumber.

While that was happening, in the damaged Death Dao Battleship, under the collapsed cavern of the third level… a fourth level was revealed!

Even Wang Baole hadn't managed to discover this level. It remained unaffected as the world outside shook and collapsed.

It was a completely different place compared to the other worlds, which had been dark and filled with corpses. Birdsong and floral fragrance filled the air, the skies were blue, and oceans covered the surface of this world. In the middle of the vast ocean, there was an island. On the island, there was a mountain. And, atop the mountain, floated a soft, glowing light.

Within the light sat a person, indistinct and fading in and out of view. It appeared to be a woman. Her long hair flowed to her shoulders. She was likely an incredible beauty.

If someone of incredible cultivation, who had the ability to see past all disguises and discern one's essence, were present now, they would be able to tell instantly, that this woman… was not of the Never-Ending Clan. Her incredible beauty wasn't merely a superficial piece of clothing!

If Little Missy was there, she would have been shocked to see this woman. That was because she was no stranger to her at all!

She had been one of Little Missy's friends in the past, a cultivator from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace!

The woman sitting in the glowing light had appeared to be asleep before Daoist You Ran had died. Her eyelashes fluttered then, and she opened her eyes, revealing the starlight held within!

He has died… That's not surprising though, considering that his opponent is the Saint's chosen one. The woman smiled. She felt a loss at Daoist You Ran's death, but she wasn't particularly upset. He wasn't the only Star Seed host she had in her possession. The Never-Ending Clan member who had discovered Wang Baole collecting fragments of the mask in the Sea of Fire on the sword handle had been another one of her Star Seed hosts as well.

She hadn't interfered with their affairs much. She had only observed silently through their eyes, allowing the Star Seed hosts to act according to their desires and will. They themselves had no idea that someone had planted a Star Seed inside them or that their deaths could be determined with a single thought.

Since You Ran has carried out his plan to this point, he should be allowed to complete it. That should make a rather good game. The woman smiled after some thought. She lifted a finger on her right hand. In the distance, waves rolled and the sea parted. Up rose a body!

It was the body of a Never-Ending Clan member that exuded Soul Conduit realm cultivation. Something drew the body over, before the woman. She pointed again. Daoist You Ran's memories materialized as a soft glowing light, which entered the body through its head. Then, she did something else, causing flesh and skin to begin to shift as clothes materialized on the Never-Ending Clan cultivator!

It wasn't conventional clothing, but… the body of a Dao Palace cultivator!

It was the exact image of Daoist You Ran as he had appeared in the Dao Palace!

After accomplishing all that, the woman waved her hand. The newly born Daoist You Ran vanished and reappeared on the second level. He shuddered, then opened his eyes and immediately climbed to his feet. Fury lit up his eyes as he howled.

"Wang Baole!"

He had no memory of being killed. He only remembered discovering Wang Baole draining the battle robes and rushing over to stop him. Before he had been able to do anything, Wang Baole had blown up his Thearch Armor and sent the entire cavern crashing down on them. The first and second levels of this world had caved in.

He had abandoned the idea of chasing after Wang Baole then decisively. Instead, he had begun salvaging the situation while carrying out his own plans!

He suspected nothing. The woman had allowed the newly reborn Daoist You Ran to inherit his control over the enslaved Mie Liezi and the other cultivators.

He had no idea that on the distant fourth level, there was a pair of eyes watching him secretly.

"Everything in this world, including the stars… has their destined path. Observing as their fates unfold, and instead of interfering directly, transforming into an omniscient power that nudges them in the right direction, that… is the Star-Seeding Dao! Perhaps we should call this… the Heaven-Seeding Dao! The past generations of cultivators have gotten it all wrong!" The woman enveloped in the glowing sphere on the fourth level murmured. Her eyes devoid of emotion, she turned and gazed in another direction.

Her gaze seemed to see right through the battleship, past the ancient sword, and past space, landing on the distant… moon!

"That is why… my dear husband, I don't regret what I've done. I'm clearly the more suitable of us both… Your master made the wrong choice. You lost the green lotus. What then gave you the right to inherit this mystic technique… In which case, even if I did steal the legacy left to you by your master through deception and caused your death, why did you continue to hold on to this grudge even after you died and turned into the living dead?"

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Chapter 667: Declaring War on the Federation

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

It was unlikely that there was anyone on the ancient sword who knew the identity of the woman who was currently gazing at Earth. Even if there was someone who did, they wouldn't have the chance to enter the fourth level in the battleship and gaze upon the figure in the glowing sphere of light.

It didn't matter whether what she practiced was the Star-Seeding Dao or the Heaven-Seeding Dao though. This had almost nothing to do with Wang Baole at the moment. His final battle with Daoist You Ran had awakened his scabbard and released a hexed strand that it had absorbed previously, killing the latter.

If news of this were to spread, it would surely shock the entire Dao Palace and the Federation. It was an impossible feat!

Wang Baole had relied on numerous external powers, such as his various mystic techniques—Soul Guiding, Dream Spinning, Ten Thousand Tribulations, and A Thousand Lives. He had also relied on the Thearch Armor's self-destruction mechanism and the spirit energy he had drained from the Death Dao Battle Robes. In addition, Daoist You Ran hadn't been fighting at peak condition. Wang Baole's final blow had been the result of something unexpected as well.

Daoist You Ran had frozen for an imperceptible moment during his attempt to teleport away and avoid the black strand. Wang Baole, Little Missy, and even the mysterious woman hadn't noticed that.

That was the true cause of Daoist You Ran's death. With his cultivation, he would have been able to avoid a fatal hit even if he couldn't avoid being hit at all.

His death had led to the mysterious woman's construction of a new Daoist You Ran. She might have inserted Daoist You Ran's memories into the new body, but there was still a time-lapse between his death and his rebirth.

Perhaps she hadn't cared about that, or perhaps it was like she said and what she practiced was the Heaven-Seeding Dao. She followed certain laws that she had been enlightened of and set herself. She observed the fates of the others. Instead of interfering with destiny directly, she transformed herself into a supreme consciousness that tried to influence and nudge others along discreetly.

That was how… Zhao Yameng had appeared in the sword handle after being teleported out of the battleship and had enough time to run away. Others wouldn't have been able to return to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace in such a short period of time, but Zhao Yameng was a true inner sect disciple of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. She had the right to activate a small part of the array formation on the ancient sword, as well as the knowledge to do so.

This had allowed Zhao Yameng to locate a teleportation array formation on an island in the shortest possible time, modify it, and teleport herself a farther distance.

This had allowed her to establish communications with Sect Lord Xu and the others in the Dao Palace. When the Sect Lord received Zhao Yameng's voice transmission and heard the contents of her frantically conveyed message, his breathing quickened, and alarm flashed across his face.

"Mie Liezi has been enslaved. Feng Qiuran's status is unknown. Daoist You Ran is from the Never-Ending Clan! The mission was a trap. Most of the cultivators who participated in the mission are dead or enslaved. Sect Lord Xu… you must evacuate everyone immediately!"

Shock colored Sect Lord Xu's face. He didn't hesitate though and chose to believe what Zhao Yameng had told him. There was no time for him to consider the matter in detail. He immediately contacted the giant tree. The latter was to gather all cultivators from both the Dao Palace and the Federation. He was going to activate what they had set in place prior to and during the mission.

Wang Baole had left orders prior to the mission. Sect Lord Xu was an old and cunning fox himself. He hadn't approved of the rescue mission and had prepared for the worst. Even though he was still shocked by what he had just found out, he didn't panic. Instead, he carried out his plans meticulously.

It took but six hours for everything to be in place. When Sect Lord Xu had first arrived with the second batch of Federation seedlings, he told Wang Baole that his mission was to construct a second teleportation array formation in secret. This was to be their contingency plan.

This should've been a difficult task. However, with Wang Baole, the fourth Grand Supreme Elder, supporting and covering his tracks, everything went smoothly. While the rest had been away on the rescue mission, he was the sole Nascent Soul realm cultivator in the entire sect. He might not have the rights to activate the Dao Palace's teleportation array formation, but he had his backup teleportation array formation ready for deployment.

After activating the smaller teleportation array formation, Sect Lord Xu immediately sent the Federation cultivators away in batches. Their numbers were few. As a result, their departures progressed swiftly even though the teleportation array formation was a relatively small setup.

The giant tree led the first batch home so that he might inform the Federation of everything that had happened on the ancient sword. He himself stood quietly inside the teleportation array formation, modifying the array formation so that it would self-destruct after the final teleportation. He didn't activate the self-destruct mechanism though. Instead, he held onto his voice transmission ring and gazed into the distance, waiting anxiously.

He had gained knowledge of most of what had happened inside the battleship through Zhao Yameng's voice transmission. He knew the low odds of Wang Baole's survival, which caused his spirits to sink. Regardless, a fierce light continued to shine in his eyes.

A day passed as he waited. Zhao Yameng, who had utilized her rights as an inner sect disciple and her knowledge to modify teleportation array formations, finally returned. Both of them activated the teleportation array formation. She stared in the direction of the Death Dao Battleship silently. Both of them knew that they could wait no longer. They sighed and initiated the teleportation.

They didn't inform the Dao Palace disciples of what had gone on in the battleship as they didn't know whom to trust. The fate of the Federation was at stake, so they dared not risk that.

The sounds of explosions suddenly rumbled in the air as the teleportation array formation began to break down. The sounds it was giving off were louder than all previous teleportations. It resounded throughout the Dao Palace and caught the attention of the Dao Palace disciples.

Dugu Lin was the first to sense it. He vanished from where he had gone into seclusion and reappeared at the teleportation array formation. It was located behind Grand Supreme Elder Wang Baole's grand palace. There were traces of a destroyed array formation on the ground. Emotions flickered across Dugu Lin's face, but he remained silent.

It didn't take long before the disappearance of the Federation cultivators caught everyone's attention. News traveled across the Dao Palace like wildfire, causing shock and suspicion. That didn't last long. Soon, a deafening explosion erupted in the distant Sea of Fire, shaking everyone to the core. They turned towards the direction of the explosion and saw an enormous battleship rushing towards them from the distant Sea of Fire.

It was the Death Dao Battleship!

Daoist You Ran had clearly repaired and restored the battleship. It wasn't at its ideal, full functionality, but it functioned. It approached the Dao Palace steadily, then stopped right before it. The main Dao Palace island was like an ant compared to the enormous battleship. Shock filled the Dao Palace cultivators. They trembled under the authority and power emanating from the battleship. Then, numerous figures darted out from the Death Dao Battleship!

These were all familiar faces. They were the cultivators who had left on the rescue mission. Most of them were Nascent Soul realm cultivators, though a few were at the Core Formation realm. The two that attracted the most attention were Mie Liezi and Daoist You Ran.

Their faces were dark and solemn. A closer look would reveal that the expression on Mie Liezi's face was more dazed than stormy, while Daoist You Ran was the one who was truly furious.

His senses had clearly informed him of the disappearance of all Federation cultivators from the Dao Palace. He knew what that meant.

He and Mie Liezi, alongside a dozen or so Nascent Soul realm cultivators, flew out. They hovered in mid-air above the main Dao Palace island. Everyone on the island lowered their heads and extended their greetings.

Dugu Lin stood amongst the crowd. His eyes fell on his master. He was one of the rare few who had noticed the dazed look on his master's face. He stared at his master, then shut his eyes, concealing the sorrow hidden deep within.

As the Dao Palace cultivators fell to their knees in greeting, Mie Liezi spoke. His hoarse voice resonated in the air like thunder.

"The Federation cultivators broke their promise and abandoned their principles. With Wang Baole as their leader, they stole precious treasures from the Never-Ending Clan battleship and harmed cultivators from the Dao Palace. These despicable and shameless cultivators staged an ambush on Elder Feng Qiuran. Because of them, the Dao Palace suffered tremendous losses!

"The Federation is not to be trusted. They have to pay a price for what they have done!

"I hereby make the following announcement. All Dao Palace cultivators are to gather immediately. We are declaring war on the Federation. We shall… wipe the Federation from the face of the Solar System. They shall become the fuel that will light the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's path towards our former glory!"

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Chapter 668: Divine Palace!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

War between the Federation and the Dao Palace had become an inevitability. Wang Baole was unaware of that at the moment, though, as he was still unconscious. Little Missy had used the Immortal Platform to send him to a place he wouldn't have been able to reach with his own level of cultivation!

It would have been challenging for him to reach this place even with his status as an adopted disciple, as a certain opportunity was required for it to present itself. Little Missy had given him that opportunity!

The skies weren't the dark and ruined skies of the sword body. Half of it was painted a pitch-black, while the other half was a burning, fiery red. If one were to take a closer look at the skies, they would be able to see the air warp and distort itself in the red part of the sky. The red half of the heavens seemed to be rippling with intense heat!

The pitch-black half resembled a starlit sky. Countless stars scattered across the half. The land… was a flat plain. There was no Sea of Fire, no green meadows, no ruins or corpses that were clear signs of past battle.

Wang Baole lay on the ground, motionless. He had suffered catastrophic injuries. His unconscious body healed sluggishly even with the green lotus inside it.

Time passed slowly. No one knew how much time had gone by, as the skies remained unchanged. There seemed to be no concept of day and night here. Nothing changed. Everything seemed eternal. At least, that was what Wang Baole saw when he opened his eyes—an unchanging, eternal sky.

Where… am I… Weakness and intense pain surged through his body, and there was bewilderment in his eyes.

He had been awake for an entire day, but his mind remained fuzzy, it was a complete blank. It was as if there was a gap in his memories. He had stared dumbly at the sky for one whole day without any visible reaction.

As the day passed and his injuries repaired themselves, the gaps in his memory began to fill in. His memories still seemed fuzzy though, possibly a side-effect of unleashing some terrifying mystic technique right before he had passed out.

The Death Dao Battleship… Daoist You Ran… a murderous pursuit… the scabbard… Fragments of his memories began to surface. Wang Baole lay there, his thoughts confused. His breathing suddenly quickened as his eyes regained slight focus.

I remember now. I was being pursued by Daoist You Ran. At the last moment, I triggered a hexed strand inside my scabbard… it killed him! Wang Baole became alert at that thought. His mind and his body tensed. He sat up immediately, scanned his surroundings, and then lifted his face skyward.

The vastness of his surroundings and the bizarre-looking sky drove Wang Baole into a long bout of silence. He shut his eyes slowly and called out for Little Missy. He didn't receive a reply.

When he opened his eyes again, he took stock of his injuries and discovered that nearly half of his injuries had been healed. His mind was still a bit foggy. There was something else that didn't affect his body much. The memories in his head—he could remember many things, but they felt more distant.

He had quite a few ideas about what had caused that. The one he thought was most likely to be right was… how this might have something to do with him forcibly activating his scabbard.

"My level of cultivation wasn't high enough for me to wield the scabbard. Is that why when I forcibly unleashed it, it affected my memories, sorta like a partial memory wipe…" Wang Baole muttered to himself. He rubbed at his forehead, then scanned his surroundings again. He wanted to know where he was.

Now that he had regained consciousness, he began studying his surroundings in detail. Gradually, his breathing began to quicken, and emotions flickered across his face. He took a deep breath, then got to his feet. He fought against waves of dizziness as he raced across the lands, inspecting the surrounding area. Then, he returned to his original spot and stood there as waves of emotion threatened to pull him under.

This isn't the sword handle, or the sword body, or any kind of island. There's no Sea of Fire or any hexes around!

The temperature… is lower than the temperature found in the sword handle and the sword body… Wang Baole's heart began to race. He stared at the sky and studied the red half of it for some time. Then, his eyes shifted to the starlit black half. He stared at the stars, located familiar celestial bodies, then shuddered. He knew where he was!

The tip of the sword… Wang Baole stared at the ground beneath his feet. A bolt of lightning seemed to flash across his mind, sending his body shivering. It took him a long while before he was ready to accept reality, that he was indeed at the tip of the sword.

He had his guesses about how he had arrived here.

"Was it Little Missy… did she bring me here when I was unconscious?" Wang Baole muttered. He didn't do anything reckless. Instead, he sat down and pulled out his pills, then continued the healing process.

He remembered Daoist You Ran perishing, which meant that war between the Federation and the Dao Palace had just been avoided. Even if war were to break out, the difference in power between the two would not be as vast as it had been. The Federation wouldn't be at the Dao Palace's complete mercy.

That was why Wang Baole wasn't panicking at the moment. He took a few days to allow his injuries and his body to recover almost fully. His memories finally cleared up as well. Then, he got to his feet, his eyes alert, and began to comb the area.

As the Grand Supreme Elder of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, Wang Baole knew things a typical Dao Palace disciple didn't know. For example, the tip of the sword… was considered a restricted area of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Legend spoke of the land being where the ancient elders of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace slumbered!

The weakest of these elders were at the Planet realm, while some of them were even at the Eternal Star realm. Feng Qiuran had said that she believed that some Star Domain realm elders had survived and were at the tip of the sword.

She had no proof, but Mie Liezi had shared her beliefs. Wang Baole had only listened to what she had said casually. He might have thought about entering the sword tip one day, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon!

With Little Missy back in slumber, Wang Baole had to be even more careful. He slowed down his pace, surveying his surroundings while on the move. The sword tip was vast, but it clearly couldn't compare to the sword body. He traveled for a few days before the land began to look different even though the skies remained unchanged.

It was as if the land had been divided into two halves by someone. A long barrier made of ice and snow stretched before Wang Baole, without an end in sight.

Wang Baole stood before the ice and snow and stared at the snowy lands ten feet ahead of him. He pondered for a moment, then took a step forward and crossed over.

A frosty, bone-piercing wind rushed at him the moment he stepped onto the snowy lands. It hit the barrier behind him and stopped. It was as if the snowy and windy land existed on a plane different from that of the flat plains behind him.

The skies were divided into two halves, one fiery hot and the other starlit, and the land was covered with ice and snow. The bizarre sight made Wang Baole more cautious. He didn't stop moving, but he didn't rush himself. He advanced carefully. After a long time, he finally saw three enormous, indistinct-looking buildings in the distance. He stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened.

After a long while, Wang Baole sucked in a cold gasp of air and began moving faster. The three towering buildings became clearer in his eyes as he approached.

They were three… thousand-foot-tall palaces, which were sealed in clear ice. They resembled three glaciers!

Wang Baole was awed by their majesty. When he got within a certain radius of the buildings, suddenly… a wisp of consciousness darted out from the palace on the left!

It was like an invisible, fearsome hurricane that swept across the air and rushed at Wang Baole like powerful waves. Wang Baole was like a tiny raft adrift in the ocean. His mind turned blank instantly. The terrifying wisp of consciousness didn't keep its hold over him for long, retreating instantly. Then, a voice, cold and devoid of emotion, echoed in the air.

"As an adopted disciple, you are qualified to shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding the Dao Palace. You may access the first Spiritual Palace for a chance to achieve phenomenal breakthroughs in your cultivation!"

Wang Baole didn't have time to react to those words before the enormous palace on his left let loose a series of loud cracking sounds. Layers of ice cracked and shattered instantly, falling apart and revealing the entire palace before Wang Baole's eyes!

Having been released from its icy prison, the palace began to emanate a crimson glow. The light transformed into an enormous pillar of light that rose to the heavens!

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Chapter 669: The Relentless Wang Baole!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As Wang Baole stared at the ice that had suddenly melted, at the enormous palace that had unexpectedly revealed itself before him, and at the beam of red light rising into the sky, his breathing stopped momentarily. His hair ruffled as waves of spirit energy rippled from the towering beam of light. He stumbled back from the force of the spirit energy.

The land around him began to shake. It was as if a ferocious beast that had been in deep slumber for eons had just suddenly opened its eyes. The incredible power that emanated from it upon its awakening shook the world!

It might not be appropriate comparing Wang Baole to an ant next to the palace, but he was still incredibly small in comparison. The size of the palace and the aura it exuded gave one an impression of something unimaginably majestic and vast.

The impression given would have been magnified if one had been gazing at the palace from afar. The three palaces were enormous. With the other two palaces still sealed in ice, the palace with its crimson beam of light seemed especially arresting a sight.

It took more than thirty seconds before the palace's overwhelming aura slowly dissipated. The red beam of light continued rising into the heavens, and rings of spirit energy continued rippling outward from the beam. However, everything else returned to normalcy. The doors of the palace slid open slightly, spilling red light into the open.

It was but a narrow opening, a mere slit when compared to the entire palace, but to Wang Baole, the gap was wide enough for three grown men to march through while holding hands.

It was an awe-inspiring sight, but he was no longer a young and inexperienced brat who had just begun his journey of cultivation. He didn't act rashly. Instead, he surveyed his surroundings and thought carefully about what the icy voice had said earlier. He began piecing together the clues he had gathered. It gradually led him to a conclusion.

I'm being presented with a golden opportunity! Wang Baole's eyes shone brightly, burning with excitement and hunger. He had dreamed of becoming the Federation President since he was a kid. He knew that only the most powerful… had the right to command the entire Federation. If he could become stronger, he would have the power to master his own destiny!

Having survived a battle with Daoist You Ran and having experienced the powerlessness he had felt while on the Death Dao Battleship, Wang Baole's single-mindedness towards his cultivation and his pursuit for strength was unquenchable. He might not show it on his face, but in his heart, he hungered desperately for greater power!

Having thought it through and assessed the situation, Wang Baole raced towards the palace decisively. He arrived before the palace almost instantly. He stood before the opened doors, gritted his teeth, and stepped into the red light on the other side of the door!

Wang Baole's vision blurred and then cleared instantly. He was inside the palace, surrounded by a vast emptiness. There were three statues around him, and a red pearl was set on the top of their heads. It gave off a red light. Before him, sat an elder!

Shock rippled through Wang Baole when he saw the elder. He took a few steps back instinctively. Then, he steadied his breathing, cupped his fists, and took a deep bow.

"Greetings, Senior!"

Wang Baole continued standing there after his bow while sneaking a peek at the elder sitting before him. At first, he wondered who the person was, but he soon realized something was wrong.

He's not real? A thought flickered in Wang Baole's mind. He could tell that the elder's body wasn't real. It seemed illusory. He sat there, motionless.

As Wang Baole was studying the man before him, the elder, whose eyes had remained shut for who knows how long, suddenly opened his eyes. A gaze, bright like twin stars, landed on Wang Baole.

He felt something explode in his head. Those eyes seemed to see through him. No secret remained concealed under those eyes. Everything was exposed before the illusory elder's assessing gaze.

The feeling didn't last, as the elder soon retracted his gaze. Sweat poured down Wang Baole's forehead. He was breathing heavily and utterly shocked. He was still recovering from that shock when the illusory elder spoke with a raspy voice.

"You are qualified to take the trial. If you can endure the force of my spirit energy for ten counts, you will be deemed to have passed the trial. If you pass, you will receive the chance to enter the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Pool once, and the opportunity to strengthen your physical body!"

The elder didn't give Wang Baole the freedom to accept or reject the offer. After he was done speaking, he raised his right hand suddenly and pointed at Wang Baole. The moment the finger stilled in mid-air, a powerful force that resembled a hurricane erupted from the elder's body. Waves of spirit energy surged outward like tumultuous waves stirred by a wild storm and rushed at Wang Baole like a tsunami, threatening to pull him under.

The force of those waves of energy could wipe everything out. They sent the earth quaking and the skies shaking, causing the world before Wang Baole's eyes to blur. He had become a single leaf in the storm, unable to hold onto his mind or a single breath. His entire body seemed to be screaming. He passed out instantly, his body shuddering under such terrifying power.

Wang Baole had no idea how much time had passed before he finally regained consciousness. He lay outside the palace, amidst a deathly silence. He was confused for a moment before he suddenly sat up. Memories of what had happened before he had passed out surfaced in his mind. His breathing stopped momentarily. Then, he turned his head towards the palace. The doors were still open, causing him to let loose a sigh of relief.

Seems like this trial won't disappear if one fails… There's no harm done even if I fail. I'll simply be pushed out? Wang Baole fell into a contemplative silence. He recalled what had happened before he had passed out. That might have something to do with him not being mentally prepared for the trial.

Let's give it another go! Determination flashed across Wang Baole's eyes. He got to his feet, shifted, and once again entered the palace. This time, he was ready for it. He unleashed his full cultivation as soon as he stepped inside, roaring as he tried his best to stand his ground. He didn't last long. Waves of spirit energy spiraled into a hurricane inside the halls a second time. In the next instant, Wang Baole's body was swept out of the halls, through the narrow opening between the doors. He crashed into the ground and was knocked out immediately.

Wang Baole woke up an hour later. He sat up and stared unblinkingly at the palace, the gears in his head spinning furiously. He reached a conclusion. He wasn't going to be able to breeze through this trial.

The rules didn't say anything about using Dharmic treasures! Wang Baole's eyes flashed. He lowered his head and began rummaging through his storage bag. After a short while, he pulled out several Dharmic Armaments. He armed himself and then charged forward, entering the palace again. This time, he managed to last three counts. On the fourth, a loud thud sounded from his body, and he passed out, being sent out again.

It's not that my body can't withstand the pressure, it's my senses, they're too sensitive. That's why I'm affected by the overwhelming pressure. I might stand a chance if I can somehow dull my senses… Having woken up again, Wang Baole frowned and began thinking. After a long bout of contemplation, his eyes suddenly lit up.

What if I knock myself out after I enter the palace. Doesn't that mean I won't be able to sense the suppressive force at all? Maybe I'll pass that way. If that doesn't work, I'll just have to… recite the sutra. Wang Baole grew excited at that thought before sighing. He really didn't want to use the sutra unless it was his last resort. He had a feeling that the mysterious entity had probably just fallen asleep after he had been awakened the last time. If he were to disturb his rest again, he might just incur the entity's wrath.

"He probably isn't a morning person… Of course, most importantly, I, Wang Baole, should be relying on my own abilities to win this chance for a breakthrough!" Wang Baole muttered to himself. Then, he dashed through the opening again. This time, before the elder could unleash his cultivation, Wang Baole raised his hand decisively and smacked himself hard on his own forehead.

There was a loud smack. He had used quite a bit of force and was knocked out immediately. Relentless to a fault, Wang Baole had even unleashed his cultivation as he hit himself on the forehead. This time, he was knocked out so hard that he might be declared dead. He fell to the floor with a loud thud. The illusory elder froze at the sight. As an illusion, he didn't possess much intelligence. But it was clear that Wang Baole's self-inflicted violence had confused and bewildered him.

The waves of spirit energy that he had unleashed dissipated. There was analysis and assessment in his eyes as he pondered whether Wang Baole had fulfilled the requirements of the trial.

He had never encountered something like this before. There were many who had been knocked out by his blast of spirit energy, but Wang Baole's unconsciousness was akin to a complete shutdown of his five senses. He was currently no different from a corpse. To a certain extent, that meant that he was no longer affected by the elder's suppressive force… Ten counts passed as the illusory elder was steeped in confusion.

A long moment passed. The confused elder gave Wang Baole a strange look and then shut his eyes.

"You pass!"

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Chapter 670: Nascent Soul!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole couldn't hear the two words. He had given it all he had with that single blow to his forehead. If his physical body wasn't so resilient, he might have smacked himself dead instead of unconscious.

That was why even though Wang Baole had the green lotus to help with his recovery, he still took another two hours before he finally opened his eyes. He looked around with confusion in his eyes. His head felt like it had just been split wide open. It was fortunate that he was used to waking up after being knocked out. Then, he recalled what happened prior to his being knocked out. His eyes widened, and he got up hurriedly and looked around him. He wasn't outside the palace, he was still inside!

The illusory elder had vanished. What remained in the spot where he had sat was a floating, glowing, oval-shaped doorway. It seemed to be waiting for Wang Baole.

Wang Baole was overwhelmed with excitement at the sight. His head stopped hurting, and he stood up and hurried over. He studied the doorway, then looked around him. He wouldn't be called Wang Baole if he still didn't realize that he had passed the trial. Beside himself with excitement, Wang Baole burst out into laughter.

"What a smart daddy I am. A simple trial like this is a piece of cake!" Wang Baole said smugly as he patted his tummy. It wasn't as bouncy as he remembered it to be. It was hard and muscular instead. He was ill-accustomed to the feeling and didn't get a kick out of patting himself.

Being too skinny isn't a good thing. It's better to have more meat on me, it's more comfortable to touch. Wang Baole sighed. He stood before the glowing doorway, took a deep breath, then stepped through.

His vision blurred and then cleared immediately. The doorway functioned like a teleportation portal, sending Wang Baole to a small world that the Vast Expanse Dao Palace had created solely for the inheritance of its legacy!

It was a small world that couldn't even rival the size of the moon. In fact, it was a mere one-tenth of the moon's size. It might be huge to an ordinary person, but its size was nothing to Wang Baole.

Regardless, he was still shocked by the world's appearance when he first landed. The sky was pure white with red painted in the middle. The colors weren't the skies' true colors, but… a reflection of the land's!

The vast white lands were devoid of plant life. White desert sand filled the entire world, and a huge basin was situated in the middle.

To be more precise, in the middle of this world was a ring of mountains that looped into a circle. The result was something that looked like a basin from afar. In fact, it resembled a crater lake!

That wasn't what had taken Wang Baole aback. What had sent him gasping and had shaken him to the core were the countless corpses of huge beasts piled on the circular mountain range!

The dead beasts looked fearsome and terrifying. Wang Baole didn't recognize most of them, but there were a few he recognized—beasts that belonged in the ancient legends of the Federation, beasts like the great dragons!

He saw several dragons—winged beasts of ancient western civilizations—as well as enormous, green serpents of the east.

He also saw the bodies of several giants, as well as piles of Never-Ending Clan corpses. There must have been at least a hundred thousand corpses on those mountains.

They had all been flung onto the mountains, their necks sliced open. If he could see into the mountains, he would be able to see the purple-black stain of the mountain rocks, as if they had all been drenched in blood!

The expression on his face turned solemn at the sight. He couldn't stop the images from surfacing in his mind. Many years ago, someone must have exterminated hordes of beasts and Never-Ending Clan members here. Someone had slit their throats here, then watched them howl and shriek as their blood spilled, flowed down the mountains, and gathered in the basin… transforming the basin… into a vast lake of blood that now pooled in the middle of the ring of mountains!

The blood lake was reflected onto the sky. That was the pool of blood-red in the middle of the pure white sky!

Is this… the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Pool? Wang Baole hovered in mid-air as he looked down at the blood lake in the center of the mountain range. After some time, he shoved down the shock he had been feeling. A strange light appeared in his eyes.

From what the elder had told him, Wang Baole already knew that the greatest property the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Pool had was in strengthening the physical body. After witnessing the corpses with his own eyes, he realized what was going on here.

It distills the blood of ten thousand spirits, then uses the nutrients in their blood to nourish the bodies of Dao Palace cultivators. That is how those who come here seeking a breakthrough achieve a vastly stronger physical body!

This is a rare opportunity! Wang Baole took a deep breath. He wasn't a clean freak, and he wasn't bothered by the smell of blood or how the blood lake was formed. Even clean freaks would find it difficult to refuse this chance at achieving a breakthrough. An instinctive hunger began to unfurl inside Wang Baole as he gazed at the blood lake.

It was like how parched earth would hunger for rain. That was how Wang Baole felt at the moment. He only thought for a brief moment before his eyes flashed, and he dashed towards the lake.

He approached the lake and, without hesitation, crossed his legs and lowered himself, sinking to the bottom of the lake.

An unimaginable Blood Qi erupted from the lake and charged towards Wang Baole as soon as he came into contact with the water!

It seemed as if the Blood Qi had been waiting in the lake for numerous years. It had reached a certain fullness, and Wang Baole's appearance presented it with an outlet. An overwhelming, tumultuous Blood Qi rushed into Wang Baole instantly, breaking into his body mercilessly and drilling madly into his every pore.

Wang Baole almost cried out. He felt as if flesh blood was drilling into his body, and as if countless iron needles were stabbing him. He shuddered violently as Blood Qi rushed crazily through his body, intensifying the pain. He started to feel as if something was trying to tear him apart from the inside. His body seemed on the verge of explosion.

Blood Qi was unlike Spirit Qi. It did nothing for his cultivation. It was only meant to nourish his physical flesh. Wang Baole couldn't tell if he was delusional, but amidst the pain, he could feel his body strengthening after having seen no improvement for so long!

He was right, his physical body was becoming stronger. As Blood Qi continued to make its way inside him, his body continued to be torn apart. His meridians, bones, and internal organs were all ripped apart!

Upon closer look, one would see his blood, flesh, and bone disintegrating, inch by inch, as Blood Qi continued to drill inside him. They then reformed instantly as they were nourished by the Blood Qi!

There was no way this didn't hurt!

No matter how stubbornly resilient Wang Baole was, he was currently in so much agony that he could pass out at any moment. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay awake. He was able to do that since he had been knocked out multiple times and was now used to it. Else, he would have long lost consciousness.

He wasn't sure if the trial would end upon his losing consciousness, but he didn't want to bet on that not happening. That was why he was going to try his best to keep himself awake!

The pain grew stronger. The sensation of his body being torn apart, and the deafening thunder that accompanied the sensation, were secondary to the pain. In fact, he soon found himself facing a more unbearable trial.

As his physical body grew stronger, the remnant thoughts of the dead that had remained in the lake—their madness and their resentment—erupted inside Wang Baole's head as he continued draining the Blood Qi!

The pained howls of countless beasts lashed out inside Wang Baole's mind as he struggled with his pain. Those beasts and Never-Ending Clan members seemed to have taken him over. He was experiencing the madness, grief, and fury they had felt in their last moments!

These remnant thoughts lashed out at Wang Baole, forcing him to lose his sense of self momentarily. He became a huge dragon, and his throat was slit open. Then he was some other beast, whose throat was also sliced open. He could feel himself transforming into these beasts and Never-Ending Clan cultivators.

It felt like he was experiencing death repeatedly. He couldn't tell how many times he had died.

He finally couldn't take it any longer. He passed out. That finally signaled the end!

The instant he lost consciousness… his physical body began to exude a strange scent while laying in the pool of blood. It suddenly broke through and unleashed… an incredible power that far surpassed that of an ordinary Nascent Soul realm cultivator!

His physical body had reached the Nascent Soul realm!

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Chapter 671: The Dao Disciple's Palace!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole regained consciousness.

When Wang Baole woke up again, he was lying outside the first palace. He stared at the sky, slightly dazed. He had one question in his mind. Why was he constantly passing out after his battle with Daoist You Ran?

How many times has it been… Wang Baole sighed as he climbed to his feet. His eyes widened suddenly. With a casual press of his right palm against the ground, he felt a sudden burst of energy erupting from his physical body. It shook the earth and shoved him upwards.

Wang Baole gulped as he hovered in mid-air. He hadn't assessed his cultivation since he had awoken. He lowered his head and examined himself now, and excitement and joy quickly filled his eyes.

There's no change to my cultivation. It's still at the perfected Core Formation realm. But my physical body… has reached the Nascent Soul realm! Wang Baole had read the books found in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace and knew very well that a cultivator's prowess in battle came from four places: his cultivation, his mystic techniques, his Dharmic treasures, and finally… the strength of his physical body!

These four aspects complemented one another. Any breakthrough in any of the four would significantly improve one's performance on the battlefield. However, compared to one's mystic techniques or Dharmic treasures, the improvement of one's cultivation and physical body were essential and, indeed, the key to one's power.

The latter, especially… Physical strength might be viewed as a simple thing to achieve, but unless one inherited a unique bloodline, the challenges faced in strengthening one's physical body were similar to that of increasing one's level of cultivation. Both got increasingly difficult as one advanced in level.

In addition, a cultivator had limited time and resources. Only extremely powerful cultivators who had reached a plateau in their level of cultivation would steer their focus towards training their physical bodies. Few people would acquire such a terrifyingly powerful physical body like Wang Baole did while they were only at the Nascent Soul realm.

Finally… I've reached the Nascent Soul realm! Wang Baole burst out into laughter after experiencing the power in his body. He vanished suddenly and reappeared a thousand feet away.

He hadn't teleported. This was the speed a physical body at the Nascent Soul realm could unleash. It allowed him to replicate something that resembled teleportation. He raised his right hand and tightened it into a fist. He could feel a fearsome power gathering in his fist even though he hadn't activated his cultivation. His excitement intensified.

Even though he still wouldn't be a match for Daoist You Ran, based on Daoist You Ran's performance in their last fight, Wang Baole was certain that he wouldn't end up in as terrible a state as before.

To think that I managed to acquire a Nascent Soul realm physical body just by entering the first palace… Wang Baole took a deep breath as he stared at the first palace. He noticed that the red glow rising above the palace had dimmed considerably, and frost had begun to creep back around the palace. It seemed that it was going to be sealed again. Wang Baole sighed with regret.

Even though the trial he had just undergone seemed pretty simple and straightforward, Wang Baole still shivered when he remembered the pain he had experienced in the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Pool. The constant drilling of the Blood Qi and the mental backlash from the countless dead beasts had inflicted great pain on Wang Baole. He felt as if he had really died tens of thousands of times.

It's a pity I didn't last as long as I wanted. Else… based on the scale of the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Pool, I might have reached the Soul Conduit realm or even the Spirit Immortal realm. In fact… it might even be possible to acquire a Planet realm physical body!

Maybe that's for the best. I should be able to find my way back here after I've become more powerful. I can try to absorb the nutrients in the lake then and attain another breakthrough! Wang Baole licked his lips. He had gotten addicted to such breakthroughs. His heart was filled with anticipation. After a moment, his eyes turned towards the other two palaces encased in ice.

I wonder if I can enter the other two palaces… Wang Baole's eyes flashed at the thought. He walked over for a closer look. The ice encasing both palaces showed no signs of melting, and the earlier icy voice didn't make a reappearance.

Does this mean I'm not qualified to enter? Wang Baole scratched his head. He had discovered how the rules worked, but he wasn't prepared to just leave. He made a few rounds around the palaces. Then, his eyes landed on the palace on the right. The light in his eyes grew brighter and warmer as he examined the palace.

The palace on the right was the same size as the one on the left. However, the carvings decorating it were significantly more complex and detailed. It was clear that the access rights required for one to enter that palace were greater than those granted to an adopted disciple.

Wang Baole's heart itched at that thought. After a long while, he finally clenched his jaw, then raised his right hand abruptly. He unleashed his full cultivation, as well as the full power of his physical body, and sent his fist flying into the ice encasing the palace on the right.

"Shatter!"

Wang Baole roared. A hurricane filled with destructive force gathered in his raised right fist. Its power surpassed that of Wang Baole's Flame Snatch Thearch Armor!

The blow landed on the ice, but it was like sinking a pebble into the vast ocean. A muted thud sounded, and the ice remained undamaged. There wasn't even the slightest crack on it.

Wang Baole panicked. He was about to throw another punch when a purple lightning bolt suddenly appeared in the ice after the latter had absorbed the force of his first punch. The bolt of lightning snaked through the ice, appeared before Wang Baole in the next moment, and exploded in his face.

There was an explosive roar as Wang Baole shuddered and stumbled back from the force of the explosion. He was pushed back a thousand feet before he finally caught his balance. His breathing uneven, he lifted his head and stared. The palace and the ice around it remained untouched, and the purple lightning bolt had long dissipated. The only thing that remained was the fear pumping through Wang Baole's veins. That had been a warning. If he continued attacking the palace, he wasn't going to get another warning. He would be placing his life on the line.

That's hardly charitable! Wang Baole eyed the palace on the right, resentment building up inside him. Chances were, the palace hadn't allowed him entry because his rank or his level of cultivation wasn't high enough.

If I were a Dao Disciple… Wang Baole stood there, contemplating. Then, a strange light flickered in his eyes as an idea popped into his head.

I might not be a Dao Disciple, but I have an arm that might have belonged to one… At that thought, Wang Baole took a deep breath before pulling out the skeletal Divine Armament arm from his storage bag. He held it in his hand, unleashed his full cultivation, and allowed his cultivation to surge into the broken limb. The Divine Armament arm began shining with a blinding light, exuding incredible power.

As soon as the fearsome power erupted from the Divine Armament arm, the palace on the right began to tremble under Wang Baole's nervous gaze. The tremors went on for a short while, then stopped completely.

Maybe the energy released from the arm isn't powerful enough? Wang Baole frowned. He thought for a bit and concluded that it hadn't been powerful enough. In addition, his connection with the skeletal arm wasn't as perfect as he would like.

Determination colored Wang Baole's eyes. He gave up the idea of injecting more cultivation into the arm. Instead, he sat down. He was going to make a new Thearch Armor based on the traditional refinement method!

That wasn't difficult at all. The challenge lay in unleashing the Thearch Armor inheritance's true power. He had to fuse the Thearch Armor with the Flame Snatch technique in order to do so. That had been the results of Wang Baole's study, to combine the two in a complementary way that augmented their strengths.

The Flame Snatch technique required a vast quantity of vitality, though. This would prove difficult to acquire at this point in time. However, he was confident of his success if he were only to remake a new Thearch Armor. Having learned from his past experience, it took Wang Baole only two weeks before illusory, blood-colored meridians began to emerge from his body.

That was the first layer of the Thearch Armor. Its strength and power could hardly compare to the first Thearch Armor he had before, but it would serve its purpose of fusing the skeletal arm with the armor.

The meridians wormed inside the skeletal Divine Armament arm under Wang Baole's commands. Without any hesitation, he unleashed his cultivation again. His spirit energy flowed through the meridians and entered the Divine Armament arm.

Waves of spirit energy began to emanate from the arm as its power was once again activated!

At that instant… the palace on the right started shaking again, and the same icy voice pierced the air again!

"As a Dao Disciple, you are qualified to shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding the Dao Palace. You may access the second Spiritual Palace for a chance to achieve phenomenal breakthroughs in your cultivation!"

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Chapter 672: Forbidden!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

I did it! Excitement filled Wang Baole when he heard those words. His heart started racing. The exhilaration that he felt at that moment surpassed what he felt when he had unlocked the first palace. After all, he gained entry to the first palace based on his credentials. His entry to the second palace, on the other hand…

It was because of my hard work! Wang Baole jutted his chin out proudly as he watched the ice encasing the second palace shatter and fall to the ground. Then, a blue light burst from the palace and rose to the heavens!

Waves of energy rippled in the air, and the earth trembled. Its tremors were fiercer than when the first palace had been unlocked. Despite his Nascent Soul realm physical body, Wang Baole was still forced to retreat thousands of feet away. He waited for the series of shock waves, powerful as a tsunami, to flood the area and slowly dissipate. Then, quieting the excitement in his heart, he began to approach rapidly.

He soon reached the front of the palace and eyed the crack between the doors and the blue light spilling from the opening. Grinning happily, and filled with excitement and anticipation, Wang Baole took a step in.

A familiar sensation washed over him. When his vision cleared, he saw himself standing in a familiar spot, in an area similar to that of the first palace. The statues and the interior architecture were all familiar sights. Only this time, the bead was emanating a blue light.

Below the bead sat a figure. He wasn't the elder from the first palace. This time, it was a middle-aged man with an expressionless face.

He glanced over at Wang Baole. It didn't give Wang Baole the same feeling as when the other elder had looked at him, he didn't feel like he was being seen through. Instead, an instinctive terror unfurled inside him. The man before him seemed to possess terrifying, unimaginable power. Wang Baole's breathing quickened, and he hurriedly lowered his head in greeting.

"Senior, greetings, I'm Disciple Wang Baole!"

The man didn't speak, he only stared coldly at Wang Baole. Wang Baole had no idea if he was looking at him or if he was looking through him, at the skeletal Divine Armament arm that Wang Baole had put away. His silence made Wang Baole nervous. As his imagination ran wild with panic, the middle-aged man suddenly spoke.

"This palace… allows one to overcome all barriers to one's breakthrough in cultivation. If you are able to pass the trial with your current level of cultivation, you may make full use of the palace to reach the Nascent Soul realm!"

"The Vast Expanse Dao Palace has in its records nine hundred and thirty-eight different varieties of Nascent Souls, which have been collected through the ages. Should you pass the trial, you may select one from a range of souls determined by the results of your trial!" the man said coldly, his face devoid of any emotion. His voice was different from the one Wang Baole had heard outside, but they were similar in their lack of emotion and their robotic quality.

Wang Baole had realized earlier that the middle-aged man was also an illusion, like the elder in the first palace. Despite his knowledge of Dharmic Armaments, he wasn't able to discern how these three palaces were being operated, but he could somewhat tell that both the elder and the middle-aged man were likely Artifact Spirits.

The middle-aged man's words continued to resonate in the air amidst Wang Baole's contemplation.

"The souls you will be given a choice of are dependent on your performance and luck. If you manage to endure the force of my spirit energy for ten counts, you will be qualified to select any soul that is not the ten most powerful souls in our records!

"If you last for twenty counts, you will be able to choose any of the ten most powerful Nascent Souls. Sixty counts, and you will have the right to decide if you wish to attempt… to master the only legendary Nascent Soul the Vast Expanse Dao Palace possesses—the Stellar Nascent Soul!"

The Stellar Nascent Soul? Wang Baole's eyes widened when he heard that. He suddenly recalled what he had read up on about Nascent Souls during his time at the Dao Palace.

There were many different types of Nascent Souls to be found in the Dao Palace. The Nascent Soul realm was also considered an important stage that divided the great realms. The evolution from core to Nascent Soul was akin to the formation of a second life. It would drastically transform a cultivator.

The key to this transformation was the quality of one's Nascent Soul!

The better the quality, the greater the impact to and transformation of a cultivator. Wang Baole learned from his initial research that if one were to exclude a cultivator's mystic techniques and Dharmic treasures and look solely at the cultivator's cultivation when considering his battle prowess, one could set said level of cultivation as a basic unit. The quality of one's Nascent Soul would determine how many times this basic unit was multiplied to determine how powerful this cultivator was in battle.

The consequent power that was going to be unleashed in battle would, of course, differ depending on the number of times this basic unit was multiplied. The difference in a Nascent Soul's quality could result in a vast difference in power!

A Nascent Soul's quality dictated how well it would fuse with nomological laws. That, in turn, determined one's strength in battle and consequently, one's future in the world of cultivation. Most importantly… Wang Baole remembered the Dao Palace mentioning something in their records!

There were five extremely rare types of Nascent Souls that were found across the countless civilizations in the universe. They were deemed legends. The original Vast Expanse Dao Palace had gotten its hands on one of them through sheer luck. However, records in the current Vast Expanse Dao Palace stated that this legendary Nascent Soul had been lost!

Wang Baole had asked Little Missy about that Nascent Soul, but she had told him not to be overly ambitious. It was clear to Wang Baole that she knew nothing about the Nascent Soul.

That was why Wang Baole had been overcome with excitement when he had heard the middle-aged man mention the legendary Nascent Soul, the Stellar Nascent Soul. He burst out into excited laughter before the man could finish speaking.

"I choose the Stellar Nascent Soul!" Wang Baole's eyes shone brightly. He was afraid of the potential repercussions that he might have to deal with for cheating his way in. To prevent any unhappy repercussions, he immediately started reciting the sutra in his head after declaring his choice!

He had made up his mind, he wasn't going to rely on his own hard work this time. His firm belief was that he had worked hard to get to where he was now. Everything he had now had been the result of his own blood, sweat, and tears. The occasional reliance on external help wasn't against his principles.

Wang Baole recited the sutra excitedly. The skies began to thunder, and the palace began to shake as a presence that came from the deepest part of the universe descended upon them, sending the entire ancient sword quaking. It landed inside the palace and weighed heavily down on the middle-aged man!

The middle-aged man's eyes widened. He didn't fight back or struggle. He shut his eyes, extended his senses, then opened his eyes again. There was a strange look on his face as he looked at Wang Baole and nodded.

"You pass!"

Wang Baole had been fraught with anxiety until he heard those words. Excitement overwhelmed him. He was about to say something when the middle-aged man gave him a deep, unfathomable look.

"I should have expected this from someone who entered with a Dao Disciple's aura. I admire your courage. To think that you actually dared to select the legendary Nascent Soul, the forbidden art that almost no one has managed to master!"

"What?" Wang Baole, who had been bouncing with excitement, was stunned to hear those words. He gasped at the mention of "forbidden art". He had a bad feeling about this. Before he could question the man in detail, the latter lifted his right hand and pointed at Wang Baole!

"You will get what you wished for. Proceed with your breakthrough!" the man said, not giving Wang Baole any chance for regret or argument. Starlight shot out from his finger and darted into Wang Baole's forehead!

Wang Baole felt an explosion in his head, and his vision blurred. He felt as if his feet had left the ground and he was being swept upwards by the starlight, towards the heavens!

He shot through the skies and into space. Around him was an unfamiliar patch of space, an illusion. Stars sparkled brightly around him. Before he could regain some clarity in his mind, vast amounts of information about how to refine the Stellar Nascent Soul suddenly flooded his brain!

Information about the Nascent Soul surged into his head, and his understanding of this Nascent Soul grew clearer. As his knowledge about the Nascent Soul grew, the waves of emotions inside him surged. He couldn't control his tragic scream in the end.

"I don't want to practice this anymore! I made a mistake… I was wrong, really really wrong about this. I don't want to learn this anymore. Little Missy, Senior Brother, save me…"

The Stellar Nascent Soul, one of the five great legends of the entire universe, had been acquired by the Vast Expanse Dao Palace through luck. The Dao Palace had realized how extreme the cultivation method of the soul was and labeled it a forbidden art!

The theory required having the cultivator extract his Golden Core and initiate a collision with a planet that had been melded with a powerful Planet realm cultivator. Failure would result in the destruction of the core and the cultivator's death. Success would result in the birth of a Stellar Nascent Soul…

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Chapter 673: The Stellar Nascent Soul!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

What kind of stupid legend is this? Choosing this Nascent Soul is pure suicide! Wang Baole gnashed his teeth and whined secretly. Tons of information about the Stellar Nascent Soul flooded his brain, gradually expanding his understanding about the Planet realm.

Based on what Wang Baole had first studied in the Dark Sect's records, the Planet realm was the first great realm at the perfected stage that a cultivator could achieve. It was the first ultimate stage, after the Nascent Soul, Soul Conduit, and Spirit Immortal realms.

Cultivators at this realm were unimaginably powerful in both spirit and flesh. After organizing the information that he had obtained during his time at the Dark Sect and what he learned about the Stellar Nascent Soul, Wang Baole was able to piece together a somewhat comprehensive picture about this perfected realm.

The Planet realm was named as such because all Spirit Immortal realm cultivators who wished to achieve a breakthrough in cultivation and enter this first perfected realm had to meld with an actual planet in space!

One might even call it a devouring of a planet. The cultivator was to turn the planet into a part of him. The planet would rest inside his body and become the Dao Foundation through which the cultivator may ascend to the stars. Legends spoke of many civilizations calling this step the Ascent!

That was why every powerful Planet realm cultivator could be considered an actual planet!

The process of devouring and melding with a star was extremely challenging, and failure would result in death. It was a vast chasm that a cultivator had to bridge in his journey of cultivation!

In addition… the size of the planet, its caliber, and any other unique qualities it might possess—including its hidden stores of energy—determined how powerful the Planet realm cultivator would be. A strong Planet realm cultivator could have their way in the universe. They could challenge an Eternal Star realm cultivator and remain glorious in defeat. A weak Planet realm cultivator would only be able to bully weaker cultivators at cultivation realms lower than theirs. They would find cultivators at the same realm to be difficult opponents.

As these thoughts flooded Wang Baole's brain, he was on the verge of tears. He knew that he couldn't blame anyone else for his current predicament. His own talent and genius had landed him in such trouble. They had inspired the Dao Disciple's Palace to jealousy and led it to increase the difficulty of his attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Regret filled his heart, but there was nothing he could do about that now. Trapped in a starless abyss, he felt waves of spirit energy ripple around him. In the distance, the abyss stretched on forever. An overpowering, destructive force, which seemed capable of wiping everything out and made his scalp prickle and his entire body shudder involuntarily, approached rapidly. Wang Baole's breathing quickened, the veins in his eyes filled with blood, and his face contorted into a gruesome expression.

"Enlightened!" Wang Baole howled the first word to the sutra, only to be dumbfounded in the next moment. For reasons unknown, the sutra, which had come up useful as a lifesaver on many occasions, didn't respond to his call!

What's going on? Wang Baole's eyes went wide with confusion. Perhaps it only worked if he chanted it in his head. He did exactly that, hurriedly, even going to the extent of chanting the next few words that followed. However, the familiar aura that had always descended from the deepest part of the universe didn't make its appearance.

Is he ignoring me?

There wasn't enough time for him to think. Wang Baole trembled as the waves of spirit energy around him intensified as the destructive force approached. A stabbing pain spread throughout his body as a glowing sphere of light appeared in the distant darkness before him!

It grew in size, and within a few seconds, Wang Baole heard a deafening rumbling. It sounded like the collapse of stars.

If someone were to stand atop an elevated spot and look over, they would see an enormous ball of fire headed Wang Baole's way!

It wasn't just a mere ball of fire… it was a planet. It wasn't huge compared to other planets, but still significantly large—as big as the moon. Compared to the planet, Wang Baole was but an ant—a speck of dust!

It was still quite a distance away. Nevertheless, the waves of spirit energy around Wang Baole were vibrating violently. Wang Baole shuddered. An alarming sense of danger and death loomed over him, rushing through every part of his body like a tsunami.

It doesn't seem like a drill! Wang Baole panicked. His eyes were red. He had no time to think further. From what he had just learned, he knew that he had only once chance. He was either going to attain a breakthrough, or he was… going to die!

There was no way out. The only way was forward!

"Stellar my ass! Do you know how many bizarre entities I have inside my body? Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Wang Baole yelled. He raised his right hand and smacked himself hard on the chest. The devouring seed stirred, the green lotus resting inside the devouring seed swayed, and countless lightning bolts sparked to life as Wang Baole's Lightning Core popped out from his mouth!

Dazzling lightning bolts darted about in the air like silver serpents. The Lightning Core unleashed its full power as it attempted to hold its ground against the force of the charging planet. It was like a grasshopper trying to stop a horse cart. The Lightning Core was no match for the planet at all and began to show signs of shattering as soon as the planet drew near.

Agony surged through Wang Baole's body. With a dark look on his face, he raised his right hand and smacked his chest again without hesitation. With a loud boom, an aura more powerful than the Lightning Core erupted from his body. A sudden chill flooded the area, and black flames swiftly surrounded Wang Baole!

They were Dark Fires!

Wang Baole spat out his second core… the Dark Core!

Waves of spirit energy rose to the skies as his Dark Core joined his Lightning Core to fight back against the planet. It still wasn't enough, but at least they managed to slow the planet down slightly!

Regardless, slowing the planet down wasn't going to help at all. The starlit space before Wang Baole was now enveloped in the light emanating from the approaching, roaring ball of fire that was a planet. He seemed unable to see anything else. There was only the planet headed his way, a sea of fire that stretched on forever into the distance, rushing at him!

The force rushing towards Wang Baole was overwhelming. The Lightning Core began to crack, his Dark Core showed signs of melting, and even his Heart Core was devoured instantly. It seemed like the end for him. Wang Baole was on the edge of unconsciousness. His very life was about to be consumed by the burning, shining planet. It was then that he raised his right hand again and hit his chest, hard.

"If you guys don't make an appearance soon, we're all going to die!" Wang Baole howled. He could feel his life fading. The devouring seed inside his body was the first that failed to withstand the planet's power. It emerged, emanating an incredible power as it transformed into a vortex that then tried to resist the planet's charge. The planet slowed down once again.

Wang Baole's green lotus materialized next, swaying in the air and emanating endless vitality. It joined forces with the vortex to hold the planet back!

He wasn't done yet. At that critical moment, as if it were dragged out like an unwilling hostage, the scabbard resting inside Wang Baole's body materialized. Numerous sharp strands of hexes flew towards the planet!

The planet finally slowed down to a crawl. A stalemate seemed to have been reached. Each moment passed in the stalemate felt like an eternity to Wang Baole.

As the weight of the planet pressed down on Wang Baole, his body shook. His Lightning Core continued to crack while his Dark Core continued to melt. The disintegration of his physical body brought along intense pain, which tortured his mind. As the immense pressure continued, an energy of rebirth began to flow out of his disintegrating cores and envelope him!

It resembled a small flame, weak and faint, and also a star in the midst of formation. The spirit energy it radiated was startling. It was as if a god was being born!

It was… one of the five legendary Nascent Souls, the Stellar Nascent Soul!

The Stellar Nascent Soul continued to absorb the energy given off by Wang Baole's three cores and the planet, and it continued to grow stronger. It was then that, suddenly, the abyss shuddered. An external power seemed to have realized what was going on and was about to stop the Stellar Nascent Soul from being born!

The powerful external force shook the abyss, distorting the fabric of this constructed world with its invasion. It materialized as a large illusory arm covered with red scales. The hand reached out for Wang Baole, meaning to destroy his body and soul and stop the Stellar Nascent Soul from being born!

It was then that… an icy snort suddenly resonated in the air. It was like hearing countless people snorting all at the same time. The sound was deafening!

"Who's the fool who dares stand in the path of my junior brother's breakthrough?"

A sudden glint that seemed capable of cleaving the heavens in two descended rapidly. It swept towards the red arm that was reaching for Wang Baole!

The sword fell!

The arm was chopped off!

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Chapter 674: Senior Brother, Are You There?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

With a single sweep of the blade, the arm was sliced clean through!

A blade's glint rushed past. The crimson-scaled arm that had been reaching for Wang Baole was chopped off at the wrist. The palm disintegrated, transforming into streams of illusory fresh blood that started to rush back towards the broken arm.

It was clear that wasn't going to happen. The blade that had sliced through the arm shone again, and an overpowering force descended like an invisible hand, sweeping at the blood that intended to return to the arm.

The blood changed the direction of its charge instantly, rushing towards Wang Baole. The remnant will of its original owner had been wiped clean, and it now belonged to no one. It emanated a strange power and seemed to have been transformed into some form of blood supplement. It collided with Wang Baole's Lightning Core, Dark Core, and his physical body, and entered all three smoothly!

Wang Baole shook at the sudden intrusion. He had struggled to maintain a stalemate with the planet earlier and had expended all his energy doing that. But his foggy, exhausted mind felt as if it had just been given a dose of some powerful pills. His mind cleared instantly. The sudden transformation was startling, but he had no time to think too deeply about it. The blood that had suddenly surged through his body was unimaginably rich with vitality.

His Lightning Core and Dark Core, nourished by this unexpectedly rich source, appeared to transform into a vast ocean that flooded his mind. A huge drum was sounding inside his head. He trembled at the sudden descent of luck upon him. Bolstered by the flood of vitality, he roared and directed it all towards achieving a breakthrough.

"Break through!"

His body began to give off a bright light as the beginnings of a Stellar Nascent Soul were slowly forming inside his body. Soon, the power of a Stellar Nascent Soul erupted from his person. He seemed to have transformed into a star at that instant, and his Spirit Qi only continued to grow more powerful.

Thunderous booms continued to resonate in his head, roars that rose to the heavens!

He could feel power growing inside him. His breathing quickened, and he gave it his best shot as he unleashed everything he had in him—his cultivation, his physical power, his Lightning Core, and his Dark Core—and attempted to breakthrough!

Wang Baole looked like a star that was about to be born. The light emanating from his body, and the halo around him, continued to grow in size and brightness. Soon, the planet before him began to tremble. The stalemate was about to be broken. The power of Wang Baole's star was about to be unleashed fully. A star was about to be born!

Everything might seem like it was taking place in slow motion, but in reality, the entire sequence of events—from Chen Qing's first blow to Wang Baole's absorption of the blood and finally to the eruption of a star's aura—took place within the blink of an eye. Just as the power of his star was about to be fully unleashed…

A howl filled with pain and fury pierced through the starlit space. It was a sound that inspired fear and awe. Wang Baole's spirit energy immediately showed signs of instability.

"Why are you still here after delivering the goods. Are you planning to stay for dinner?" Chen Qing's cold voice resonated through the air almost simultaneously. It was followed by the glint of a blade, appearing suddenly and vanishing the next instant. A pained scream rang out.

"Get lost. Make another sound, and I'll kill you!" Chen Qing snorted and then said coldly as the pained cry resonated in the air.

The abyss trembled, and the patch of universe that they were in seemed to shake. It was then that the screaming suddenly stopped. Despite its anger and resentment, it dared not make another sound. It had no choice but to leave.

The maimed arm disappeared alongside the presence. It was as if the unknown entity had never been there. Immediately after, things began running again in this patch of the universe.

With no one holding him back, Wang Baole let loose a fierce howl that rippled through space. The light gathering outside his body flared and surged outwards. It was blinding and seemed to go on for miles. The ball of light was shining brightly like the sun and the birth of a star at the same time. Cracking sounds, like pieces of eggshell breaking off, echoed in space.

"I said, break through!" Wang Baole roared. His cultivation erupted instantly, breaking through the perfected Core Formation realm and entering the Nascent Soul realm!

A star's power rose to the heavens the moment he entered the Nascent Soul realm. One could almost see a tiny person inside the glaring sphere of light stretching all four limbs. That was the Nascent Soul!

One of the five great legendary Nascent Souls, a forbidden art, the Stellar Nascent Soul!

A sense of unprecedented power grew inside Wang Baole. He felt as if he had the power to master the stars and to travel through space. Wang Baole's breathing quickened. He could see a familiar figure in the distance. There was a gourd in his hand, and he raised it at Wang Baole, like a greeting.

"Senior Brother…" Wang Baole's eyes widened as he murmured. The familiar figure didn't wait for him to speak further. With a flap of his sleeve, the planet before Wang Baole, as well as the abyss, began to tremble. Their forms blurred before Wang Baole's eyes, then shattered into pieces!

An incredible force rushed at Wang Baole, swept him away, and pulled him downwards into what seemed like an endless fall. Then, it vanished.

Before it disappeared completely, Chen Qing's voice rang out inside Wang Baole's fuzzy head.

"My dear junior brother, you don't have much time left. I'll… be coming to take you away soon."

The abyss faded, bringing with it Wang Baole. Everything faded to black. Chen Qing lifted the gourd to his lips and took a sip. He seemed pleased as he turned and started singing.

"When the heavens and earth separate, the cycle of fate stops…"

"Knowing what happened in the past, the one who suffers now is…"

"Knowing what's to come in the future, the one who is working hard now is…"

It was an ancient song that sounded older when he sang it. Just as he was about to fade into the darkness, he suddenly froze. He turned his head, as if he had just noticed something, and stared into the distance.

His eyes seemed to travel through space as they landed on the Solar System and the ancient sword inside the galaxy. He stared for a long while before suddenly laughing.

Such arrogance when it's just a mere Star-Seeding Dao. So be it. It'll serve as a supplement for my junior brother when it matures. Not bad at all. Chen Qing smiled, then turned and walked away, fading into the darkness.

On the sword tip of the ancient sword, where the three great palaces were found, Wang Baole reappeared outside the Dao Disciple's Palace amidst a blinding light. He immediately lifted his head and stared around him, his breathing quickening.

"Senior Brother…" Wang Baole murmured, then fell silent. He recalled everything that had happened since they had set off for the battleship. He began to realize the things that hadn't made sense after some careful thinking. His final battle with Daoist You Ran, especially, made him realize something.

As Wang Baole was deep in thought, he had no idea about the shock that Little Missy was experiencing inside the mask. In fact, shock was too mild a word for what she was feeling right now.

This little fatty… he actually managed to cultivate a Stellar Nascent Soul!

My father told me that only madmen would choose to cultivate this Nascent Soul. This awful fatty… Little Missy was going mad. It wasn't due to jealousy, it was due to the words she had said previously that she now remembered. The feeling of her words holding some sort of power that turned mere words into reality overcame her again. As long as she said something was beyond his reach, he would somehow achieve it. Little Missy was beginning to feel slightly terrified.

"What's so amazing about him, anyway? He simply has a really powerful senior brother!" Little Missy finally murmured, almost fearfully, to herself after some time.

After some time, once Wang Baole finally made sense of things, he finally took a deep breath. The series of events led him to an important discovery.

So, Senior Brother enjoys spying. He's been watching all this while! At that thought, Wang Baole surveyed his surroundings again. His eyes fell on the third palace. He blinked, then coughed suddenly.

"Senior Brother, won't you help out your handsome little junior brother and unlock the third palace for him?" Wang Baole said, then waited with great anticipation. Nothing happened. He thought for a bit, then spoke again, the expression on his face wide-eyed and ready to please.

"My dearest senior brother, this is your dearest, most precious junior brother, Wang Baole, who's been living a lonesome, hard life for years. Senior Brother, your cultivation is beyond parallel and your swordsmanship amazing. Please help me unlock the third palace.

"Senior Brother, stop with the tests. Just unlock the third palace.

"Senior Brother, I'm getting angry!

"Senior Brother… are you still there?"

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Chapter 675: Present As Long As The Star Is!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole scratched his head, then looked around. Despite how hard he had pleaded, there was still no reply from his senior brother, who clearly enjoyed spying on him. He couldn't help but wonder if the senior brother he had the fortune to stumble upon had left…

No way. Is he really gone? Wang Baole blinked. He tried shouting for his senior brother a few more times and received no reply. He sighed. His senior brother was likely gone. Even if he was still around, it wasn't likely that he was going to make an appearance before Wang Baole.

"So be it. I, Wang Baole, have always relied on my own abilities. It must be my fate. I'm not destined to take shortcuts and rely on others," Wang Baole muttered and tried to console himself. He ignored the soft snort that Little Missy made when she heard that.

Wang Baole had reached a point where he could now ignore the scornful words that Little Missy said that he felt were clearly spoken out of envy. Besides, he was an optimist by nature. He might have sighed at his current predicament, but he moved on quickly, growing excited after assessing his current level of cultivation.

The Nascent Soul realm! Wang Baole's heart burned, and excitement colored his eyes. He realized how much more powerful he was now compared to when he had been at the Core Formation realm. The difference was unimaginable. This only intensified the excitement he was feeling.

I should learn my lesson, though, and not be too full of myself. I should only declare my choice after hearing everything the other party has to say. Wang Baole recalled everything that had happened in the Dao Disciple's Palace, then concluded seriously. He didn't start thinking about how to get into the third palace. Instead, he sat down, crossed his legs, and began to stabilize his cultivation.

The devouring seed, the green lotus, and the scabbard had all returned to his body. There was now a tiny person on the green lotus though. A translucent, tiny person, with starlight emanating from its tiny body. He was built… like a tiny fat person. He looked exactly like Wang Baole and was sitting on the green lotus with a serious look on his face.

His scabbard had shrunk considerably. It circled his Nascent Soul, emanating a fearsome aura. His devouring seed radiated a similar light. It was rotating in time with his breathing.

It was as if he was the center of everything. All living things were but an audience to his majesty!

His heart raced wildly. It was as if he had just been crowned as ruler of all living things. As his cultivation stabilized, he began to organize and go through the information on the Stellar Nascent Soul that had flooded his brain.

A long time passed before Wang Baole finally opened his eyes. The excitement in his eyes didn't fade with the gradual stabilization of his cultivation. Instead, it intensified. He had gained new knowledge as he went through the volumes of information in his head, and his heart raced at the new discoveries.

Is the Stellar Nascent Soul… really that powerful? Wang Baole's breathing quickened. He was still in a state of disbelief, despite having repeatedly gone through the information in his head. The Stellar Nascent Soul had been labeled as a forbidden art not simply because of how difficult it was to master, but also because of how powerful it was!

The Stellar Nascent Soul was born from a collision with a planet. As a result, it possessed a certain quality that other Nascent Souls lacked. It might be more accurate to call it an intrinsic property.

Because of this intrinsic property… the closer in proximity a cultivator was to a planet, the more powerful he would become. His strength was influenced by the planets. In fact, one might argue that the owner of a Stellar Nascent Soul could absorb the incredible powers of a planet… In conclusion, a cultivator with a Stellar Nascent Soul was a terrifying opponent in battle as long as there was a planet in the vicinity.

In fact… the boost in power increased with the size and uniqueness of the planet. Based on the information that Wang Baole had received… there was no limit to how much one's power could be augmented. The only limiting factor was the size of a planet, as there was a limit to how big a planet could get!

Theoretically speaking, if there existed an infinitely big and indestructible planet, Wang Baole would be near invincible as long as he stayed within its vicinity.

This was the power granted by one of the five legendary Nascent Souls, the forbidden art… the Stellar Nascent Soul!

Incredible! Wang Baole's heart raced wildly, and his breathing grew uneven. He almost couldn't believe his luck. It took him some time to come to terms with how powerful he had suddenly become. He lifted his face skyward and burst out laughing, his spirits soaring. The hardships he had suffered were all worth it.

"The heavens are indeed fair. The world might be filled with people who have gained plenty without working hard for it, or who have landed themselves in accidental fortunes out of sheer luck, but… the fates would never deny a man the reward he had toiled and sweated hard for!"

Little Missy noticed the smug look on Wang Baole's face and heard words that rendered her speechless. A sense of exasperation and powerlessness fell over her. She sighed.

"As long as you're happy…"

Wang Baole ignored Little Missy's sarcastic comments and got to his feet. He puffed his chest out and placed his hands behind his back. Brimming with pride and arrogance, he glanced sideways at the last sealed palace. The look in his eyes turned sharp. The aura of a powerful cultivator erupted from his person moments later, rumbling.

It was an aura that surpassed that of a Core Formation realm cultivator. It belonged to a cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm. A storm howled around him, and starlight sparkled, fading in and out inside the storm. The strength of this howling spirit energy grew as Wang Baole unleashed his full cultivation. His Spirit Qi intensified and finally materialized as an illusory shadow of Wang Baole's Nascent Soul.

The appearance of this mere illusion sent the heavens and earth quaking. Fierce winds started howling as the storm around Wang Baole gained strength. An intense light flashed in Wang Baole's eyes. He yelled, then charged forward with a sudden burst of speed.

He broke the sound barrier instantly, forming afterimages of his person in his wake as he headed straight for the third palace. Upon approaching, he roared and sent his fist flying while unleashing the Divine Armament arm.

"Shatter!"

A deafening thunder rippled through the air. Then… following it, a cry of pain. Wang Baole was flung backwards, his body curled outwards as he flew through the air and crashed into the ground. The land shook upon impact, a crater forming from his crash.

Silence descended. Wang Baole took a while before he finally crawled out of the crater. He looked in a sorry state. He stared miserably at the third palace, which was unaffected by his earlier blow. He rotated his aching wrists and sighed.

I was too full of myself…

Wang Baole rubbed his wrists and stared at the third palace resentfully. It would be a great loss if he simply left. His gains from the last two palaces had been too attractive. The prize to be won from entering the third palace was likely as or more attractive.

How do I get myself inside… I'm not qualified enough… A considering look appeared in Wang Baole's eyes. He had been able to enter the first palace because he had been qualified, while he had managed to get into the second palace by making use of the bones of Li Wuchen's previous incarnation.

So, even a Dao Disciple isn't qualified to enter the palace. Only someone whose rank is higher than a Dao Disciple's can meet the requirements for entry? Wang Baole thought. Based on his understanding of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, only an elder was higher in rank than a Dao Disciple. But it was obvious that possessing an ordinary elder's rank wasn't going to get him through the doors. What he needed was a Grand Elder or even a Grand Supreme Elder, that would be perfect.

Where am I to find such things? Wang Baole sighed, exasperated. He had half a mind to give up. Then, something flickered in his eyes, and they started to shine fiercely. The gears in his head began spinning furiously as countless images flooded his brain. The last image that lingered was that of a gigantic corpse lying in a sea of blood, emanating incredible power, invulnerable even to the spatial tears around it!

That was what Wang Baole had seen the first time he had used the Immortal Platform, the sight that had sent him reeling back with shock. He suspected then that the corpse must have belonged to someone really important.

Wang Baole's heart stuttered at the thought of the corpse. He soon came to a decision.

I'll find the corpse and retrieve a bit of its flesh. It'd be better if I could get its blood as well. The aura emanating from that might be able to help me unlock the third palace! At that thought, Wang Baole turned around and immediately rushed off in search of the Immortal Platform!

The Vast Expanse Dao Palace on the ancient sword was vast, and numerous Immortal Platforms could be found in the region. Some might have been destroyed when the heavens and earth had collapsed, but many more still existed in the sword tip. Wang Baole soon located one after a brief search. After some shameless pleading from Wang Baole, a resigned Little Missy taught him how to operate the Immortal Platform. It didn't take long before the Immortal Platform began to tremble. Smoke rose to the skies as Wang Baole melded with the smoke and rose to the heavens!

He remembered vaguely where the corpse had been found. Now that he could operate the Immortal Platform with greater control, it didn't take him very long—only half a day—before the smoke that he was traveling in arrived at… a sea of blood!

Blood Qi rose from the sea of blood below him, red lightning bolts streaked the skies as thunder roared, and a gigantic corpse floated in the middle of the sea of blood, awe-inspiring and imposing like a god.

It might be dead, but its powerful aura still remained. It was powerful and far-reaching, casting an oppressive weight over the spatial tears and distortions around it!

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Chapter 676: Dragonfly-ing Into Danger

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole could feel its power despite being hidden in the smoke. The corpse was like a terrifying, huge gaping mouth that could swallow him whole.

It was a feeling he hadn't felt as strongly when he had first passed the corpse, when he hadn't yet reached the Nascent Soul realm. Things were different now. He was hovering above the corpse in mid-air instead of just passing by quickly. His level of cultivation had increased, and his spiritual senses had grown sharper. He could sense everything more clearly now.

I feel intense danger… Wang Baole fell silent. He was hesitant about what he was planning to do. Then, he thought about the gains that awaited him in the third palace and gritted his teeth.

"Sometimes, you have to be hard on yourself in order to gain certain rare opportunities. You may even have to risk your own life. Of course, we should always have backup plans in place so that we have a chance to escape unharmed, should the situation call for that," Wang Baole muttered to himself. His eyes shone fiercely, and he suddenly started reciting.

"Enlightened…"

As soon as the first word was uttered, a familiar presence that seemed to come from the deepest parts of the universe descended. The spirit energy emanating from the corpse seemed to freeze momentarily, allowing Wang Baole to release a sigh of relief.

I thought it didn't work anymore. So it still works… Wang Baole stared skyward sheepishly, then stopped his incantation. With a series of hand seals, he separated from the flying smoke and shifted away, ready to approach the corpse in the sea of blood. It was then that the corpse suddenly shuddered!

Hair suddenly appeared on the body—on its exposed skin and the skin hidden beneath its tattered clothes. Despite having died, the hair on the body didn't shrivel and fall away. It survived, in some strange and bizarre condition, having undergone some form of evolution. It was as if the hair possessed a mind of its own.

The hair was dark green in color and as thick as a person's arm. It grew swiftly. In the blink of an eye, the ends of the hairs split open, like gaping mouths, transforming the hairs into green snakes attached to the corpse!

There were countless of them, clustered together and swaying in the breeze. It was a terrifying sight to behold. The snakes turned their eyes towards Wang Baole. He could feel an intense danger rushing over him, hear alarm bells blaring loudly in his head, and feel every muscle in his body trembling. Every cell in his body was screaming. Even his Nascent Soul opened its piercing eyes.

The snakes hissed loudly. Then, hundreds of snakes lifted their serpentine bodies and transformed into a massive green blur that charged at Wang Baole, ready to devour him.

They looked like the release of hundreds of arrows. Numerous other hissing snakes followed behind the first wave of snakes. In the distance were several larger green pythons. They tore their way out of a tattered Daoist robe, fearsome-looking and utterly terrifying.

Wang Baole's eyes flashed as danger rushed at him. He raised his right hand, then pressed it against the ground as he roared.

"Enlightened…"

The same powerful presence from space descended once again, enveloping the entire region. The green snakes shrieked and retreated immediately. Their bodies trembled and cowered on the ground. They dared not move a single inch forward.

Wang Baole perked up when he saw how effective the sutra was. Without hesitation, he crossed the skies and appeared above the corpse, right where its identity token was located. To play it safe, he shouted again.

"Prisoner of the Dao of heaven…"

A silent explosion seemed to have erupted inside the minds of the green snakes. Many of them shriveled and died, and a few started foaming at the mouth. Even the larger ones in the distance cowered. As for the ones around Wang Baole, they fled instantly, leaving him standing alone in the area.

He knew how dangerous this place was, so he continued reciting parts of the sutra sheepishly and yet without any hesitation. After shouting out the second line of the sutra, he swiftly knelt down and grabbed the identity token on the corpse.

The corpse was huge, which meant that the identity token was strangely huge as well. However, as soon as Wang Baole touched it, a bright light erupted from the identity token. It seemed to recognize Wang Baole and grant him permission to take the identity token. The bright light shrunk rapidly to the size of a human palm within the blink of an eye. Wang Baole grabbed it and stuffed it into his storage bag without taking a second look.

Everything happened very quickly. Wang Baole's breathing came in quick huffs and pants, and there were still alarm bells ringing in his head. The danger he felt didn't disappear with his chanting of the sutra and the subsequent cowering of the green snakes. Instead, it seemed to have intensified. Wang Baole was about to make his escape when his eyes suddenly landed on the corpse's skin. He clenched his jaw.

It's a struggle trying to get down here. Since I'm already here… I should get some blood… the identity token alone might not be enough. He knew that what lay before him was a corpse and that the chances of it having any blood left in it were slim, but based on what he could assess from the color of the corpse's skin, Wang Baole was hopeful. Thoughts churned in his head as he raised both his hands.

With his left, he grabbed at the edge of the sea of blood, while his right formed a series of hand seals. An incomplete Flame Snatch Thearch Armor appeared and, along with it, the Divine Armament arm. The armor's meridians entwined with the arm as the latter unleashed the power of a Divine Armament, which charged towards and drilled into the corpse's skin!

Droplets from the Blood Sea the size of one's fist were caught inside Wang Baole's left hand then put away. Meanwhile, the Divine Armament arm on his right hand landed a blow on the corpse's skin.

Wang Baole might have had a Divine Armament and attained a breakthrough in his cultivation, but the corpse had clearly been extremely powerful in its past life. Its skin remained extremely hard after its death. Despite Wang Baole's efforts, he only managed to inflict minute cracks in the skin. There was no way he was getting blood from those cracks.

He would have to unleash his full cultivation repeatedly and spend some time on this to even have a chance of succeeding. But he didn't have the luxury of time. Ripples appeared in the sea of blood around the corpse. Something under the waters seemed to be approaching rapidly. The sense of danger that Wang Baole had been feeling grew more intense as the unknown entity approached.

Wang Baole began to panic. He looked around him, eyes sweeping across the landscape before he suddenly flashed. He shifted away and reappeared in another spot thousands of feet away. This was the corpse's chest. A huge, gaping wound, clearly fatal and extremely gruesome, appeared before Wang Baole.

He immediately knelt down and pressed his right palm over the wound. His eyes shone intensely, and his Nascent Soul had the same bright look in its eyes. With a series of hand seals, he unleashed the full power of his devouring seed, causing an overpowering suction force to erupt from his arm.

It surged out from Wang Baole's palm, went into the corpse through the wound, and spread throughout the corpse. It didn't take long before Wang Baole sensed tiny slivers of blood gathering into droplets of blood.

It was then that the corpse suddenly shuddered, and the green snakes began to stir again. At the same time, the ripples in the surrounding sea of blood grew into waves. The creature in the waters was angry.

The sea erupted in the next moment. Rising to the heavens were two enormous wings that resembled a cicada's. They sliced through the surface of the sea. Two halves of a pair of huge wings, which looked like sails, were peering out from the water. The patterns on the wings resembled runes as well as an imprisoned demon sealed within. Its face was contorted into a gruesome expression that looked nothing but evil. Two large bulging eyes floated to the surface of the sea, appearing right between the wings.

A sudden sense of danger, indescribable and overwhelming, exploded inside Wang Baole's head as soon as the creature appeared. A fierce light flashed across Wang Baole's eyes. The devouring seed continued churning in his right hand as he raised his left hand and pointed at the sea of blood.

"All sentient beings must endure immeasurable calamities!"

Boom!

The pressure weighing down from the heavens intensified. Wang Baole's repeated use of the sutra had taught him that the terrifying presence summoned by his sutra would appear more powerful as he continued his incantation. He never went beyond the first two lines since he was fearful of what would happen if he did. This was an emergency, though, which was why he had panicked and spoken the third line.

The suppressive force over them intensified. The creature that had emerged from the sea of blood trembled, as if pinned down by an enormous, invisible hand. It stopped its ascent momentarily.

It was then that the devouring seed was finally done with its work. A drop of dark red blood, encircled by trails of blood, appeared in the middle of Wang Baole's palm!

Its appearance was like a catalyst, and the creature in the water suddenly roared and charged out of the sea. The sea of blood erupted, and something huge appeared above the sea.

It looked like… a dragonfly, except many, many times bigger. It was blood-red all over and a terrifying sight!

Its eyes, filled with violence and madness, stared straight at Wang Baole!

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Chapter 677: I Said, Unlock!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole's pupils contracted the moment the blood-colored dragonfly revealed itself. Without hesitation, he grabbed the drop of dark red blood and disappeared.

Two crimson blades of wind slashed through the air where Wang Baole had been from opposing directions, tearing up the air itself. It formed a huge bloody cross in the sky.

Wang Baole's scalp prickled when he saw that the next time he reappeared a distance away. He could feel the power emanating from the dragonfly. It was greater than that of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator and might be at the Soul Conduit realm, or even higher.

What a huge beast! The thought flashed across his mind. The dragonfly had risen, thundering, from the sea of blood the second it had attacked. Wang Baole had no idea where the deafening sound resonating in the air was coming from—its mouth or its gigantic flapping wings. The beast charged straight at Wang Baole.

It reappeared almost right before Wang Baole's eyes in the next instant, prepared to rip Wang Baole apart and devour him. Wang Baole would never have been able to avoid the attack prior to his reaching the Nascent Soul realm. He wouldn't even have been able to see the dragonfly move. It would've been instant death for him. He had his Stellar Nascent Soul now, though. The sun, which was in the vicinity, might not be a planet and hence was unable to provide him any boost in power, but he had still just received a considerable boost to his cultivation through his breakthrough. He shifted immediately and managed to dodge the incoming charge.

Regardless, the dragonfly was still much more powerful than he was. During his successful evasion, a lock of Wang Baole's hair somehow still got caught in the attack. The stray locks of hair were sliced off and went drifting in the wind.

Wang Baole's heart raced. He raised his right hand then quickly muttered the sutra in his head again.

It only takes a thought to leave the deep prison!

That was the fourth line of the sutra!

And this was what he shouted to the beast.

"Insolent beast!"

The heavens and earth rumbled as the mysterious consciousness descended upon them once again, thundering. The power it was displaying had grown. It was like an enormous, invisible hand, exerting immense pressure over everything as it surged down from the heavens and pressed heavily on the dragonfly that was charging towards Wang Baole.

It had no physical form. Nevertheless, the dragonfly released a scream of terror and immediately retreated, cowering in fear. Wang Baole saw how well the sutra had worked and knew this was his chance, his narrow window of opportunity to escape death. He moved quickly away again, reappearing somewhere considerably further away. He then unleashed his full speed with the intention to leave the sea of blood.

The dragonfly appeared to be furious upon sensing Wang Baole's attempt to escape. Violence colored its eyes, and its wings flapped furiously. Wang Baole had no idea what was going through its head. It howled again, then, with another fierce flap of its wings, fought back against the immense terror gripping its mind and went after Wang Baole again.

What a stubborn creature! Wang Baole panicked. There was no time to think. He turned around and yelled out loud, no longer in the mood to maintain appearances—thinking the sutra in his head while saying something else out loud.

"Await…"

This was the beginning of the last line that he had been taught. It was comprised of five words. Wang Baole uttered only the first. He was of the mind to utter the remaining four… but something stopped him from doing so at the last moment. He didn't dare do it.

The mysterious power exploded when he said that one word, reaching heights previously unscaled. It was like a tsunami, pulling everything under and holding them down. The entire region began to quake violently.

The dragonfly was gripped by sheer terror. It shrieked and retreated desperately, transforming into a blur of red shadow that sent waves splashing as it fled back into the sea.

It trembled violently underwater, stirring waves across the surface of the sea. Its bulging eyes remained above water, staring fearfully at Wang Baole.

It was a reassuring sight. With no one else in the area, Wang Baole didn't feel the need to maintain the appearance of being some extremely powerful cultivator any longer. He unleashed his full speed and dashed away into the distance.

The dragonfly seemed torn. It couldn't free itself from its terror though. It watched Wang Baole fade into the distance and abandoned all thoughts of pursuit.

After a long while, when peace and calm finally settled in the area again, the dragonfly flew out of the sea. It circled the corpse once, then howled as it flapped its wings wildly, as if voicing its anger. The space around it was torn apart immediately. The green snakes on the corpse trembled fearfully. It wasn't done yet. With another flap of its wings, the sea of blood started rippling violently. Blood rose to the sky, twisting and contorting, turning into the shape of a person.

It was red in color and looked exactly like Wang Baole.

The dragonfly roared at the sight. It charged forward and sliced off an arm and a leg with its wing. Then, it opened its mouth and sank its teeth into half of the body formed from blood. The assault continued until the body was maimed and mutilated beyond recognition. That was when the dragonfly snorted, finally appeased. It replicated a couple more of those bodies that looked exactly like Wang Baole and repeated the process. Having vented its anger and become satisfied, it returned to the sea of blood and disappeared without a trace.

Wang Baole couldn't bear witness to the scene. If he could, he would feel a chill over his entire body. There was no way he would try to anger the dragonfly again. It was clearly petty and the sort to hold grudges.

Wang Baole had teleported multiple times by this point and found himself an Immortal Platform. He used the traveling smoke and got himself back to the sword tip.

This might have been a challenge to others, but Wang Baole possessed the knowledge to operate the Immortal Platform and had just come from the sword tip—he knew which parts were safe for travel. It didn't take him long to return to the spot where the three palaces were located.

Wang Baole stood before the third palace and stared at the thick sheet of ice encasing it with anticipation. He didn't have to guess. It was obvious that whatever reward was laying within it was greater than what he had gained from the last two palaces. He didn't wait. He took a deep breath and raised his right hand. Then, he pulled out the identity token and shouted.

"I said, unlock!"

As his voice echoed in the air, the third palace began to rumble. An invisible power seemed to have permeated the air, one which resonated with the identity token in Wang Baole's hand. The ice encasing the palace started to shake and seemed on the verge of shattering.

Wang Baole grew excited. He waited with anticipation. As time passed, he realized that apart from the shaking and quaking, nothing else was happening. The ice shook, but it didn't shatter. It was as if… something was still missing.

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. His left hand formed a series of hand seals, and his Flame Snatch Thearch Armor began to churn with power. He had self-destructed his first armor and had only managed to restore it to its first level.

That was enough.

Illusory meridians danced in the air and spread from Wang Baole's left hand to his entire body. Wang Baole's entire body was soon encased in the red Flame Snatch Thearch Armor. He took a deep breath and took out the drop of dark red blood.

The tremors of the third palace intensified instantly. Wang Baole's eyes shone brightly as he infused the blood into his armor. He unleashed his full power, and the aura of the blood's owner erupted suddenly. Wang Baole raised his right hand, thrust the identity token into the air, and shouted again.

"I said, unlock!"

As his words resonated in the air, a thundering explosion erupted from the third palace. The ice sealing it shattered and fell to the ground, and an immense power surged from the palace and enveloped Wang Baole and the area around him. It seemed to voice its permission. As Wang Baole took a few nervous breaths, a voice rang out.

"As an elder, you are qualified to shoulder the responsibility of defending the Dao Palace. You may access the third Spiritual Palace for a chance to achieve phenomenal breakthroughs in your cultivation!"

It was a voice like thunder that filled the skies. The doors of the third palace slid open, revealing a sliver of the mysterious and unfathomable sight that lay beyond those doors!

Wang Baole was beside himself with excitement. After the first and second palaces, he already knew what to do. He dashed straight into the palace with a single step.

He entered the palace instantly!

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Chapter 678: Many Thanks to the Patriarch!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Pitch blackness transformed into an eerie darkness, then into gradual clarity after Wang Baole stepped into the palace. Wang Baole froze. He felt his hair stand. He stood, immobile, as his instincts told him to retreat.

The inside of the third palace was completely different from that of the former two palaces. There was no one inside testing his qualification. The space was also wider.

Those weren't the only things that caused Wang Baole's heart rate to pick up. There was also a huge pool in the palace spanning a thousand feet. It was filled with milky white water that resembled something dairy. It gave off a strange fragrance that tempted one to drink a sip from the pool.

A thin, wispy mist enveloped the space. Waves of spirit energy rippled in the area, enveloping the entire palace, and a strange weight seemed to hang in the air.

The source of this pressure was the milky white pool in the middle of the palace!

Eleven lotus leaves gathered in the pond. There were people sitting atop ten of those leaves, and only the eleventh leaf was empty.

That made ten people in total!

There were men and women amongst the ten people. Through the mist, Wang Baole could see that they were all thin and skeletal, unmoving as they sat there. The aura of death emanated from these ten figures. They were like… corpses!

Their clothes looked similar to the clothes the corpse in the middle of the sea of blood wore. They were likely Vast Expanse Dao Palace elders of similar high ranking. Each one of them emanated power equally strong as well. Wang Baole began to tremble, and the tremors intensified as the corpses' auras continued to affect him.

What's going on with this palace? It's not simply different from the other two palaces, it also has so many corpses hiding in it! Wang Baole's teeth chattered with fear. His breathing stopped momentarily, and he could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears. The corpses' auras and the atmosphere were giving him the creeps, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

He had half a mind to leave, but his body stuttered to a momentary stop after taking a step back. His eyes narrowed, then widened suddenly.

There's Spirit Qi in the mist. It's incredibly rich too… He hadn't noticed that because of how nervous he had felt earlier. Now, he tried to relax part of his body and attempted to absorb a slight bit of the mist surrounding him. His body shuddered.

The mist flowed inside him and spread throughout his body instantly. Comfort and a sense of fullness that he had never experienced before settled inside Wang Baole. He felt eased and nourished.

This Spirit Qi… is different from the Spirit Qi found in the Federation and the Dao Palace. It seems to be more dynamic and of better quality! Wang Baole licked his lips. He stared at the pool obscured by the mist and its milky white waters. He had no idea what the water was formed from, but it was obvious that it was some transformational liquid. There was Spirit Qi in the mist that had risen from the water, so the water itself must be extraordinary.

Wang Baole was slightly concerned about the corpses in the pool though. It didn't take him long before he cast his worries aside and walked into the mist. It might seem like a reckless action, but he had exercised full caution while doing so. He didn't step directly into the pool. Instead, he sat down outside, in the mist, and attempted to absorb the Spirit Qi within.

Vast quantities of Spirit Qi entered his body. It began to emit sounds of cracking as an incredibly comfortable feeling spread throughout his body. It felt like being massaged by countless tiny hands, causing his exhaustion to melt away. Even his spirit felt comforted. He almost couldn't stop a moan from escaping his lips. Fortunately, he caught himself in time and reined himself in, preventing himself from making any strange noises.

As his entire body relaxed and continued being nourished, his hair started to grow. His skin, flesh, and blood, as well as his bones, were transformed. He had resembled parched earth after his recent breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm. Now, it was as if rain had suddenly descended and nourished him. He was completely revitalized!

He could feel his body growing stronger as vitality rushed inside him and nourished his body. His cultivation seemed to grow more powerful as well.

The excitement inside Wang Baole intensified as half an hour passed. His eyes shone brightly when he discovered that his cultivation had increased considerably.

This must be some legendary, powerful spirit liquid. What a waste leaving it here. The elders' corpses can't absorb it anyway… Wang Baole blinked. He stood up suddenly and cupped his fists towards the pool before him.

"Your humble disciple has intruded upon your rest rudely today. I was forced to do so and humbly request that the esteemed Patriarchs do not fault my intrusion. The Vast Expanse Dao Palace is currently in an upheaval. I had no choice but to seek a breakthrough here and try to save the Dao Palace from danger with my increased cultivation!"

"I seek your permission to bring the spirit liquid in this pool away with me so that it might help the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. Please give me a sign if you do not permit this." Wang Baole had a serious expression on his face. He cupped his fists again and bowed after speaking, waiting there silently and obediently for a reply.

A dozen or so seconds passed. Wang Baole blinked and lifted his head, the expression on his face serious. He even looked slightly touched as he spoke again.

"The esteemed Patriarchs are indeed righteous and just. I thank you for not objecting to my request!"

He felt incredibly consoled. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with him absorbing some of the Spirit Qi here. After all, he was an adopted disciple of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace and had Little Missy with him. This was like home to him. Besides, it wasn't as if he hadn't asked first.

The Patriarchs didn't object to my request. It means they approve of me. Wang Baole ignored the fact that they were unable to voice their objections and grew increasingly assured of his actions. He lifted his head and puffed his chest outward, then took a few steps forward, all the while continuing to absorb the Spirit Qi in the air. He kept absorbing Spirit Qi while advancing, stopping once in a while to digest the Spirit Qi he had absorbed. Four hours passed. The mist in the air had grown significantly thinner. Nourished by the Spirit Qi he had absorbed, Wang Baole's cultivation continued to grow after its initial stabilization. He was reaching the peak of the early-stage Nascent Soul realm.

He steadily approached the pool as he continued advancing while absorbing Spirit Qi. Finally, he stood before the pool, excitement bright in his eyes. He stared at the water, hesitating for a moment before he muttered a few words of comfort to himself. Then, he formed a series of hand seals and pointed, retrieving a drop of milky liquid from the pool.

The droplet exuded an enticing fragrance, almost tempting Wang Baole to swallow it. He was quite the clean freak though and stopped himself from doing so. The devouring seed inside his body started to churn, causing an explosive suction force to erupt from his body, which traveled down to his finger and began sucking. The droplet of water vanished immediately. It turned into a white mist that entered Wang Baole's finger and flowed through his entire body.

There was an explosion in Wang Baole's head. He shut his eyes. An incredible, unimaginably rich Spirit Qi erupted inside his body, flooding it like a tsunami. His Nascent Soul opened its eyes then. It sucked a breath in and began to absorb the Spirit Qi. A long while later, Wang Baole opened his eyes, which were filled with intense excitement.

Jackpot! He licked his lips. He assessed the increase in his level of cultivation and confirmed that the liquid had no adverse effect on his body. Then, without any hesitation, Wang Baole immediately took a step forward and sat on the edge of the pool. He unleashed the full power of his devouring seed.

A deafening rumbling resounded in his head, like a series of explosive thunder. Vast quantities of liquid rose from the pool and transformed into mist. They entered Wang Baole's body through his pores, and he shuddered. His Nascent Soul was working overtime as it absorbed Spirit Qi hungrily. Waves of spirit energy rose and ebbed inside Wang Baole, growing stronger with the passing of time.

Blessed with the sudden and rich nourishment, his cultivation rose and reached the peak of the early-stage Nascent Soul realm!

"I can still go on. Come on!" Wang Baole's breathing quickened as he muttered to himself. He directed the devouring seed towards another round of mad absorption. His Nascent Soul emerged from his body and hovered above his head, forming a series of hand seals and drawing more liquid from the pool, increasing the rate of absorption.

Mist rose and enveloped Wang Baole in a thick blanket of Spirit Qi as he continued absorbing it, spiraling around him and seemingly transforming into an enormous vortex, the center of which sat Wang Baole. He sat, oblivious… as one of the dried corpses on the lotus leaves in the middle of the pool suddenly stirred. Its eyelashes fluttered, and its eyes were on the verge of opening.

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Chapter 679: Three Options!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Spirit Qi enveloped the area like a thick fog. Wang Baole was busy absorbing the Spirit Qi and at a pivotal stage, trying to reach another milestone in his cultivation. He had no idea that one of the corpses was about to wake.

This was a good thing. Anyone else in his place would be frightened out of their skin if they were to see the corpse open its eyes. If they were lucky, this would only cause a disruption in their cultivation. If they weren't… it might cause their Spirit Qi to spiral out of control.

The corpse hadn't completely awakened, it had merely fluttered its eyelashes before it resumed its slumber. Wang Baole was undisturbed as he continued sucking the Spirit Qi in the air madly and his cultivation crept towards the next breakthrough!

He intended to continue until his cultivation reached the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. This would be considerably challenging for a typical cultivator who hadn't mastered his cultivation technique. Plenty of preparation would be required before he could embark on such an endeavor as well. Cultivation techniques were extremely important, regardless of which cultivation realm one was at. But Wang Baole had a Stellar Nascent Soul. This was where it showed itself to be uniquely different.

Even without mastering any prerequisite cultivation techniques, he could push his cultivation towards greater heights just through the pure absorption of Spirit Qi. Because he didn't have any Nascent Soul realm cultivation techniques under his belt, any breakthrough in cultivation he experienced now couldn't be considered a true breakthrough. However, once he mastered the prerequisite cultivation techniques, he would be able to consolidate the gains in cultivation he had achieved without any adverse effects.

Wang Baole had no lack of cultivation techniques. His memories of the Dark Dream, the divine powers he had acquired in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, and the gains he had gotten from the Eye of Infinite Techniques meant that he had a very clear idea of how to proceed now that he was at the Nascent Soul realm.

There was no need to trouble Little Missy with questions. He had seven to eight plans formulated in his head, and each had their own pros and cons. He didn't make up his mind immediately since there were so many options to choose from. He wanted to study them in greater detail after he returned to the Federation. He would make up his mind after a careful assessment.

A Nascent Soul realm cultivation technique could dictate a cultivator's future. The plans he had formulated all had incredible potential, and they could be grouped into three categories.

The first plan placed a focus on the cultivation of his physical body, with his Spirit Qi holding a secondary, supplementary role. He would be able to physically carve out mountains from the earth and split the lands for rivers to flow through. He would be able to pluck stars out of the sky. If he chose this path, he would have three cultivation techniques to choose from. All of them were attractive options.

The next plan would have him focusing on his divine powers. Through that, his awareness of and sensitivity to the universe's nomological laws would grow exponentially, which would speed up his cultivation progress. He could transform mere beans into soldiers, summon storms and command the winds. His unique Stellar Nascent Soul meant that he would vastly surpass other cultivators at the same realm in terms of power, perhaps to the extent of overwhelming them with his commanding presence. There were also three cultivation techniques he could pick if he decided on this path. He would need to study them in more detail.

The last plan caused Wang Baole the most hesitation. It didn't focus on physical strength or one's sensitivity to the nomological laws. It only focused on one thing… killing!

He would kill his way to the top. Should he pick this path, he would become a symbol of massacre and violence in the realm of the Nascent Souls. He would be the grim reaper of all living things!

There was only one cultivation technique he could learn if he picked this path. It was… the Demonic Eye Art!

It would allow him to form a seemingly tangible white eye that hovered around him and became the physical manifestation of his cultivation technique. Its cultivation method was completely different from that required by other cultivation techniques. Its cultivator needed to do only one thing, and that was… to kill!

Each kill allowed him to create an eye, which would boost his level of cultivation. That, in essence, was the demonic eye.

One could imagine the exponential increase in cultivation the cultivator would experience after massacring countless. He would be able to summon countless eyes. He would be surrounded by countless eyes!

Each demonic eye had the ability to dispel spells and exuded an overpowering aura. The destructive force created from a demonic eye's self-destruction would be the equivalent of blowing up the person who had been killed to create the demonic eye in the first place.

This was a cultivation technique that was created for killing others. The more one killed, the more powerful one became, and the crazier one got!

It wasn't found in the Eye of Infinite Techniques or in any of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's records. Even Little Missy hadn't heard of it. This was something that Wang Baole had read in the Dark Sect's records in his Dark Dream.

Wang Baole remembered distinctly reading about this in the Dark Sect's records. It was a lost mystic art that had originated from an extinct, ancient cultivation civilization. Only records of the Nascent Soul realm level of this mystic art survived. Anything beyond that had been lost. That was why it had been labeled as incomplete despite its incredible power.

Let's not think about that first… Wang Baole took a deep breath and set those thoughts aside. He focused on absorbing the spirit liquid in the pool. No matter which path he chose in the end, what mattered now was the absorption of the Spirit Qi in the pool and his reaching the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. This would allow him to establish a sturdy foundation for whichever path he chose next.

With that thought in mind, the devouring seed inside Wang Baole increased its suction force. The tiny, fat Nascent Soul above his head pressed its tiny, fat hands together. They moved swiftly, a blur of movements as they formed a series of hand seals. He started sucking in vast quantities of spirit liquid like a gigantic whale. The spirit liquid continued its series of explosive eruptions inside his body, transforming into Spirit Qi that pushed his level of cultivation higher.

Within ten minutes, Wang Baole's body started emitting sounds of cracking again. It was a sign that he had swallowed more than his body could bear. The Spirit Qi housed inside him had exceeded the limits of what an early-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator could bear as well. He was now holding as much Spirit Qi as a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator.

His Nascent Soul was no longer a tiny fatty. It was a chubby, fleshy sphere. One could hardly tell that it was a Nascent Soul…

Wang Baole felt himself reach both his physical and spiritual limits. He couldn't catch his breath. However, he wasn't willing to just stop there.

It took me so much effort to get in here. I can't just leave with that bit of Spirit Qi! Wang Baole opened his eyes and stared at the pool before him. The bit that he had absorbed wasn't even one-thousandth of the pool's total volume. Determination flashed in his eyes. He wasn't going to go easy on himself now.

Who cares if I get fat. I'm going to keep on draining the thing! He shouted inwardly then took a deep breath. The devouring seed inside his body unleashed its full force again. An alarming volume of Spirit Qi surged into him once again, rushing through his body like a tsunami.

With his Nascent Soul and physical body at their limits, Wang Baole resorted to a familiar technique… he converted the Spirit Qi into spirit fat and stored the latter in his body.

This might prove to be problematic for others, but it was a simple enough feat for Wang Baole, who had his devouring seed. He could continue absorbing Spirit Qi until his body exploded.

Wang Baole's body ballooned. The waves of spirit energy emanating from his body grew increasingly powerful. Other Nascent Soul realm cultivators would have found it a shocking sight. The aura that he was exuding now would terrorize any ordinary Nascent Soul realm cultivator.

Half an hour passed. Even breathing became increasingly difficult. He now looked almost like his Nascent Soul, a chubby, fleshy sphere, except bigger. His handsome face was nowhere in sight. People who knew him well wouldn't be able to recognize him at first sight. His will was willing, but his flesh weak. He had no choice but to stop.

I have to stop now. If I keep this up, I won't even be able to get into the air… Wang Baole opened his eyes with difficulty. He stared at his tummy, then at the pool. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a bit more Spirit Qi. Then, he finally forced himself to stop. He pulled out the puppets inside his storage bag.

I might be done, but I still have my puppets! Determination flashed in his eyes. With a series of hand seals, he got the puppets into the pool and activated their Spirit Kernels. They became receptacles of the spirit liquid in the pool.

He pulled out numerous bottles next, both big and small, and began filling them with spirit liquid. Even after doing that, there was still too much spirit liquid left untouched. Wang Baole was faced with a dilemma and sank into deep thought. In the distance, on the lotus leaf, a corpse's eyelids suddenly twitched. It was the same corpse whose eyelashes had fluttered earlier. Its eyes opened narrowly, revealing faint white light within.

Wang Baole suddenly smacked his tummy then.

How could I have forgotten the Thearch Armor! Wang Baole perked up instantly and hurriedly formed a series of hand seals. Streams of crimson meridians immediately emerged from his body and snaked around him, transforming into a red armor. Wang Baole immediately unleashed the Flame Snatch!

The Flame Snatch was a technique that relied on devouring, while the Thearch Armor was an external vessel. They made a perfect match now, in the third palace, as they unleashed their combined powers. Vast quantities of spirit liquid rushed into the armor, transforming it drastically. More red meridians began to form and intertwine with one another in a thick blanket of meridians. The armor grew larger and taller. It was a gruesome sight to behold.

The Spirit Qi brought the armor back from its former damaged state into a fully restored one. Its second stage of evolution, a skeletal structure, reappeared. Streaks of white could be seen amidst the mesh of red. They grew greater in number, exceeding its original number during Wang Baole and Daoist You Ran's battle, growing thicker and finally transforming into bone!

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Chapter 680: Li Wuchen Is a Jerk!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the pool, Wang Baole resembled an overweight war god, fearsome like a beast and emanating blood lust!

On his right armored hand was the skeletal Divine Armament arm, whose power grew as it continued to be nourished by Spirit Qi. It had melded perfectly with Wang Baole's armor. The power that it was exuding had far surpassed that of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator and was now at the Soul Conduit realm.

One might imagine the power that Wang Baole was capable of displaying should he unleash his full power. Should he meet Daoist You Ran again, he would no longer have to rely on tricks to match the latter in battle!

The water level in the pool finally seemed to have dipped slightly. The Flame Snatch Thearch Armor had gradually reached its limits, and absorbing any more spirit energy might just make it explode. That being said, Wang Baole thought he could still attempt to do so. Just as he was about to continue…

The corpse sitting atop the distant lotus leaf, whose eyes had been opened a sliver… opened its eyes fully. They were filled with confusion, haziness, and a white light. The corpse raised its right hand and flicked its finger lightly, and seemingly instinctively.

An indescribable force exploded before Wang Baole. He reeled back, dazed. Before he could react to the unexpected attack, his body was flung backward. He was thrown out of the pool, through the doors of the palace, and straight outside.

"What's going on?" Wang Baole's surprised shout continued to resonate in the halls before slowly fading away. The white light in the corpse's eyes dissipated at the same time, revealing a hint of clarity.

It seemed as if it had only truly awakened then. The corpse surveyed its surroundings, seemingly dazed. It frowned a moment later after sensing the spirit energy around it.

"Li Wuchen's aura… No, there's an outsider as well…" it muttered, then lowered its head and looked into the pool. After a long moment of silence, it shook his head.

"I've always suspected that rascal Li Wuchen was up to no good. I was right. What a greedy fellow!" it muttered. Perhaps due to its recent awakening or serious injuries, which kept it from leaving, it didn't do anything else after that. It only shut its eyes and resumed its deep slumber.

As for Wang Baole, it was as if he had been chased out of the palace with an explosive, forceful attack. He couldn't stop his body from being flung outwards, no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he ended up fifty thousand meters away from the palace, his head spinning and vision a blur.

His body crashed into a mountain with a loud thud. It took him a while before he staggered out of the hole he had created in the side of the mountain. His hair was a mess, and he looked in a sorry state.

He didn't suffer any serious injuries, but everywhere hurt. He grimaced and huffed angrily.

What a miser. Didn't I ask for permission to take the water from the pool? No one objected then… Besides, I wasn't planning to take everything. I only absorbed a little bit. Wang Baole recalled what happened in the palace and guessed correctly at what had occurred. Prior to his being driven out, he had seen one of the figures on the lotus leaves raise its hand. Those Dao Palace elders in the palace were likely… still alive.

Wang Baole sighed and struggled to his feet. He stared at the top of his tummy, then turned his neck with some difficulty and looked around him. He was somewhere between the sword tip and the sword body. He stared in the direction of the palace longingly but decided to abandon all ideas after giving it some thought.

"So be it. So what if the palace doesn't want me around? There'll be some other place that welcomes my presence. I'm not hanging around here any longer. Back to the Federation, and my presidency!" Wang Baole muttered. He thought about the contributions he had made to the Federation and how he had destroyed Daoist You Ran, eliminating a threat to the Federation. That was an immense achievement. He had sent back so many cultivation techniques to the Federation as well. Little Duanmu had to make him the next president. It would be completely unreasonable if he didn't.

Wang Baole grew excited at that thought. Becoming the Federation President was something he had dreamed about his entire life. It had seemed a distant dream then, but now, it was something that was within reach. Wang Baole perked up instantly. Even his pain faded away. He forgot the frustration and regret he had felt earlier and took to the air in search of an Immortal Platform.

However, he had grown too fat. Spirit fat was particularly dense, as well, and therefore added greatly to his weight. The spirit fat Wang Baole had on him had never exceeded one-tenth of what he had now. At the moment, his weight had reached startling heights. He looked like a mountain of flesh from afar.

Any ordinary person who came across him would be terrified at first. They would think that they had just encountered some fearsome beast.

Wang Baole had only just ascended to the sky in high spirits when, in the next moment, he almost tumbled to the ground and landed on his head. He felt as if he were carrying a huge mountain on his back. It took him a great deal of effort before he righted himself. By then, he was covered in cold sweat.

This won't do. I can't go back to the Federation now. I should return to the main Vast Expanse Dao Palace island and try to lose some weight first… Wang Baole breathed deeply. His weight was both a source of joy and grief. He recalled his family history of overweight ancestors and their premature deaths… He might be a cultivator now, but he was still concerned.

Having made up his mind, Wang Baole unleashed his full cultivation, pulled himself up, and dashed into the distance. He soon found an Immortal Platform. He transformed himself into a huge, bulging traveling mist, and began his journey across the sword body!

Wang Baole was unaware of Daoist You Ran's resurrection at that moment. He was oblivious to the Star-Seeding Dao cultivator's presence inside the Never-Ending Clan battleship. To his knowledge, Daoist You Ran was dead, and the threat of war had been averted.

That was why he had spent so much time in the three palaces, working hard for his breakthroughs in cultivation. That was why he had no idea… that the Federation was currently engaged in a war with Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators who were under the Never-Ending Clan's control!

The war had broken out one month ago!

Thankfully, Zhao Yameng had alerted the Federation in time. In addition, Duan Muque and Li Xingwen, as well as the other upper echelons of the Federation, had always treated the Vast Expanse Dao Palace as a potential threat and had planned accordingly. As a result, even though the war was taking a toll on the Federation, the fight that the Federation was putting up genuinely shocked Daoist You Ran and the Vast Expanse Dao Palace.

It shouldn't be surprising, though. The one thing that the Federation was skilled in was strategy and ambush. Their wisdom in war and tactics, the culmination of countless people's ideas and wisdom, was their strength!

The Hundred Seedling Plan was but a part of their setup. If that succeeded, they would see peaceful assimilation and coexistence. If it failed, however… they still had the Greater Mercury Array Formation and Anti-Spirit Bombs ready for deployment at any time.

In fact, the Federation had run through numerous battle simulations. They had modified the simulations based on the information that Wang Baole and the others had transmitted back to the Federation. Preparations for a potential war for their civilization's survival had been set in place many years ago, and three lines of defense had been set up!

The first line of defense was Mercury!

The second line of defense, Venus!

The third, Mars!

Should all three lines of defense fall, Earth would lose all hope of survival.

No matter how flawless the Federation's plans were, there was always the risk of accidents occurring. The plan had numerous Anti-Spirit Bombs buried underground on Mercury, the Federation's first line of defense. Mercury would be blown up as soon as the Federation sensed something was amiss. It would be a serious blow to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace that would also destroy the teleportation array formation.

But Duan Muque had made a mistake. He had planned to wait for the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's military to arrive and to trigger the planet's explosion upon their arrival. He didn't only wish to destroy the teleportation array formation, he also wanted to deal a serious blow to the invading forces.

However, the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's military had arrived too swiftly for him to take action. The power emanating from the Never-Ending Clan battleship had overpowered Mercury's self-destruction. The Federation's plan had failed. They could only abandon their first line of defense and retreat to Venus, their second line of defense.

The Federation had many years of preparation though. Even though the Anti-Spirit Bombs had been overpowered during the attempt to blow up Mercury, the power that had been unleashed during their explosions had still managed to damage the Never-Ending Clan battleship and shock Daoist You Ran and the Vast Expanse Dao Palace. The damage had been exacerbated by its prior damage and the destruction that had been caused by Wang Baole. The Vast Expanse Dao Palace had to spend some time repairing the battleship.

A brief window of uncertainty had thus emerged in the war!

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Chapter 681: Fishing?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Oblivious to the fact that war against the Federation had broken out, Wang Baole continued traveling across the sword body. He flew speedily across the lands, passing spatial tears, hexed regions, sudden changes in the landscape, as well as demons and beasts prowling the lands unharmed.

Nothing seemed capable of stopping the traveling mist in its path as it crossed the vastness of the heavens and the earth swiftly!

The traveling mist was so amazing that Wang Baole began to regret the lost opportunity of displaying his majestic figure to the world.

"This is the last attempt at losing weight!" Wang Baole muttered to himself inside the traveling mist. His mind was made up. The first thing he was going to do when he returned to the Federation and became the Federation President was to make a declaration. He was going to redefine fatness as the new standard for beauty!

Everyone will have to fatten themselves up. That's the only way to ensure that Earth progresses. It's the only way to strike fear into all extraterrestrial civilizations' hearts when they see us! The more he thought about it, the more the logic made sense. A huge figure was a strong visual impact, after all.

I mean, when you place a huge mountain of flesh and a bean sprout next to one another, who are people gonna be more afraid of? Wang Baole considered the scenario seriously and concluded that the former would be more terrifying. This strengthened his resolve.

For humankind's survival, for the future of the civilization… and also to pick apart and solve the genetic mystery that caused the premature deaths of my ancestors. There might actually be some incredible secret hiding somewhere in there! Wang Baole allowed his imagination to run wild while he approached the sword handle steadily.

An hour passed. At his current speed, Wang Baole believed that he would be able to leave the sword body in another hour. He began fantasizing about his future again, anticipation growing in his heart as he traveled. Then, suddenly, something caught his attention. The traveling mist stilled in mid-air. It shifted and revealed Wang Baole's surprised face.

I sense Soul Conduit realm divine powers… His head tilted towards the northwest as he gazed into the distance. His eyes didn't manage to see anything amiss. However, since his cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul realm, his spiritual senses had improved exponentially. His senses were hinting that something was going on there.

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He thought for a bit, then steered the traveling mist northwest.

Darkness blanketed the region while hexes littered the lands in the northwest. Spatial tears appeared in the sky randomly. In the heavens, a middle-aged woman, face pale and hair loosened and in a mess, was running for her life.

She was seriously injured, and her fleeing at full speed didn't help with her wounds. Blood flowed freely from her lips. Behind her were numerous figures exuding an icy aura and giving chase. They came from all directions, surrounding the woman and leaving her nowhere to escape.

The pursuers weren't Dao Palace cultivators. Their three heads and six arms clearly identified them as Never-Ending Clan members!

The woman… was a familiar face that would be recognized immediately by any cultivator of the Dao Palace. She was… one of the four Grand Supreme Elders of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, Feng Qiuran!

Zhao Yameng hadn't been the only one who had escaped when Wang Baole had blown up his Thearch Armor in the Never-Ending Clan battleship and disrupted the latter's teleportation interference. Feng Qiuran had escaped as well!

Compared to Zhao Yameng, Feng Qiuran had clearly been identified as an important target by Daoist You Ran. Even though the latter had chosen to go after Wang Baole in a moment of anger, he hadn't forgotten to send Never-Ending Clan members after Feng Qiuran as well.

After his resurrection, Daoist You Ran led Mie Liezi and the Never-Ending Clan battleship off of the ancient sword and towards the Federation. Regardless, his orders to pursue and kill Feng Qiuran had remained.

Feng Qiuran had spent her time in hiding all this while, narrowly escaping death. If she wasn't at the Soul Conduit realm and didn't have a few unique lifesavers up her sleeve, she would have been killed a long time ago.

Nevertheless… Feng Qiuran was now at the end of her rope. Her cultivation had fallen from the Soul Conduit realm to the Nascent Soul realm, and she had once again been discovered. She had no choice but to run. However, the severity of her injuries, the extent of her exhaustion, and the ceaseless, punishing guilt she felt had taken a toll on her. She was a dead cultivator walking.

She had no hope, no future in sight, no possibility of surviving this. Her fate had been determined the moment she stepped onto the battleship.

Is this the end for me… A tragic smile painted Feng Qiuran's lips. She spat out a mouthful of blood, no longer able to control the injuries wrecking her body. They continued to unleash havoc inside her. Her internal organs were bruised and bleeding, her meridians collapsed in multiple places. Life was slowly draining out of her. She felt only despair.

Her vision was a blur as three Never-Ending Clan cultivators flanked her on both sides. Icy glints flickered in their eyes as they charged towards her like arrows released from a bow. Another Never-Ending Clan cultivator behind her did the same, unleashing a sudden burst of speed and rushing straight at her. In front of Feng Qiuran, slightly to her right, another Never-Ending Clan cultivator dashed towards her as well.

There were five of them, some with a cruel twist to their lips, some devoid of all emotion, and some excited. They had old, unhealed injuries and were only at the Nascent Soul realm. But it wasn't impossible for the five of them to take on a grievously injured Feng Qiuran. If they hadn't been worried about Feng Qiuran unleashing a final lethal attack before her death, they would have killed her some time ago.

They had kept her alive for another reason. Daoist You Ran wanted her captured alive, if possible. Having Feng Qiuran under his control would be akin to having another Soul Conduit realm cultivator under his command. Besides, Feng Qiuran held an important position and status in the Dao Palace. She could help Daoist You Ran strengthen his hold over the Dao Palace.

That was why Feng Qiuran was still alive now. Nevertheless… she was at her wits' end. She was like prey caught in a trap, powerless and hardly a threat at all. The five Never-Ending Clan cultivators finally closed in for the kill!

Thunder rumbled in the skies. A faint, glowing barrier materialized around Feng Qiuran as the five Never-Ending Clan cultivators charged at her, blocking their spells and creating a backlash that drove her enemies back. They didn't suffer many injuries from the backlash. Feng Qiuran, on the other hand, spat out a mouthful of blood as she stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to maintain flight.

The five Never-Ending Clan cultivators rushed at Feng Qiuran instantly. Two of them formed a series of hand seals and barked out a curse.

"Mi Zhen!"

A sudden overpowering force, capable of trapping one's spirit, descended from the sky. The other three Never-Ending Clan cultivators each whipped out a small mirror. The light reflected from the mirrors transformed into a large illusory web. They dashed towards Feng Qiuran and flung the web over her.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The five cultivators had coordinated their attacks flawlessly, and in her current state, Feng Qiuran was hardly a match for them. The glowing web fell over her in the next instant and bound her tightly within. Lightning crackled as it surged through the web, causing Feng Qiuran to spit out another mouthful of blood and pass out.

"Let's go!" The five Never-Ending Clan members didn't hesitate. They transformed into five rainbows immediately and dashed off into the distance. They intended to leave this place and report their successful capture.

Just as they were about to depart, however, mist suddenly appeared in the distant sky. It seemed like an ordinary mist at first. Then, it seemed to recognize the five Never-Ending Clan members for who they were. The mist began to shift. It grew in size suddenly, amidst a series of deafening rumbles, and transformed into an enormous face.

It was Wang Baole!

He saw the five Never-Ending Clan members as well as Feng Qiuran, unconscious and caught inside the web of light.

The five Never-Ending Clan members turned their eyes towards Wang Baole as soon as he appeared. An intense light appeared in their eyes. They didn't leave. Instead, they stopped. A smile appeared on one cultivator's face, one tinged with cruelty and scorn. He put Feng Qiuran in his storage bag, then said something to his companions in the Never-Ending Clan's language.

"You lost the bet. I said we didn't need to hurry to capture Feng Qiuran. If we continued chasing her for a while, it'd definitely draw out some other unlucky soul. Look, see what we managed to fish out."

Wang Baole's eyes shone brightly as he hovered in mid-air. He started reciting the sutra in his head before any of the Never-Ending Clan members could reply to their companion. Then, as an immense power descended from the heavens, he said coolly, in the ancient Dark Sect's tongue.

"Have you ever caught a shark?"

As soon as he said that, the awesome power of the sutra shot down from the skies and flooded the area!

The smoke that formed Wang Baole's face roared and boiled, then rushed towards the five Never-Ending Clan members with the force of a tsunami!

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Chapter 682: A Gigantic, Fearsome Monster!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole recited the sutra in his head while saying something completely different out loud and unleashing an attack on his enemies. This was something he had done on numerous occasions. It had become a familiar dance.

The power of the sutra descended from the heavens, striking fear and awe into the hearts of the five Never-Ending Clan cultivators. Their minds went blank. Despite being battle-hardened warriors, they were still shocked by the sudden display of power. Only two of them managed to retreat in time. The other three cultivators had been too slow. In an instant, Wang Baole arrived before them, accompanied by a stormy cloud of mist.

A deafening thunder rose to the skies. The mist exploded, the resultant shock waves forcing blood from the three Never-Ending Clan cultivators' mouths. The one who had spoken earlier had been caught right in the middle of the explosion. An enormous, fat hand reached out suddenly and grabbed him by his head.

Wang Baole materialized, pressed his palm heavily onto the Never-Ending Clan cultivator's head, and shoved him landwards like he was dropping a lead ball from extreme heights. Everything happened rapidly. A thunderous boom erupted in the next moment as a huge crater appeared in the ground. It was where Wang Baole had slammed the Never-Ending Clan cultivator!

The cultivator's pained scream was lost in the loudness of the crash. Alarm flashed across the faces of the other four Never-Ending Clan members hovering in mid-air. Incredulity colored their faces as Wang Baole slowly walked out from the crater.

He was a towering mountain of flesh, fearsome-looking. He hardly resembled a human at all, looking more like a mad, crazed ancient beast. The power he emanated filled the air and struck terror in the hearts of the Never-Ending Clan cultivators.

What made the sight more terrifying… was the countless blood-red meridians dancing in the air around the mountainous lump of flesh like tentacles. They intertwined together and transformed into a gruesome-looking armor as Wang Baole stepped out from the crater, adding another layer of visual violence to his person. He looked like an enormous, overweight war god!

Dragged along by his right hand was a corpse. All three of its heads had been blown apart, and a trail of blood painted the ground. The sight… sent horror shivering up everyone's spines!

"Which civilization are you from?"

"This land belongs to the Never-Ending Clan. There might have been some misunderstanding here…" The four cultivators eyed the scene and hurried to speak while communicating hastily amongst themselves.

"What is that monster?"

"I've heard of some clan that's called the Giant Civilization or something like that. Everyone in that civilization is born as a lump of flesh that grows bigger in size as they progress in cultivation. They continue growing until they are large enough to devour an entire planet!"

"This guy was just at the Nascent Soul realm earlier before he suddenly displayed a power that rivaled a Soul Conduit realm cultivator. Could he be from the Giant Civilization?" The four Never-Ending Clan members' breathing quickened in their nervousness. The spirit energy that Wang Baole had unleashed, as well as his unbelievably enormous frame, had them terrified beyond measure.

Wang Baole couldn't care less about what they said. He dragged the corpse out, his eyes flashing with an icy glint. Then, with a sudden explosion of speed, he rushed towards the Never-Ending Clan cultivators in mid-air. It was like seeing an enormous meatball rolling towards oneself.

Alarm flashed across his enemies' faces, and they retreated hurriedly. It was then that the sutra's power made a reappearance, descending from the heavens in a soundless explosion. The four cultivators shuddered, their senses stunned and minds dazed. Wang Baole caught up to them, but instead of unleashing a punch, he charged straight into one of the cultivators with his mountain-like form.

Thunderous booms resonated in the air. The power unleashed by both the Thearch Armor and Wang Baole's physical body culminated in a terrifying blow. It was like being hit by a small meteorite. The sound of bones shattering and screams of pain rang out. The cultivator who had suffered Wang Baole's charge head-on failed to withstand the attack. His body blew up instantly, filling the air with blood. His Nascent Soul tried to escape, but it failed to evade Wang Baole's devouring seed and Flame Snatch.

The Nascent Soul struggled, but to no avail, to escape the sudden eruption of an immense suction force. It was dragged over to Wang Baole. The Flame Snatch immediately consumed it like one would eat a snack. Wang Baole burped, licked his lips, then turned towards the remaining three Never-Ending Clan cultivators. They were trembling, their scalps prickling with numbness. They retreated immediately and without hesitation, then they split three-ways and fled into the distance.

Trying to escape? Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He flung the headless corpse gripped in his right hand outward violently, hitting one of the Never-Ending Clan cultivators running away to his right. His Thearch Armor spasmed and came apart, transforming into crimson meridians that flew out and raced towards another Never-Ending Clan cultivator. They caught up with him immediately. The cultivator roared and struggled, but it didn't matter. The meridians crawled over and encased him in armor. The Thearch Armor had become his prison.

His screams of fear were silenced instantly. Wang Baole then dashed forward and reappeared in mid-air. He was going after the next Never-Ending Clan cultivator.

His battle capabilities had been reduced from the Soul Conduit realm without his Thearch Armor. Regardless, his strong physical body, his Nascent Soul realm cultivation, and the vast stores of Spirit Qi inside him meant that he was still a lethal force to be reckoned with. He unleashed whatever Spirit Qi he held inside him without holding anything back. The Never-Ending Clan cultivator only managed to hold his own for a few counts in the explosion of all that power. Wang Baole pummeled him with ten Supernova punches and sent him spiraling to the ground, heavily injured and with blood spilling from his lips.

With a wave of his hand, numerous puppets rushed out and trapped the fallen Never-Ending Clan cultivator. To prevent the cultivator's Nascent Soul from escaping, Wang Baole kicked him in his dantian. The kick sent waves of spirit energy into the cultivator, trapping his Nascent Soul.

Everything happened within the blink of an eye. The surviving Never-Ending Clan cultivator, who had escaped towards the right, had reeled back in shock as he witnessed Wang Baole suppress his last two companions with ease. He dodged the corpse that Wang Baole had flung at him and was about to run away at full speed.

It was then that the headless corpse suddenly exploded. Numerous black strands shot out from the explosion of blood and flesh, gathered together, and formed the silhouette of a person. It was Wang Baole's avatar!

The avatar rushed out to stop the cultivator from escaping. Of course, that wasn't its primary objective. It had only one aim, and that was… to exchange places with Wang Baole!

Wang Baole switched places with his avatar instantly. The switch happened too quickly. The final surviving Never-Ending Clan cultivator, heart racing with fear, didn't even have the time to speed up before he was caught by Wang Baole. Screams of terror pierced the air as Wang Baole's vast spirit energy, as well as his sutra's power, crashed down. The Never-Ending Clan cultivator's two heads were smashed instantly. He crashed to the ground and fainted.

Out of five Never-Ending Clan members, two were killed, another two were injured, and the last was sealed within a short period of time!

Anyone who had witnessed the battle would have been shocked beyond measure!

Wang Baole would have been equally proud, but he wasn't in the mood for that now. Feng Qiuran had been hunted relentlessly, and the Never-Ending Clan was running wild. This was not what he had expected.

Maybe Daoist You Ran isn't the only mastermind behind this whole thing? Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He grabbed the unconscious Never-Ending Clan cultivator and, with a sudden step, reappeared next to the Never-Ending Clan cultivator who had been bound by his puppets.

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator's dantian had suffered serious injuries. His cultivation had been dealt a heavy blow, and his Nascent Soul was trapped and unable to escape. He was also bound tightly by numerous puppets. All he could do was watch as Wang Baole walked over. Venom filled his eyes as he spoke with a hoarse voice.

"I don't care who you are. You've just offended the Never-Ending Clan. You…"

"You talk too much!" Wang Baole said casually. His left hand pressed abruptly onto the head of the talking Never-Ending Clan cultivator, unleashing the soul searching spell. He hadn't been able to wield it effectively in the past, but it had become easier now that he was at the Nascent Soul realm.

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator shuddered violently and released a pained scream. The expression on Wang Baole's face darkened immediately after. A dozen counts later, he suddenly lifted his head, his breathing quickened. He looked incredulous. He turned towards the unconscious Never-Ending Clan cultivator and performed the soul searching spell again.

He still couldn't believe the information he had gotten from his second attempt. He flew over to where his Thearch Armor was and grabbed the Never-Ending Clan cultivator trapped inside the armor. He unleashed the soul searching spell again!

The answer he got from all three attempts was the same!

Daoist You Ran wasn't dead. The Vast Expanse Dao Palace and the Federation… were in the midst of all-out war!

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Chapter 683: Return!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

On the ancient sword, with skies dark and scarred with spatial tears and lands littered with hexed regions, Wang Baole stood, a dark, stormy expression on his face. He couldn't understand how Daoist You Ran had resurrected from the fatal attack.

Was it an avatar? Wang Baole fell silent as doubt colored his eyes. An icy glint flickered within as waves of cultivation surged out from his person. They were tinged with violence.

There's not much time left…. Wang Baole shut his eyes, took a few breaths, then opened them again. Without hesitation, he pulled open the storage bags belonging to the Never-Ending Clan members and found Feng Qiuran, who had been sealed and stored away inside.

Feng Qiuran was unconscious and heavily injured, her vitality and spirit energy entirely spent. The cause of it all wasn't only her injuries but also because she hadn't had any time to heal herself. As a result, her injuries had gotten worse, and her cultivation had fallen to the Nascent Soul realm.

Feng Qiuran had stood on Wang Baole's side and protected him. Her attitude towards the Federation was another reason why Wang Baole had to save her. Despite the anxiety wrecking him at the moment, he forced himself to calm down. He pulled out a bottle and poured out the spirit liquid inside. With a series of hand seals, he directed the spirit liquid into Feng Qiuran's body.

The spirit liquid was no ordinary liquid, and a single bottle produced incredible results. Feng Qiuran's deathly pale complexion gained a rosy blush as she absorbed the liquid. She shuddered and awakened.

Her pupils contracted when she saw Wang Baole. She was finally convinced of Wang Baole's identity after his explanation. She wasn't surprised at Wang Baole's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm. Regardless, she was still startled when she noticed the Never-Ending Clan corpses around them.

She could somehow sense the unconventional nature of Wang Baole's breakthrough. However, now wasn't the time to ask for details. They didn't waste any time at all. After a brief exchange of information, they immediately took flight and headed for the Vast Expanse Dao Palace at the sword handle.

The teleportation array formation in the Dao Palace was the only means of leaving the ancient sword. They were aware of the danger they might be walking into when they reappeared on the other side of the array formation, on Mercury. Regardless, they were left with no other option to return to the Federation.

"Baole, the spirit liquid in this bottle is extraordinary. Its richness surpasses anything I've seen, even when the Dao Palace was in its full glory. It is your destiny to have come by such a bottle. Don't waste it on me. Hold on to this. When we return to the Federation, you…" Feng Qiuran managed to control the extent of her injuries with the help of the spirit liquid that Wang Baole had given her earlier. She handed the bottle back to Wang Baole. She knew the state of her injuries, and it was almost impossible for her to recover fully at the moment. The bottle of spirit liquid could only help her maintain her cultivation at the Nascent Soul realm.

The spirit liquid was extremely valuable. It would be of more use to Wang Baole. After all, it was clear from the Never-Ending Clan corpses around them that Wang Baole was currently more powerful than she was.

"Elder Qiuran, how much of this spirit liquid do you need in order for you to restore yourself to the Soul Conduit realm?" Wang Baole didn't reach out for the bottle and instead questioned her as they raced across the sky.

Feng Qiuran froze. Disbelief and hope rose inside her when she heard what Wang Baole had asked. Light brightened her eyes, and her breathing quickened slightly.

"Five bottles… three will do too!"

Without saying anything, Wang Baole lifted his right hand and gave his storage bag a smack. He pulled out six bottles and threw them all over to Feng Qiuran. Every one of those bottles was filled to the brim with spirit liquid. Their sudden appearance filled the surrounding air with a rich Spirit Qi.

"This…" Feng Qiuran stared at the bottles. She could feel the richness of the spirit liquid in them, which sent her reeling back in shock. Incredulous, she raised her right hand and put the bottles away. Then, she gave a solemn-looking Wang Baole an unfathomable look.

"Baole, give me two weeks. I'll…"

"Two weeks is too long! Elder Qiuran, are you able to restore your Soul Conduit realm cultivation within three days?" Wang Baole flipped his right hand over and pulled another two dozen bottles out of the hundreds of bottles in his storage bag. He handed those to Feng Qiuran.

"Yes!" Feng Qiuran's eyes widened as she gasped. Her eyes shone brightly. She suddenly thought of something after her hasty reply. She lifted her right hand and handed a storage bracelet to Wang Baole.

"This is yours, isn't it? I've been keeping it for you since the battleship left."

Wang Baole cheered up at the sight of the storage bracelet. It was indeed his. He had left it with his avatar earlier, and it had been lost after his avatar's destruction. He had stored most of his Dharmic Armaments and treasures inside.

He had been caught in a fierce battle with Daoist You Ran then and had passed out. After that, he had gone through a series of breakthroughs. There hadn't been any time to mourn the loss of the bracelet then. Wang Baole had intended to search for it after things had settled down, but now, it had returned to him. Wang Baole assessed the inventory after receiving the bracelet, then nodded at Feng Qiuran. Without any delay, they immediately sped into the distance.

They were quite a distance away from the main Vast Expanse Dao Palace island. It should have taken them two weeks to reach the island if they journeyed at a normal pace. However, with Wang Baole's knowledge of the Immortal Platform, long distances and traveling time were no longer a problem.

He led Feng Qiuran away and quickly found them an Immortal Platform. They melded with the traveling mist and raced towards the main island on the sword handle. Feng Qiuran was no stranger to the Immortal Platform. However, she didn't have the access rights to activate one, nor the knowledge to operate one. Even during the Dao Palace's glory days, the Immortal Platform could only be used by personal disciples.

Feng Qiuran had witnessed Wang Baole operating the Immortal Platform with the ease of the experienced, and while she knew he was a true adopted disciple, that didn't prevent doubts from rising in her mind. She could tell that Wang Baole had achieved a breakthrough in cultivation. He must have come across some unimaginably rare opportunity. It likely involved the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's patriarchs, who appeared to be in slumber.

Wang Baole was keeping quiet about everything, though. Feng Qiuran had her guesses, but she kept them to herself. She knew that Wang Baole's only concern now was in returning to the Federation. He was more anxious about this than she was, and he was certainly more anxious about the ongoing war than she was.

If he wasn't saying anything, then it simply meant that the opportunity he had come across and any information he had acquired were of no use to the war. That was indeed the case. Wang Baole had only just found out that Daoist You Ran still lived. He had wanted to return to the third palace and try to request the patriarchs to come out of their slumber and aid the war effort!

However, he had decided against doing that in the end!

No one could guarantee that anything good would come out of the endeavor. There was a great chance that summoning tigers to drive away wolves… might lead to a backlash. They might themselves be devoured by tigers in the end!

The current Federation lacked both a strong foundation as well as experience as a cultivation civilization. Ideally, they would resolve the current problem themselves and grow stronger with this experience. Furthermore, should an adverse fate appear insurmountable, Wang Baole would rather choose to rely on his senior brother instead of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace elders, whose loyalties remained uncertain.

The Vast Expanse Dao Palace is an outsider, after all… Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He remained on guard even against Feng Qiuran. He had hidden his caution very well, though. It remained undiscovered as he and Feng Qiuran raced towards the main Vast Expanse Dao Palace island.

Time passed in a blur. Two days went by!

The environment and weather in the sword handle were a lot less hostile than that in the sword body. The traveling mist's speed picked up considerably. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran finally arrived at the main Vast Expanse Dao Palace island after two days. By then, Feng Qiuran's cultivation had been mostly restored.

The main island was nearly emptied of people, only a few cultivators remaining on the island. There were only a few Never-Ending Clan members left to stand guard as a precautionary measure. They were no match for Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran at all. The pair immediately unleashed an attack without mercy.

The entire battle took only half an hour. The seven to eight Never-Ending Clan members left on the island were killed. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran's return remained a secret; no alarm was sounded, and no news was leaked. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran went to the teleportation array formation. They inspected the array formation, ensured that everything was in order, and activated the teleportation.

Light roared to life and rose to the heavens. The earth rumbled. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran exchanged a look.

"Elder Qiuran, we should stay together instead of splitting up after we reappear. Follow my lead… we'll fight our way out!"

"Can't we wait another day? I just need one day to fully restore my cultivation. I'm barely at the Soul Conduit realm now." Feng Qiuran was silent for a few moments before she asked Wang Baole.

Wang Baole didn't speak. Instead, he turned towards Feng Qiuran and bowed deeply.

Feng Qiuran looked at Wang Baole. She could sense the weight on his shoulders. She sighed and didn't say a single word, simply activating her cultivation. A Soul Conduit realm cultivation erupted from her person as she stepped into the teleportation array formation.

Wang Baole took a deep breath. Blood red meridians materialized over his body, crackling as they morphed into the crimson Thearch Armor. A towering figure, fearsome and emanating battle lust, reappeared. He took a step into the teleportation array formation.

The teleportation array formation activated instantly. Blinding light roared to the skies as ring-like waves of spirit energy surged outwards. The heavens and earth shook. Winds howled and the clouds boiled. Then, the two of them… vanished!

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Chapter 684: Dugu Lin's Decision!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The Federation, Mercury.

Mercury was one of the planets in the Solar System with a very thin atmosphere. As a result, light shone directly on the planet with only a slight degree of deflection and dissipation. Therefore, Mercury's skies weren't as blue as the skies of Earth. It was completely pitch-black, aside from the light from the sun and other stars.

It was akin to a streetlamp in the middle of the night. The lamp itself was a bright, luminous entity, casting a bright light over whichever spot it shone on, but that didn't mean that the sky wasn't still dark.

There had been plenty of artificial lighting on the former Mercury. As the designated location for the construction of the array formation, the Federation had made a series of complex and complicated modifications to the planet. It had an artificial sun and the protection of the Solar System Array Formation. Mercury had gradually developed into a Federation base throughout the years!

Now, however… the former base was nothing but ruins. All artificial lighting, aside from the sun, had been completely destroyed. Remnants of war littered the lands. Deep ravines split the lands in several places, and no Federation cultivator was to be found.

The planet had become the base of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's military, which was under Daoist You Ran's command!

Anti-Spirit Bombs had been dug out from the ground, and array formations had been set up. Mercury had been swiftly and simply rebuilt. Besides ruins and ravines, its most obvious new additions were gigantic, fleshy lumps.

Each fleshy lump spanned a thousand feet. They resembled tumors growing off Mercury, wriggling and spasming as if there was something inside them struggling to get out. They exuded waves of spirit energy and formed something that resembled a web that was cast over the surface of the planet.

Meanwhile… black hump-like entities surrounded Mercury in space. They were the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's galactic battleships, which were capable of space travel.

They had been stored away after the ancient sword had been sealed, but Daoist You Ran had ordered their activation after declaring war on the Federation.

The battleships clustered together. There were at least a hundred thousand of them. While some of them surrounded Mercury, others formed teams of battleships and sped through space.

Compared to the battleships, what truly shook the stars and struck fear into the hearts of Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators was… the great Never-Ending Clan battleship!

The fearsome battleship, which was formed from three gigantic disks, floated in Mercury's skies. In the center of the battleship, where the main sacrificial altar stood, a beam of light spanning tens of thousands of feet was joined to heaven and earth.

Thunderous booms continued to erupt. Mercury trembled as if its energy was being sucked out of it. The Never-Ending Clan battleship, on the other hand, glowed with a radiant light. It seemed to be healing!

The light within the beam shone on the ground, making it so that no one could clearly see what was going on inside. Waves of spirit energy continued to surge outward, flooding the land within a hundred thousand feet in all directions and preventing anyone from trespassing.

The sight of the Never-Ending Clan battleship, the beam of light, and the quaking earth was indeed an oppressive one.

The war had gone on for more than a month, and in that time, the Federation had suffered consecutive losses. For instance, Mercury's complete self-destruction being thwarted. Nevertheless, the preparation and retaliation the Federation had displayed—especially when a portion of their Anti-Spirit Bombs had blown up—had dealt a heavy blow to the Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators' confidence. Their attitude towards the Federation had changed significantly.

Of course, some of them had realized that something wasn't right. But… with the powerful Mie Liezi and the fearsome Never-Ending Clan battleship around, those who had such suspicions had either been killed or chosen to remain silent and follow their orders.

Dugu Lin was one of them!

Increasingly more Vast Expanse Dao Palace disciples appeared to accept the reality of war. They appeared to have found some measure of self-worth in fighting the war. They felt pleasure in their growing strength as they killed and pillaged. Besides the terrifying Anti-Spirit Bombs, the Federation cultivators that they had come across were weak and easily defeated!

Arson, rape, and pillaging—everything seemed allowed. The evil and lust that had been hidden deep inside everyone had been awakened. The war that had gone on for more than a month had stirred the flames of evil, which burned increasingly brightly and fiercely.

Daoist You Ran had contributed to the situation as well. His work had been in the details… These details were in the reward system for battle credits and its exchange for treasures. He had opened up the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's stores and put up numerous Never-Ending Clan treasures for exchange. This had created a compelling incentive for Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators.

It didn't matter if what they were doing was right or wrong. Someone was giving the orders, which meant that they could push all responsibility to that person as well. Besides, their enemy wasn't one of them. They didn't need to be bothered by their greed. There was no need to spare their enemies' lives.

That was why Daoist You Ran no longer needed to fan the flames of war or deceive his followers at this point. What he needed to focus on was restoring the Never-Ending Clan battleship to its full functionality by making use of all the resources that were spoils of war!

When Wang Baole self-destructed his Thearch Armor, he had created a series of chain reactions. The pool and the enormous passage had been destroyed, and their destruction had severely damaged the battleship. When overpowering the Anti-Spirit Bombs' explosions, a similar thing had happened. As a result, Daoist You Ran hadn't gone after the Federation when it had retreated from Mercury. Instead, he had seized the window of opportunity to repair the battleship.

He had instructed Mie Liezi to handle all other affairs until he could get the battleship restored to a certain extent. Mie Liezi was under his full control, with his own will completely suppressed. He carried out Daoist You Ran's orders unquestionably and perfectly.

The other Never-Ending Clan members, who were disguised as Dao Palace cultivators, had also assumed positions of leadership. They led their teams into the battlefield and successfully got the war going. Mercury hadn't only become the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's base, it had also become the place where the Vast Expanse Dao Palace was gathering its forces to prepare for its next assault on Venus.

While the war efforts were ongoing, on the northwestern side of the base, a dozen or so Dao Palace cultivators sat in meditation outside the teleportation array formation that was connected to the ancient sword.

They were mostly at the Core Formation realm. The exception was a cultivator sitting further away from the rest, suited in black armor. He was at the Nascent Soul realm. They were the cultivators responsible for guarding the teleportation array formation!

The black-armored cultivator had his eyes shut. The rest, on the other hand, sat close to one another, seemingly deep in meditation but actually conversing in hushed voices. Many of them had looks of envy and resentment in their eyes.

"I heard that someone managed to accumulate enough battle credits to exchange for a Soul Formation Pill yesterday!"

"There have been thirty-seven people who have gotten Soul Formation Pills this month. I wonder when our time will come. When will we manage to get enough battle credits to exchange for one as well? I saw Chen Luzi a few days ago. He managed to get his hands on a couple of alchemical cauldrons… from the looks of it, they seem to be of superior grade!"

"Damn it. We're stuck here playing guards all day instead of being out there killing lowly Federation cultivators. There's no way we can accumulate battle credits this way. We can only watch as others continue to progress. The lowly cultivators from the Federation are such easy kills too. It's almost like getting battle credits for free!"

The Dao Palace cultivators conversed softly amongst themselves. They didn't seem bothered that the black-armored cultivator might overhear their conversation. It was as if they wanted him to know their dissatisfaction.

This would have been a rare sight in the former Dao Palace. In the current climate, though, it was a common occurrence.

Their words did indeed fall into the ears of the black-armored cultivator. His shut eyes gradually slid open, and a dark light glimmered within.

If Wang Baole were here right at this moment, he would immediately recognize the black-armored cultivator… It was Mie Liezi's most valued disciple, Dugu Lin!

Dugu Lin could hear his subordinates talking, but he didn't say anything. He knew some part of what was going on around here, but he was powerless to do anything. He had grown quiet and spoken increasingly less during this period. Since he was still technically Mie Liezi's disciple, no one had questioned his decision to stay away from the front line. He had been able to avoid all trouble and choose, instead, to be assigned the responsibility of guarding the teleportation array formation.

His former subordinates had raised their doubts multiple times. He had also noticed most of them privately killing for battle credits. He knew… that soon, everyone in the Vast Expanse Dao Palace would lose sight of all good and evil. The war would turn them blind towards what was right and wrong, and they would learn to seek only their own self-interests.

Elder Qiuran, have you really fallen? Are the patriarchs of old still around? Will they be able to awaken in time to save the sect? And Wang Baole… is there really no way to change the Vast Expanse Dao Palace's fate of being invaded from the inside? Bitterness filled Dugu Lin's heart. He lowered his head slowly. Then, suddenly, something flashed in his eyes. He turned towards the array formation.

A beam of light appeared inside the array formation. It was faint at first but grew brighter immediately, erupting and transforming into a sea of light that flooded the entire array formation.

Dugu Lin thought he saw something, and his eyes widened with incredulity. His subordinates noticed the commotion inside the teleportation array formation and quickly ran over.

The teleportation array formation hadn't been used at all for the past month, so the Dao Palace cultivators were curious about the incoming arrivals.

It was a challenge for them to discern the identities of the people rapidly materializing in the light, though, because of their lower levels of cultivation. Dugu Lin, on the other hand, widened his eyes then narrowed them immediately. Thoughts seemed to pass through his head. He suddenly shouted.

"Nascent Soul realm elders who stationed themselves at the Dao Palace have arrived. Weren't you all talking about going to the front line to kill Federation cultivators in exchange for battle credits? Quickly, go extend your greetings and find an opportunity to present your request. I will not stop you if they agree to take you with them!"

Temptation shot through the Core Formation realm cultivators. Two of them had more wits and hesitated, falling behind the rest, who had hastened towards the edge of the array formation after hearing what Dugu Lin said. They faced the two figures—one large and one small—materializing rapidly inside the array formation and cupped their fists respectfully.

"Greetings…"

They weren't given the time to finish their greeting. It seemed like they had hardly spoken the first word before a red light suddenly erupted inside the array formation. Crimson meridians shot out like arrows and exploded all around the array formation. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The Dao Palace cultivators, who had their heads lowered in greeting, had no time to dodge the attack or sound the alarm. The meridians pierced straight through their foreheads!

They didn't even have the luxury to scream. The dozen or so cultivators… died instantly!

The two cultivators who had lagged behind reeled back in shock. They tried to retreat, but it was too late. Dugu Lin's eyes flashed as he unleashed some form of mystic technique. The two cultivators shuddered, then froze. Two red meridians charged out from the teleportation array formation and shot through their foreheads!

Dugu Lin didn't spare a single glance at the corpses around him. Instead, he studied the familiar red meridians that he had fought against and slowly got to his feet. He had pulled out the jade slip that would alert the others with his right hand, his fingers paused between activating the jade slip and just holding on to it. There was an intense light in his eyes. He stared at the two figures who had fully materialized inside the teleportation array formation and said slowly.

"Disciple Dugu Lin greets Elder Wang and Elder Qiuran!"

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Chapter 685: Mercury Attacks!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Dugu Lin was an extremely intelligent man. He knew that the Never-Ending Clan currently held the upper hand in the war. Daoist You Ran had exploited the greed inherent in the Dao Palace disciples' nature, and they were now following him almost willingly into war.

The best option for him was to join them and fight for resources in this war that would allow him to build his cultivation.

However, he simply couldn't get himself to cross that final hurdle. It wasn't for the sake of the Federation or the sect, it was for his master. He couldn't do it because of his master. Opinions of his master generally skewed towards the negative. His temperament was inconsistent, and he was vicious. But still… Dugu Lin couldn't forget the care his master had given him, the time and energy he had poured into grooming him, and everything he had done for him.

There was only one way to save his master. Daoist You Ran had to be killed!

That was why Dugu Lin had been severely shaken when he sensed Feng Qiuran appearing in the teleportation array formation. He had hesitated then. He had no idea if Feng Qiuran had become like his master, a puppet. He dared not risk it.

Then, an enormous, fat figure had appeared next to Feng Qiuran. Alongside it had been those familiar red tentacle-like meridians. He had recognized Wang Baole then. That was when Dugu Lin had clenched his jaw and made a decision.

As a precautionary measure, he had first misled the others into approaching the array formation. Then, he had pulled out the jade slip that would sound the alarm. He had spoken calmly, his eyes shining brightly as he watched the two figures—one large and one small—step out slowly from the mist.

Feng Qiuran had a fierce look in her eyes, while Wang Baole's thoughts appeared indiscernible. However, he was flooded with a myriad of emotions. Both of them surveyed the area as soon as they stepped out of the teleportation array formation. After being sure that Dugu Lin was the only person still alive and standing, and that the rest had all been killed, they turned towards Dugu Lin again.

Their eyes stared at the jade slip in his hand!

"Fellow Daoist Dugu Lin, it's been a while." Wang Baole had his Thearch Armor on. Red meridians swayed in the wind around the armor. As he spoke, his helmet shifted away and revealed his face.

Dugu Lin narrowed his eyes as he studied Wang Baole, then Feng Qiuran. Finally, assured that Feng Qiuran's eyes weren't dazed and lost but instead bright and clear, he released a sigh of relief. He immediately spoke.

"The Federation has retreated to Venus. The Never-Ending Clan battleship lacks resources for repair, so it is unable to be deployed for the time being. Daoist You Ran is inside the battleship, guarding it. Based on my observations, he won't be able to split his attention between the battleship and other matters as long as the battleship remains damaged!

"My master, Mie Liezi, is being controlled. However, I've observed him for some time. He has shown signs of losing focus sometimes. It seems that his spirit is not completely destroyed!"

"Your humble disciple is willing to remain here. I will spy on the enemy and provide both Elders with military information. I only request that you… save my master when the time comes! Please leave immediately. The Never-Ending Clan will sweep the area with their spiritual senses every thirty minutes. There's not much time left…" Dugu Lin said urgently. Then, he cupped his fists and bowed towards Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran!

Before Wang Baole or Feng Qiuran could speak, Dugu Lin raised his left hand and hit himself hard on the chest. There was a heavy thud. He shuddered, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

It was a brutal blow. He almost destroyed his own meridians. The injury was so severe that he staggered back and passed out instantly. The jade slip held tightly in his hand was now proof—he had been seriously injured and lost consciousness before he could sound the alarm.

"Elder Qiuran, let's go!" Wang Baole spared the unconscious Dugu Lin a long, unfathomable look before he turned and raced towards the heavens. Beside him, Feng Qiuran hesitated, then said softly.

"There must be many other disciples like Dugu Lin still left in the Dao Palace. We could expose the truth and activate all Dao Palace cultivators. This might be more effective than escaping to the Federation."

"If there are really cultivators who seek the truth in the Dao Palace, do you think they're really so stupid that they haven't found the answer for themselves yet?" Wang Baole said softly, an icy glint flickering in his eyes.

Feng Qiuran opened her mouth, ready to retort. Wang Baole shook his head.

"Elder Qiuran, I read this autobiography once. There was a line inside that went something like this: 'once the gates of greed are opened, they can never be shut again!'" Wang Baole flew out and raced towards the skies as he spoke, his speed picking up.

Feng Qiuran fell silent. She looked around her, a torrent of emotions flashing across her eyes. Then, she sighed softly and went after Wang Baole. They transformed into twin rainbows that dashed into the dark heavens!

They were fast. Regardless, Mercury was now the Never-Ending Clan's base. No matter how high their level of cultivation and how swift they were, they couldn't avoid eventual discovery. They hadn't even breached Mercury's array formation before Daoist You Ran, meditating in the Never-Ending Clan battleship, discovered their presence.

Inside the battleship, the third level, which had been destroyed by Wang Baole when he had blown himself up, had been restored to a great extent. The blood and flesh passageway, as well as the pool, looked no different than they had prior to the explosion. Only one thing had changed… the former battle robes no longer sat in the center of the pool. They had been replaced by… Daoist You Ran!

Daoist You Ran's eyes had been shut, and his breathing even, as he had meditated. Having sensed something amiss, his breathing quickened. Then, his eyes opened!

Wang Baole! Feng Qiuran! A ghostly light flickered inside Daoist You Ran's eyes. He had no idea that he had died and been resurrected. There was hatred in his words, but it was mainly due to the battleship's damage at Wang Baole's hand.

"Summoning all Dao Palace disciples. Wang Baole has conspired against Elder Feng Qiuran. Elder Feng Qiuran has fallen under his influence. Unleash your full power to kill Wang Baole and rescue Elder Feng Qiuran!"

His voice resounded everywhere, creating a loud buzz that resonated in the battleship. His will extended through the battleship, into Mercury's array formation. It blanketed the entire planet. Every Dao Palace cultivator on the planet trembled when they heard his commands. The planet's array formation activated fully and locked onto Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran's location!

Daoist You Ran, who was unable to leave the Never-Ending Clan battleship, narrowed his eyes and barked out another order.

"Mie Liezi, capture Feng Qiuran, and kill Wang Baole!"

His orders erupted in Mie Liezi's mind, echoing endlessly as he sat deep in meditation in the main building of the base.

Mie Liezi was inside a pitch-black secret chamber. He lifted his head slowly after receiving Daoist You Ran's orders. There was a dazed expression on his face. He stood up and took a step forward, disappearing from the secret chamber and reappearing in mid-air. With the aid of the Greater Mercury Array Formation, he locked onto Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran's location. The cultivation inside his body churned, unleashing waves of Soul Conduit realm Spirit Qi. The air around him warped and contorted out of shape. He took another step forward, ripping space itself apart and rushing towards his target.

Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran had been speeding through Mercury's skies and were about to break through its atmosphere and enter space. However, they shuddered suddenly as they felt a sudden power surging towards them and blanketing them. An invisible force seemed to have descended upon them, trying to imprison them. It was slowing them down and trying to prevent them from escaping.

"We've been discovered. This is the Dao Palace's regional array formation, it's immensely powerful. I need thirty minutes to dispel it…" Alarm flashed across Feng Qiuran's face. As soon as she said that, Wang Baole lifted his right hand without saying a word. He looked like a war god with his Thearch Armor on.

He had repeatedly been trying to reach Li Xingwen and the others via his voice transmission ring this whole time. However, it was clear that his voice transmission ring wasn't going to work while he remained on Mercury. He had to exit its atmosphere.

He gave up on trying the voice transmission ring again. He roared as he raised his right hand, and his cultivation erupted from his person. His Nascent Soul shook and released waves of spirit energy more powerful than what he had displayed on the ancient sword.

He had felt a change over his Nascent Soul when he had stepped out of the teleportation array formation. It had felt as if the heavens and earth themselves had lent their powers to him… The planet beneath his feet had rejoiced upon his arrival.

He hadn't had the time to study the sensation in detail then, but now, as the planet's array formation descended upon them, Wang Baole unleashed his Nascent Soul. The result was a seeming resonance between his Nascent Soul and the planet. His Spirit Qi erupted and rose to the skies. It was given another boost by the Thearch Armor before flowing into his right arm, where the Divine Armament was!

An overwhelming power that shook the entire planet surged outwards in waves of spirit energy instantly. It erupted and transformed into a tornado that seemed to connect the sky and the land. The heavens rumbled as Wang Baole roared.

"Dispel!"

The Divine Armament arm swung forward in a slash!

The heavens and earth shifted. The winds howled, and the clouds rolled back. The regional Dao Palace array formation, which had overpowered Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran earlier… was forced to reveal its illusory, spiderweb-like form. It seemed unable to withstand the sudden incredible power that Wang Baole had unleashed. Layer by layer, it was ripped apart, breaking down and collapsing instantly!

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Chapter 686: Battling Mie Liezi Again!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The array formation set up by the Dao Palace cultivators stretched across Mercury's black skies like a spiderweb. It looked like the honeycombs of a beehive. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran both looked like mere ants next to the vast web. However, such ant-like creatures had just unleashed an incredible power that had shaken the heavens and earth.

The skies and the land rumbled as the Stellar Nascent Soul inside Wang Baole opened its eyes. The planet seemed to tremble, then it released a sudden light that boosted Wang Baole's power. A tear appeared in the Dao Palace array formation with his slash. It expanded, spreading across the skies like a gaping mouth!

Rumblings louder than thunder crashed all around them. Wang Baole, brimming with power, charged out of the tear. He was followed by Feng Qiuran, whose pupils had contracted in shock. The power that Wang Baole had just displayed sent her reeling back despite her being prepared for it!

What's the cause behind such a transformation? Her breathing quickened. She couldn't understand it at all. Wang Baole had displayed incredible, unbelievable power after appearing on Mercury.

She knew this wasn't the time to think about it too deeply, though. She immediately caught up with Wang Baole and slipped out from the tear in the array formation. They were going to leave Mercury and head for space.

Wang Baole pulled out his voice transmission ring then and sent a voice transmission to Li Xingwen.

"Old man, your Baole is back! I brought your wife with me as well!"

Alarm flashed across Wang Baole's face as soon as he said that. A similar expression appeared on Feng Qiuran's face. Below them, in the spiderweb-like array formation, space was distorting itself. Loud thunderous booms erupted all around it, and the array formation seemed to blur.

In the next moment, it was transformed entirely. An enormous face appeared in the center of the array formation. It spanned a hundred thousand feet and had a dazed expression and lost eyes that stared at Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran.

Its aura could overpower a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. This was the power of a Soul Conduit realm cultivator!

"Mie Liezi!" Wang Baole's face darkened, and a myriad of emotions flickered in Feng Qiuran's eyes. Mie Liezi's face burst out of the array formation with unexpected speed. The illusory, enormous face lunged at Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran.

The size of the face might not be as vast as the great land beneath them, but it was still as big as a really large island. And it was fast, very fast. It was going to hit them at any time. Wang Baole's eyes glimmered, and he sucked in a deep breath.

Mercury shuddered as he took that breath. It was as if he had sucked in some strange power with that single breath. His Stellar Nascent Soul loosened its limbs and unleashed its full power. Starlight flooded its body and overflowed. At that moment, Wang Baole seemed to have transformed into a star.

"Get out of my way!" he roared. He raised his armored right hand, his cultivation flowing into his Divine Armament arm. Augmented by the power of a planet, it smashed its fist into the huge face!

The punch shook the heavens and earth. It seemed to have the force of a star behind it, whose starlight was now infused into Wang Baole. It was as if a planet had hurdled onto the expressionless face of Mie Liezi and crashed into it.

Deafening booms rumbled across Mercury, and Mie Liezi's illusory face started to shatter. The cracks started from the spot that Wang Baole's fist had landed on. They spread and finally split the face into parts with a loud crack. Then, they exploded. A figure was flung outwards thousands of feet away. It was expressionless and breathing quickly. It was Mie Liezi. Wang Baole's punch showed that he was a real threat.

Wang Baole wasn't doing that well. His cultivation was only at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. Even boosted by his Thearch Armor and a planet, it still couldn't compete with a true cultivator at the Soul Conduit realm. He grunted. He might not be spitting blood out of his mouth, and his organs might not be churning at the moment, but nevertheless, he had still been driven back by the shock waves from the collision.

Feng Qiuran was about to seize the chance to attack while both of them were driven apart. It was then that Mie Liezi narrowed his eyes and shouted suddenly.

"Dao Palace cultivators, to your positions. Form an array formation to welcome the return of Elder Qiuran!"

Lightning laced the skies instantly as every Dao Palace cultivator on the planet unleashed their full cultivation.

Mercury's array formation had a thousand focal points, each of them guarded by a hundred cultivators. There were a hundred thousand cultivators currently guarding and running the array formation, and their power surged into the array formation with Mie Liezi's orders. The planetary array formation flared with a blinding light, and countless dandelion-like lights appeared, gathering together and transforming into a glowing man that towered a thousand feet!

It seemed to be the materialized form of the array formation. One could even call it the materialization of the combined consciousness of a hundred thousand Dao Palace cultivators. It stretched its arms out and lifted its head, roaring and immediately charging at Feng Qiuran, who was trying to get near Mie Liezi!

"Daoist You Ran is a surviving Never-Ending Clan member who's controlling Mie Liezi's mind. I understand that you find it difficult what I'm telling you, but should you believe the wrong side, you will be aiding evil with its plans. Stand down and stop fighting. You can still choose to not help either one of us!" Feng Qiuran said. Her eyes were clear and filled with anxiety, drastically different from Mie Liezi's lost and dazed look. The glowing man, formed from the consciousness of a hundred thousand cultivators, froze momentarily and lowered its head. It seemed to be mirroring the apprehension that had emerged amongst the hundred thousand controlling the array formation!

It was then that Daoist You Ran's voice, boosted by the power of the array formation, resonated in the air.

"Let's welcome Elder Qiuran's return. Participants in the process will be awarded three hundred battle credits, and those who succeed will be awarded ten thousand battle credits!"

Those words rumbled in the air. The glowing man shuddered, then lifted its head, its eyes shining with intense light. The desire to earn battle credits seemed to have won over many of the hundred thousand minds that steered the glowing man. It started charging at Feng Qiuran again.

It surged forward, breaking the sound barrier and emanating a power that rivaled a Soul Conduit realm cultivator as it crashed into Feng Qiuran.

Wang Baole threw a glance at Feng Qiuran, who was being forced to fight the glowing man. He saw the sorrow in her eyes. Even so, she was not using any offensive or lethal attacks. She was still only trying to defend herself.

Wang Baole frowned as anxiety raged inside him. He needed to leave Mercury as soon as possible. Any delay might allow Never-Ending Clan members more opportunities to join forces with the other Dao Palace cultivators. When that happened, escape might no longer be possible. In fact, death might be the only option left for him.

"Elder Qiuran, we need to get out of here, fast!" Wang Baole shouted. Mie Liezi had approached then, his full cultivation unleashed as he rushed at Wang Baole like a shooting star.

Wang Baole didn't have the luxury to remind Feng Qiuran of their situation anymore. He raised his right hand and formed a series of hand seals. His storage bracelet trembled, and a black pike flew out and surged towards Mie Liezi with a force that could slice through the air itself. A mirror of himself also materialized and separated from his person. He had summoned his avatar.

His avatar rushed head-on towards the heavens. His real form, on the other hand, tightened its fist. The power of his Stellar Nascent Soul and his Thearch Armor gathered in his fist. His Supernova punch followed swiftly behind his Dharmic Armament, both headed for Mie Liezi!

The two opponents collided. The black pike was an incredible artifact that had been given a boost of power by Wang Baole's inherent strength. It was a black beam of light that seemed capable of tearing through space with its sharpness. The power that it exuded was that of a ninth-grade Dharmic Armament. In the face of such power, even Mie Liezi was slightly intimidated. His pupils contracted.

Wang Baole's Supernova combined his cultivation and his physical strength. It was augmented by the endless Spirit Qi housed in the spirit fat in Wang Baole's body. Wang Baole was like a literal walking Spirit Stone.

"Eat that! I have plenty more spirit energy to spare!" Wang Baole roared. He unleashed ten punches consecutively. His fists looked large, a thousand feet wide, as they hit the air, and the incredible force of those hits rushed at Mie Liezi!

The punches exploded in the air, the explosions resonating loudly in the sky. The two cultivators began to battle it out. The black pike got the first hit in. Wang Baole gritted his teeth and triggered its self-destruction without hesitation!

Thunderous booms rumbled in the air!

The force of the Dharmic Armament's explosion surged outwards, forming a shock wave that combined with Wang Baole's Supernova punches and resulted in incredible power. Wang Baole had given everything he had in those Supernova punches. Mie Liezi shuddered violently and was driven back by the fierce attack!

Wang Baole yelled as Mie Liezi retreated in evasion.

"Feng Qiuran, why aren't you moving?" Wang Baole turned as he spoke, then unleashed ten Supernovas at the glowing man engaged in battle with Feng Qiuran!

The assault sent the heavens quaking. Winds lashed out while clouds rolled back. Under Wang Baole's control, the attack drove the glowing man back while giving Feng Qiuran a helpful boost.

A resolute look appeared in Feng Qiuran's eyes. She unleashed her power, and with a hard shove, sped up and shot towards the heavens!

Wang Baole's breathing quickened, and he switched places with his avatar, who had reached the edge of the sky, instantly!

He gave Mie Liezi and the glowing man no chance to come after them. A vicious light flashed across the avatar's eyes. Without sparing a second thought, it self-destructed!

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Chapter 687: A Sea of Stars!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The avatar's self-destruction caused an incredible force that blew a hole in space. A sizable vortex appeared in the heavens, sucking everything towards it. Despite his Soul Conduit realm cultivation, Mie Liezi had to slow down his pursuit in the face of the consecutive explosions caused by the black pike and Wang Baole's avatar.

The shock waves from the self-destructions not only affected a wide area but the surrounding space as well. Short-distance teleportation couldn't be performed. He had no choice but to physically retreat to avoid injury.

The glowing man had been the culmination of a hundred thousand minds. That might have given it the power of a Soul Conduit realm cultivator, but it was still formed from numerous minds. The explosion had also affected it. It barely evaded the attack. As it shuddered from residual shock waves, there were at least twenty thousand cultivators within the thousand-eye array formation on Mercury that spat out blood from their mouths concurrently. There were even many who died on the spot, their bodies exploding.

The terrifying backlash created a pause in the pursuit, earning Wang Baole precious time to escape!

He didn't get a lot of time, though. After dodging the explosion of Wang Baole's avatar, Mie Liezi continued the chase yet again. Daoist You Ran remained inside the Never-Ending Clan battleship, unable to leave and join the battle. However, his eyes never left the battlefield.

Wang Baole, Feng Qiuran, you have nowhere to run! Daoist You Ran narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand. A jade slip appeared in his palm, and he immediately barked out an order.

The order wasn't for the Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators on Mercury but for his fellow Never-Ending Clan members, who had awakened and were hidden inside the host bodies of Vast Expanse Dao Palace cultivators!

Most of them were in space now, leading numerous Dao Palace cultivators inside Dao Palace space cruisers spread across space. They were preparing for the next battle with the Federation. The Never-Ending Clan cultivators' eyes flashed with an icy light when they received Daoist You Ran's orders.

The space cruisers floating outside Mercury quickly acted and surrounded the planet, preventing anyone from leaving.

While that was happening, a large group—upper echelons of the Federation—were gathered in a base on Venus, behind the planet's line of defense. They were cultivators from the four Dao Colleges, the Senate, the Trilunaris Corporation, the Five Generation Sky Clan, and many other powerful political forces.

They were there by order of Duan Muque and Li Xingwen. These cultivators had shared in the Federation's power and wealth. Now that the Federation was in danger, they were to fight and defend it!

The expressions on their faces were grave. They gathered in the command center, their eyes fixed on a large screen before them.

The screen projected a clear map of the Solar System. The Solar System Array Formation put in place meant that the map was being updated in real time. Mercury's image on the map looked blurry, though. The fall of the planet to the enemy forces and the interference from the planet's array formation prevented them from receiving any information from the planet.

The area around the planet had been pitch-black up until thirty minutes ago. It was then that a blurry image began to replace the initial blankness. Something seemed to have weakened the interference in the area.

"Something has happened to Mercury's array formation. An unknown force seems to have inflicted some damage to it!"

"Based on the data we've gathered from the Solar System Array Formation, the Dao Palace space cruisers outside Mercury appear to have modified their formation…"

"We've received reports from the front line that the Dao Palace battleships stationed at the outer regions are withdrawing… They seem to be setting up some sort of blockade!"

"Based on all the information we have, it seems reasonable to conclude that… something has happened in the Dao Palace. Someone is attempting an escape. Based on the adjustments to the enemy battleships' formation, we can ascertain that this unknown person is trying to escape from Mercury and enter space!"

Cultivators from the department in charge of the Federation's military strategies, skilled in the art of war, stood before the large screen in the base and shared their findings with everyone. They explained their conclusions, which were based on the information that had been gathered in that half an hour.

A look of surprise flashed past everyone's faces as they absorbed the information. They didn't have time to discuss the matter. Li Xingwen, who had been standing next to Duan Muque, who had a faintly stormy expression on his face, coughed. Both of them stood before the crowd.

"As everyone can see, this is the situation that we are in now. Time is of the essence. I would like you to listen to this voice transmission." As he said that, Li Xingwen turned on his voice transmission ring and played Wang Baole's message out loud.

"Old man, your Baole is back! I brought your wife with me as well!"

The voice was filled with excitement and warmth. It resonated in the great hall where numerous upper echelons of the Federation were. Their eyes widened. Some of them even gasped out in shock.

"Wang Baole?"

"The guy who became the Grand Supreme Elder of the Dao Palace?"

"He's still alive? The wife he's speaking of…"

A myriad of emotions surged through the crowd when they finally identified the voice as Wang Baole's. They were quickly drawn to what Wang Baole said at the end, and they soon realized whom he was referring to as Li Xingwen's wife!

"Grand Supreme Elder Feng Qiuran of the Dao Palace!"

Li Xingwen didn't seem embarrassed by the gasps of shock. He seemed rather smug, in fact. Duan Muque's face still looked stormy. He had been surprised to find out that Li Xingwen had received Wang Baole's voice transmission. But Li Xingwen had then mentioned the secession of his presidency. That had caused Duan Muque endless exasperation. His head throbbed at the thought. Even the war hadn't caused him so much grief.

"Alright, my fellow Daoists. I propose that we bring Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran to safety immediately. I know you might be wondering if they are truly who they claim to be. Based on the information we have gotten, Mie Liezi is currently being controlled. There is also the matter of Never-Ending Clan members hiding themselves in host bodies. However, we cannot simply abandon these two because of our suspicions. I propose that we secure them first, then assess what to do next!" Li Xingwen said decisively. He might have put it across as a proposal, but the determination in his eyes was clear for all to see.

"I concur!"

"I have my doubts, but Wang Baole has done a lot for the Federation. It doesn't matter that this might be a trap, we still have to try!"

The Federation was currently in the midst of a war that was going to dictate their fate, and the ugliness of human nature was exposed when war was concerned. Nevertheless, having a common enemy was enough to unite everyone and let them set aside their past conflicts. Even the Five Generation Sky Clan agreed with Li Xingwen's decision.

Duan Muque quickly issued an order using his power as the Federation President, deploying Fleets of Federation cruisers. The line of defense on Venus was activated. It seemed like the Federation was going on the offensive. The Solar System Array Formation was fully activated as well, creating waves of interference that reached Mercury. The result was a disturbance that hindered the Dao Palace and Never-Ending Clan cultivators and prevented them from setting up a blockade.

As the military was deployed, Li Xingwen secretly led his own team towards Mercury. He made use of the Solar System's array formation and rushed there at top speed.

The team included the giant tree and Sect Lord Xu of the Galactic Dusk Sect. There were also numerous Core Formation realm cultivators from various other political forces. On their own, they might not be a match for the enemy, but they had Federation technology on their side. Their joint study of technology and spirit energy had resulted in many methods to augment their powers. Amongst their arsenal of weapons was the Anti-Spirit Bomb!

The Federation's military made their move on Venus while Li Xingwen started on his secret extraction. Meanwhile, in the skies above Mercury, Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran were busy running and trying to escape while battling the planet itself as it tried to drag them back to land!

Wang Baole's heart was still aching because of the loss of his black pike. He didn't feel a similar heartache for his avatar, though… The former was a unique artifact while the latter was something that had been formed from the vast stores of spirit fat housed inside his body. The avatar had simply been an expenditure of spirit energy.

In fact, one problem had been plaguing Wang Baole ever since he had exchanged places with his avatar and tried to escape to space.

The explosive force from blowing up my avatar seems rather powerful… Why don't I use this method to attack the Never-Ending Clan battleship? I could kill Daoist You Ran again. I'll end the war on my own. I'll be a hero!

The idea was extremely tempting. Wang Baole's heart raced at the thought of it. He quickly abandoned it, though. Daoist You Ran's resurrection was surrounded by unknowns. Feng Qiuran, due to her personality, wasn't someone he could exactly rely on. Besides, he remembered the Never-Ending Clan members he had found inside the battleship, asleep and healing. The power that they had emanated clearly hinted at how strong they were.

There was very little chance of him surviving and emerging as the hero for this occasion. There was a greater chance of him martyring himself.

Besides, he shouldn't be using this trick so flagrantly. He wasn't a one-trick pony. That might work against him. He decided against playing the hero.

Besides, this isn't a good habit to cultivate. I might get used to it and accidentally self-destruct my real form instead… Wang Baole shuddered at the thought. He picked up speed once more, getting closer to leaving Mercury and entering space.

The heaviness pulling him disappeared in the next instant. He leaped and rose thousands of feet. An unimaginable feeling seeped out from his Stellar Nascent Soul.

A cultivator who had reached the Core Formation realm was able to survive temporarily in space. One at the Nascent Soul realm might not be able to exist in space like planets, but they could still cast spells and fly without difficulty. However, he couldn't keep that up for long. A cultivator who had reached the Soul Conduit realm, on the other hand, had no such concerns.

Anything could be solved as long as one had sufficient Spirit Qi!

Of course, these were restrictions that bound the ordinary cultivator. Wang Baole was different. His body shuddered violently as soon as he stepped out of Mercury's atmosphere and entered space. The Stellar Nascent Soul inside his body felt strange. It was as if… he had fallen into an ocean of stars, and the Stellar Nascent Soul was but one fish in the great ocean!

I've always thought myself special, destined to become the Federation President and lead the Federation to conquer the rest of the galaxy. Seems like my Nascent Soul is proof of my uniqueness! The special nature of his Stellar Nascent Soul cheered Wang Baole up. He threw a look at Feng Qiuran, who had also entered space, then turned towards the distant stars. With a burst of speed, he raced into the distance!

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Chapter 688: Grandmatron?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

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!

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Chapter 689: Trapped!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The four Soul Conduit realm cultivations erupted. The sea of red surged outwards and flooded towards the shuttle like giant waves, blanketing it in an instant!

The vast red sea seemed to have transformed into a gigantic hand. The hand grabbed the shuttle from beneath as it unleashed a sudden burst of speed in its attempt to dash out of the blockade!

Then, the red sea started showing signs of solidifying. It was as if it was going to freeze itself and turn to ice. It was going to freeze the shuttle alongside it, as well as the entire region of space!

As this was happening, a terrifying force began to spread throughout the red sea and head towards the shuttle!

The shuttle shook violently, sending Feng Qiuran and Wang Baole shuddering as they stood inside. Alarm flashed across their faces. They could see the shuttle creaking under the pressure exerted on it, and it was showing signs of cracking. Sooner or later, it was going to be crushed into bits.

The shuttle might be an extremely high-grade artifact, but it could hardly withstand the joint force of ten thousand battleships. There was a great chance it was going to shatter and cave in anytime now.

"Self-destruct the shuttle!" Wang Baole said, the expression on his face solemn. There was no time to say anything more. He yelled, then leapt into the air. Countless red meridians emerged and grew outwards. The Thearch Armor wove itself around his humongous body once again, and the fat war god made another appearance. Wang Baole unleashed his full cultivation, readied his defenses, and prepared to charge.

Hesitation flashed across Feng Qiuran's eyes. Her indecisive nature didn't change the fact that she was still a powerful cultivator at the Soul Conduit realm, who had experienced war and battle. Her conversation with Li Xingwen might have helped as well. She only hesitated a moment before determination lit her eyes. Her hands came together in a flurry of hand seals, and she pressed her palms onto the shuttle.

The four Soul Conduit realm cultivations had been rapidly approaching the shuttle from four different directions. Before they could surround the shuttle that was struggling in the red sea, the shuttle suddenly released a glaring light. It was a light that outshone the other stars in space, threatening to blind everyone.

It seemed to have transformed itself into a small sun, burning itself up rapidly before it finally… exploded!

A violent shock wave exploded in space, like a sudden avalanche. It was like a sudden collapse of the sky, the caving in of the earth. Waves of spirit energy surged outwards like a tsunami, the fierce rippling of energy visible to the naked eye!

It brimmed with the threat of violence and death and tore the red sea apart in an instant. It was like the ignition of a bomb in a glacier!

The damage was compounded by the power and high-grade materials of the shuttle. The result was an explosive force that surpassed an ordinary explosion!

The sea of red, which had been in the midst of turning itself to ice, shuddered and shattered instantly, parting under the force of the shuttle's explosion. The force stopped the four Soul Conduit realm cultivators in their tracks as well. They were forced to change course in order to avoid the backlash. The battleships couldn't shift away as quickly and had to face the shock waves head-on.

The battlefield was plunged into chaos following the shuttle's self-destruction. It was then that Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran made a dash for it.

Feng Qiuran had guided the explosion such that a great portion of the shock waves had been directed outwards. As a result, both her and Wang Baole had been relatively unharmed by the explosion. She had the protection of her Soul Conduit realm cultivation, and Wang Baole had his Thearch Armor. Having braced themselves against the residual shock waves, they had recovered slightly and immediately unleashed their full speed—riding on the explosive force caused by the shuttle's self-destruction. Exploiting the collapse in the enemy battleship formation, they shot forward, like arrows released from a bow, and charged out!

Their speed, given a boost by the explosion, made them mere blurry images in one's eyes. They broke through the red sea, stirring ripples in space itself as they emerged on the other side of the ten thousand strong battleship army!

Witnessing their escape were the cultivators on the battleships, who were still in disarray as they tried to recover from the explosion, as well as the four Soul Conduit realm cultivators. They experienced varying degrees of shock as they watched the escape happen under their noses!

The chances… of slipping through the blockade were so slim, nobody had thought it could actually happen. Someone had to make the snap decision of blowing up the shuttle as soon as the blockade was formed. The decision might have seemed simple, but few could have done so within a moment.

The key that had made the escape successful had been the speed of this reaction—the blowing up of the shuttle!

But what of it! The four Soul Conduit realm cultivators who had been driven away by the shuttle's explosion were all former Nascent Soul realm elders of the Dao Palace. Amongst them was Chi Lin. He belonged to Feng Qiuran's faction and had tensions with Wang Baole.

He was clearly a changed person, host to a Never-Ending Clan parasite. His cultivation was given a natural boost to the Soul Conduit realm. He narrowed his eyes and stared in the direction that Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran had escaped in. He clearly wasn't in a hurry to give chase. Instead, he sneered.

He wasn't the only one. Mirroring his sneer were the other three former Nascent Soul realm elders of the Dao Palace. They had all risen to the Soul Conduit realm after becoming hosts to Never-Ending Clan parasites. Their stares pierced into distant space, in the direction Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran were headed, where the cold, black abyss suddenly began to distort and warp!

Alarm flashed across Wang Baole's eyes. Feng Qiuran's pupils contracted. They tried changing course, but it was too late by then. The spatial distortion ahead of them suddenly transformed into an enormous vortex!

It resembled a black hole, a passageway leading to the unknown. Its endless spinning seemed to unlock a door in space. Two large clouds of red mist burst out from its center!

Both spanned thousands of feet wide. They quickly raced towards Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran as soon as they appeared, radiating power that threatened to overwhelm and seal Wang Baole's and Feng Qiuran's. The two had no chance of escape.

The red mist approached swiftly. Feng Qiuran staggered back, her face pale. She smacked her storage bag and pulled out a bell. White runes rippled out from the bell in waves as she shook it fiercely. The runes clustered together, spreading out across thousands of feet. They tried to smack the mist away and gain time for Feng Qiuran and Wang Baole to escape.

The gigantic hand that was formed from runes passed straight through the mysterious and bizarre red mist though. The mist enveloped a shocked Feng Qiuran and swallowed her whole, trapping her within.

Wang Baole didn't hesitate at all. His body blurred into multiple images, which separated as his avatar stepped away from his body. It froze, weighed down by the overwhelming force of the red mist, and stood next to Wang Baole. There was no time for him to employ his usual methods, which involved him switching places with his avatar.

The only purpose for the avatar this time was to blow itself up!

The avatar charged into the approaching red mist as soon as it had separated from Wang Baole. Then, just as the red mist was about to swallow Wang Baole whole as well, it self-destructed!

The explosive force was immense. It swept across space like a sudden hurricane, sending the red mist shuddering and slowing it down for an instant.

Wang Baole used that chance to beat a hasty retreat. His heart was racing, and alarm bells sounded loudly in his head. He could see another cloud of red mist emerging from the vortex, which caused his scalp to prickle. The Dao Palace and the Never-Ending Clan were clearly well prepared. Just as he was about to make his escape, Chi Lin and the other three Soul Conduit realm cultivators closed in, ready to strike.

Waves of spirit energy surged through space, sending storms and strong winds across the abyss. Wang Baole had started reciting the sutra, but it didn't matter. He had his Thearch Armor, as well as a planet within the vicinity giving him strength, but it was all useless. He was still no match for four Soul Conduit realm cultivators. His armor shook violently as he was flung backwards, blood spilling from his lips. Two clouds of red mist rushed at him and swallowed him whole!

In the heavens, there were two clouds of red mist, one larger than the other, spinning and churning. It was a terrifying sight!

"Summoning all Dao Palace cultivators. The Grand Supreme Elder has decreed. Activate the array formation and target the traitor Wang Baole. You are to destroy his very spirit!"

"Cleanse Grand Supreme Elder Feng Qiuran of the spell controlling her mind so that she may regain her senses!" Chi Lin's voice traveled into the minds of every Dao Palace cultivator inside every battleship in the area. They trembled and sat down hastily, unleashing their full cultivation. Red light erupted from every battleship once again, enveloping the mists and transforming the area into a sea of red!

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Chapter 690: Demonic Eye Art!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Not far from Mercury, tens of thousands of battleships gathered. The region was awash in a red sea. Tens of thousands of cultivators channeled their cultivation into the sea of red and began the refinement process!

One could call it refinement. That, or a unique form of array formation being guided by Chi Lin and the other Soul Conduit realm cultivators!

The array formation was an extremely malicious form of Never-Ending Clan mystic art. Its name was Soul Infusion Destruction!

The entire process could be explained as a special refinement method being employed to channel hordes of souls forcibly into human vessels. The continual refinement of the human vessels would transform them into something akin to human bombs. The array formation helped to modify and augment the effects. The explosive force that resulted from blowing up a human bomb wouldn't be the cumulative strength of all cultivation and souls fed into the array formation—it would be exponential.

It was monstrous. The more souls it consumed, the higher the cultivation that was channeled into it, and the more powerful the eventual explosion. The vast hordes of Dao Palace cultivators aboard their battleships were clearly unaware that they were mere instruments, which were serving their souls for consumption!

As their cultivation continued to flow into the array formation, their souls would also slowly fuse with the array formation. They would gradually become a part of the array formation without even knowing it.

This… was part of Daoist You Ran's plan all along!

Beyond the red sea, scattered across the vast space, countless Dao Palace battleships lay concealed within spatial distortions. Aboard those battleships were many Dao Palace cultivators, who had been summoned to the red sea to await instructions without knowing what was going to happen to them.

They were also part of Daoist You Ran's plan!

One had to admit that Daoist You Ran was indeed a genius. Despite him being unable to leave the Never-Ending Clan battleship while it was still undergoing repairs, he had drawn up a plan for the destruction of the Federation's second line of defense on Venus. He had done so within a short period of time, amidst a flurry of unexpected events, and had based it all on Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran's reappearance.

It was a simple plan that involved attacking the weakest link and drawing out the rest of his enemy's forces. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran were bait meant to lure the Federation to their rescue. It didn't matter how many came, they would all be destroyed. Based on Daoist You Ran's assessment, he believed that there was a great chance that the Federation would pretend to mount a fierce attack just so they could carry out the rescue. Then, they would retreat when given the opportunity.

"When that happens… and they arrive, it'll be the perfect time to unleash the explosive power of the Soul Infusion Destruction. We will destroy the Federation's main forces. Venus, the key to the Solar System Array Formation, will fall with ease!

"My only fear is that too few people will turn up!

"But even if that happens, we still have two Soul Conduit realm vessels that will prove effective weapons when attacking Venus!" Daoist You Ran sat inside the Never-Ending Clan battleship stationed on Mercury. His eyes were mere slits, concealing the anticipatory light within as he smiled faintly and murmured to himself.

The Federation was at a disadvantage when it came to their level of cultivation as well as their knowledge in such mystic arts. Even if they had the Solar System Array Formation, it would be difficult for them to detect Daoist You Ran's Soul Infusion Destruction. That was why he hadn't made any changes to his plan.

The Federation army had made a show of its deployment, leaving Venus and approaching Mercury. Li Xingwen, who had led a sizable team with him, had left in advance. He hurried to the meeting place he had set up with Feng Qiuran.

Every action that the Federation took had been deliberated and run through by its immensely resourceful think tank. They had simulated how the war was going to turn out based on every piece of information they had got their hands on. Despite them being unaware of the malicious trap that had been set for them, they had considered the possibility of an ambush. Their plans had provided for ways to circumvent it.

Of course, no one knew how effective these contingency plans would be.

Daoist You Ran's plans and the Federation's rescue efforts began to unfold concurrently. In the center of the storm, where the red sea lay, were two clouds of red mist. They were being refined into human vessels. Wang Baole was inside one of them. He was facing a difficult decision, an occasion that had rarely happened to him!

He had no idea how Feng Qiuran was doing at this moment, but he was well aware of his Thearch Armor and his physical body's capabilities. They were being eroded away rapidly as he was trapped inside the mist. It was likely that Feng Qiuran wasn't going to last much longer than he was. In fact, she might not last as long as he would.

The red mist was extremely bizarre. It had the ability to seal and trap them, as well as erosive properties. It was indescribably cold and eerie. Wang Baole couldn't free himself no matter how hard he struggled. He felt like a fly, and the red mist was a gigantic hand that was clutching him within its closed fist. There was no way for him to escape, and even moving was proving a challenge.

He could only watch as the mist slowly ate away at his Thearch Armor. Once the Thearch Armor was completely eroded away, he could imagine his physical flesh, his Nascent Soul, and his spirit, having lost the protection of the armor, being next.

The spirit fat on me will only gain me a little bit of time… Wang Baole's heart sank. He couldn't sense what was going on outside and had no idea if he was still trapped in the spot that he had been caught in. Unease continued to fill his heart.

If the Never-Ending Clan is trying to use Feng Qiuran and me as bait… Wang Baole's pupils contracted. His heart became filled with anxiety. He tried struggling to free himself again but to no avail. He became increasingly frustrated, and danger started to loom increasingly heavier over his head. He knew that if the situation remained unchanged, there was little chance of him walking out of this alive!

The only way is to keep creating and blowing up my avatars. Rather than staying trapped here and waiting to get killed, I might as well see if I can blow up enough things and force my way out of this thing… My only worry is that I'll still have to fight the four Soul Conduit realm cultivators after that. That's going to be a tough battle… Wait, there's still Mie Liezi. He has definitely caught up by now! Wang Baole was torn. It was unfortunate that they were nowhere near Mars. Given the choice, he might risk it all to summon his Dark Artifact.

I don't care anymore! Violence flashed across Wang Baole's eyes. He gritted his teeth and prepared to summon his avatar so that he could blow it up. Just as his avatar appeared and was about to self-destruct, he suddenly widened his eyes and stared at the rumbling mist ahead of him!

A face had flashed past in the mist. It had vanished instantly, but Wang Baole had seen the greed and brutality that had been on its face. It was as if the face had found Wang Baole an appetizing treat and had wanted a bite.

That is… Wang Baole's heart raced. He abandoned the idea of blowing up his avatars and scanned the surrounding mist carefully, his eyes wide. Soon, he saw a face again. It was a different face, one with a lost expression.

Wang Baole's eyes burned brightly at the sight. He didn't act rashly. Instead, he continued waiting. Slowly, more faces appeared. Some of them were male, others female. Some looked violent, some lost. Some of the faces were awash with greed, others perversion.

Wisps of soul appeared alongside these faces, gathering together and spreading around Wang Baole.

This is like receiving a pillow for a gift when you're just beginning to feel drowsy! Wang Baole blinked before a wild joy began flooding his heart. Dead spirits were the thing that he was least afraid of. As a Dark Child, seeing these souls was like seeing servants wandering all around him.

He was overjoyed by their appearance, and he began to reassess his situation carefully.

I have no idea why they're here, but as long as there are souls hidden inside this mist and there is a sufficient number of them, I should be able to use the Dark Art to free myself. There's no need to blow my avatars up anymore!

I can use the souls as my weapons too… but after freeing myself, even if I have the souls at my disposal, I'll still have to face four Soul Conduit realm cultivators, face an army of battleships and cultivators, and save Feng Qiuran. That's almost an impossible task. Wang Baole narrowed his eyes.

Unless I can become very powerful, very quickly…

Power… isn't that just the means to kill. That's why… the Demonic Eye Art… Madness flashed across Wang Baole's eyes. By choosing the path of the Demonic Eye Art, he was sending himself down the road to more killing and more death in order to gain more power. He hadn't wanted to go down this path unless he had no other choice. A Nascent Soul realm mystic art was the bridge between one's foundational cultivation and their ascent. It was the key that could determine where they would land in the future.

"There's not going to be a future if I don't survive the present!" Wang Baole was a man of decisiveness. The veins in his eyes gradually turned red, and determination colored his eyes as he muttered to himself. He didn't hesitate any longer. His hands might have been rendered immobile, but he could still chant the words to the Demonic Eye Art in his head.

A creepy black eye soon appeared behind him. The eye was shut. Its form materialized gradually, emanating a black aura that tainted the space around it. It spread outwards and enveloped the area, and a cold, evil aura slowly flowed out from Wang Baole!

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Chapter 691: The Dark Demonic Eye!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole had first read about the Demonic Eye Art in his Dark Dream. It was a strange and bizarre mystic art that had originated from an ancient civilization that was now extinct. Its records stopped at its Nascent Soul realm techniques. The Dark Sect wouldn't have paid it much mind because of that, but its incredibly destructive power had resulted in it being listed as one of the three most powerful Nascent Soul realm mystic arts that the Dark Sect had ever come across. In fact, when practiced alongside the Dark Art, it would display a power that would make it the most powerful mystic art the sect had ever seen at the Nascent Soul realm. It had only been abandoned as a practical mystic art because it was incomplete.

The mystic art focused on killing. There were five levels to it. Each new level brought a transformation to the cultivator's cultivation, as well as his physical strength and speed. The latter two would be doubled at every level.

Theoretically speaking, a cultivator who reached the third level would be eight times as strong and fast as when they had first started on the mystic art. That would increase to thirty-two times when they reached the fifth level of the mystic art!

The first level was meant for one at the early-stage Nascent Soul realm, the second, the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. The third level was for one at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm and the fourth, the perfected Nascent Soul realm. One's cultivation would be incredible at this stage. Then, there was the final stage of the mystic art—the fifth level!

There was the conventional way of rising through the levels—through normal training—and a shortcut. The latter involved killing. The more one killed, the more powerful one got, and the crazier one became!

In fact, killing was the true way of practicing this mystic art!

The records stated that at the early stages of practicing this mystic art, the cultivator would be able to summon a white eye outside his body. That was for ordinary cultivators, though. If one practiced the Dark Art before practicing this mystic art, the eye that was summoned would be a black-colored Dark Demonic Eye!

Like the cold, eerie-looking eye that had materialized behind Wang Baole!

There was only one now. But with every person he killed, he would be able to draw their God Spirit out from their corpse, which would then transform into the next demonic eye. Each demonic eye could dispel spells. Its destruction would unleash an incredible force. It would be equivalent to blowing up the person whose God Spirit had been drained to create the demonic eye in the first place.

It seems like a perfect match for the Dark Art… In fact, it seems to also work well with the Flame Snatch! Wang Baole sat deep in meditation, his eyes shut as he practiced the Demonic Eye Art. Thoughts flooded his mind. He thought of his Flame Snatch.

Flame Snatch was another mystic art that focused on killing others. The key to practicing it was absorbing the blood and flesh of living creatures. Through such a process, one's physical body would grow stronger, and his cultivation would increase. Wang Baole had adapted it so that his Thearch Armor became the main vessel—the receptacle for whatever the Flame Snatch absorbed. That had resulted in the fusion between the Flame Snatch and his Thearch Armor and the creation of an external artifact that was separate from his body. It had its limits.

"There are limits to the Flame Snatch, but not to the demonic eye," Wang Baole muttered to himself. His mind seemed to have settled on something, and a calm fell over his mind as he removed his Thearch Armor.

The mountain of flesh that was his body was instantly exposed to the mist. He looked like an enormous, ancient beast, emanating waves of power that would strike terror into one's heart.

Waves of mid-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivation emanated from his body. He was nearly at the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. Vast stores of spirit energy rested in the spirit fat in his body. It would form the foundation for Wang Baole's venture into the Demonic Eye Art.

As his cultivation progressed, the black eye hovering behind him grew more distinct. It exuded a coldness that grew increasingly chilly. Simultaneously, his body began to shrink in size!

Vast amounts of spirit fat transformed instantly into Spirit Qi, surging into the demonic eye behind him. This wasn't a simple, straightforward absorption. In the past, Wang Baole had only cultivation but had no cultivation technique. Now though… he had decided on the cultivation technique that was going to determine his path of cultivation. The Demonic Eye Art was activated. His body seemed to break down into its basic particles, which restructured and refined themselves as he pushed himself on the path of the Demonic Eye Art!

Wang Baole's size shrunk by half in an instant. He had reached the first level of the Demonic Eye Art. His cultivation had finally, truly reached the early-stage Nascent Soul realm!

He wasn't done yet. The Demonic Eye Art continued its work on him. His body continued to shrink in size. Soon, he had shrunk to the size of an ordinary person again, and he had also reached the second level of the Demonic Eye Art!

Explosions erupted in his mind, rumbling like thunder. The demonic eye standing behind him had grown more distinct, appearing real. It would strike terror into the hearts of those who saw it.

Wang Baole's progress with the Demonic Eye Art didn't stop there. He had accumulated an immense store of Spirit Qi in the final great palace. The spirit fat stored in his body might have been depleted, but there was still a wealth of Spirit Qi in his meridians fueling his hike towards the third level of the Demonic Eye Art.

It only took him ten counts. The cultivation inside Wang Baole's body finally stopped churning. It had fully melded with the Demonic Eye Art, sending the Demonic Eye Art from the second level to the third!

The late-stage Nascent Soul realm!

Wang Baole shuddered violently. A powerful aura, stronger and more concentrated than anything he had ever possessed before, erupted from his body. It was a power that threatened to overwhelm everything in sight!

The ghoulish faces that continued to appear in the red mist around him began to respond to the eruptions. Their expressions shifted. There was respect, fear, and awe on their faces, and they started to retreat.

They could feel the icy chill surging from Wang Baole and the creepy black eye guarding his back. It drove fear into them like a stake. The wisps of spirit energy that were colored by the Dark Art, which continued to emanate from Wang Baole as he continued his cultivation, made them afraid as well. They dared not draw near.

If given the choice, most of the souls would keep their distance from Wang Baole. Regardless, the red mist was their prison, trapping them within as their numbers grew, preventing their escape. The only way out seemed to be through Wang Baole. They could either consume him or be consumed by him.

The souls became increasingly torn. The will of the Soul Infusion Destruction continued to coerce, compel, and draw them. The souls that gathered within the red mist began to struggle and grow mad. Their frustration and anger grew. The entire red mist began to rumble and boil with emotions.

Daoist You Ran hadn't anticipated this series of events. Chi Lin and the other Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivators, as well as the Dao Palace cultivators currently deep in meditation aboard their battleships—whose souls were continuously being drained by the array formation—were all unaware of the monster they were breeding.

However, the tumultuous state of the mist that Wang Baole was trapped within was obvious when compared with the mist holding Feng Qiuran prisoner. It wasn't something that could escape the eyes of Chi Lin and the others. The red mist that Feng Qiuran was trapped within was too calm when compared to Wang Baole's. No one could tell what was going on inside. Even so, they could still sense waves of strange spirit energy escaping from the red mist.

The stark difference in the red mists' appearances drew their attention, but without the ability to investigate what was truly going on inside, Chi Lin and the others could only frown and watch. The red mist not only imprisoned their captives, it also kept the captors out and unable to discern what was happening inside.

"Maybe it's because of Wang Baole's special circumstances…" Chi Lin and his fellow clan members eyed one another. They continued to feel uneasy after a series of voice transmissions. Finally, they decided to seek Daoist You Ran's views on the matter.

They were about to do just that. It was then that inside the red mist, Wang Baole, who had sat in meditation and had just recovered fully, suddenly opened his eyes!

The faces surrounding him in the mist suddenly shuddered violently. They seemed on the verge of screaming, but they had held back their screams out of fear. They trembled, their expressions filled with awe. It was as if a single word from Wang Baole could dictate their death.

Wang Baole's cold eyes swept across the souls around him. He raised his right hand slowly, an icy glint flashing across his eyes. Then, his hand lowered, and his finger pointed forward. He didn't speak. Regardless, his will was transmitted into every soul inside the mist through his gestures alone. They trembled and turned around abruptly. They were like soldiers who had just received their orders, suddenly making a mad charge outwards!

The red mist spasmed and rumbled violently. It expanded outwards without stop, seeming as if it might explode at any moment. Countless faces could be seen howling and struggling inside the mist, madness distorting their expressions.

Alarm flashed across Chi Lin's and the others' faces when they saw that. They felt danger instinctively rumbling in their gut. Before they could take a closer look, an unimaginable force erupted. It was a tsunami, threatening to pull everything under its waves, and, like a volcanic eruption, threatening to split the lands apart. The red mist could no longer contain the crazed souls. Its outer layers began to disintegrate, surging outwards like furious waves and sweeping into everything!

The four Soul Conduit realm cultivators bore the brunt of the attack. They couldn't escape, and they found the backlash hitting them straight in their faces as they shuddered violently and retreated repeatedly. The battleships around them were like children's toys, swept along and flung into distant space. Chaos reigned momentarily. Alarm colored Chi Lin's and the other cultivators' faces. The souls that had escaped from the red mist and charged out turned back towards the red mist then. They stared straight into the mist, lowered their heads, and fell on their knees!

It was a mind-boggling sight. A tall, slim person emerged from the depths of the mist, and a head full of long hair flowed down his back as he walked out slowly!

It was Wang Baole!

"Thanks to you, I've decided on the path of cultivation I'm going to embark on!" A chilly voice, one laced with ice, erupted in everyone's minds. It seemed capable of freezing everything in sight. The distinct shape of a pitch-black eye materialized behind Wang Baole.

It was a terrifying sight!

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Chapter 692: Slaying a Soul Conduit Realm Cultivator!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Wang Baole?"

A strange black eye and Wang Baole's strange, terrifying figure sent alarm flashing across the Soul Conduit realm cultivators' faces. Incredulity lit their eyes. They hadn't expected Wang Baole to free himself from the red mist. The sight of countless souls falling to their knees and prostrating themselves before Wang Baole, as if they were in the presence of a king, was both shocking and unbelievable.

Regardless, they were experienced, battle-worn Never-Ending Clan cultivators. Their initial shock didn't stop them from eyeing one another immediately, then unleashing a sudden burst of speed, transforming into four blurs that charged towards Wang Baole.

They didn't hesitate. They immediately unleashed their most powerful attacks!

With a wave of his hand, Chi Lin summoned a gray Daoist robe. It hovered above his head, seemingly filled out by an invisible person, exuding an aura of death as it lunged at Wang Baole.

The other three cultivators had their own trump cards. One of them formed a series of hand seals, and his body blurred into dual images. One transformed into a huge black lizard that then fused with the other. The fused body opened its huge gaping mouth. Wafts of bad breath drifted out. He exuded incredible power that surged upwards and threatened to tear everything apart.

Another waved both his hands and then ripped his body apart, revealing three heads and six arms. He clearly wasn't bothered about exposing his true identity. He was going to overpower Wang Baole with his strong physical body.

The trump card of the final cultivator was the strangest and most bizarre. With a single step, he split himself into multiple replicas. They came from all directions, each glowing with a bright blue light that was clearly poisonous!

Wang Baole watched dispassionately as his four opponents charged at him with murderous intent. He lifted his right hand and waved suddenly. The souls that had prostrated themselves before him suddenly lifted their heads. Their mouths opened, and screams that were soundless yet pierced one's senses were unleashed from their gaping mouths. The souls rushed towards the four Soul Conduit realm cultivators fearlessly!

They were swift and many. They surged towards the four cultivators like an ocean of souls. They might be much weaker than the cultivators, to the extent that their vast numbers couldn't turn the tides in their favor, but they were still useful in gaining more time for Wang Baole.

Waves of spirit energy rippled across space momentarily. An emotionless Wang Baole spared not a single glance for the four Soul Conduit realm cultivators, who were momentarily trapped by the ocean of souls. Instead, he approached the mist holding Feng Qiuran prisoner, appearing next to the mist instantly and pressing his right palm on its outer layer.

In an instant, the souls that remained inside the mist or had wormed their way into Feng Qiuran shuddered violently. They felt a fearsome will casting a terrifying shadow over them. It was cold and harsh, and it spoke only one word.

"Scram!"

The single word almost blasted the souls into pieces. They fled instantly, charging outwards. The red mist couldn't withstand the vast hordes of souls struggling to rush out simultaneously. It exploded instantly. Masses of souls spilled out, revealing a barely breathing Feng Qiuran.

Feng Qiuran was a powerful Soul Conduit realm cultivator. Even though she had been trapped for an extended period of time and had suffered a long period of refinement, her mind was still clear. Her pupils contracted when she saw who had rescued her. She recognized Wang Baole, albeit vaguely. Her eyes were uncontrollably drawn towards the black, shut eye hovering behind him.

The sight seemed to send her into a daze. It was like staring into a black hole that was spinning continuously. She felt as if her soul was being pulled out from her body. Startled, she bit the tip of her tongue. The pain cleared her mind. She was quietly shocked. She had no idea what the black eye was, but she could tell that Wang Baole hadn't activated whatever powers the black eye contained. Regardless, it had managed to cause her momentary loss of focus. The terrifying power the black eye held must be unimaginable.

"Wang Baole, you…"

"Grand Mistress Qiuran, the souls can only hold back the four Soul Conduit realm cultivators for a short moment. That's not enough time for us to escape. Are you able to take on one Soul Conduit realm cultivator?" With a wave of his right hand, Wang Baole threw out multiple pill bottles.

His voice was calm. It was different from the chill emanating from his person, as well as the terrifying aura the black eye hovering behind him was giving off. Even his voice in her head was cold.

"Yes!" She took the bottles and drank them in a single gulp. Then, she nodded fiercely and swept her gaze sideways. In the next moment, she was on her way to one of the trapped Soul Conduit realm cultivators. She immediately started attacking as the souls continued to trap the Soul Conduit realm cultivator within their midst.

Alarm flashed across the Soul Conduit realm cultivator's face when he saw Feng Qiuran unleashing her attack. They immediately engaged in fierce battle. Incredible waves of spirit energy surged from their clashes.

There were three other Soul Conduit realm cultivators left. Wang Baole's eyes flickered as they swept past the three trapped cultivators, finally pausing on Chi Lin.

"We have to make this quick…" Wang Baole muttered to himself. He turned towards Chi Lin with a single step. With the fall of his foot, red meridians emerged from his body and wove themselves around him, materializing into the Thearch Armor!

His form might have slimmed down, which meant that the armor no longer looked as enormous as it had before, but the violent aura that it exuded didn't lessen. The black eye behind Wang Baole added to the armor's fearsome appearance. He had transformed into a demonic god. He took a second step and appeared next to Chi Lin, raising his left hand and punching!

Behind the punch was the power of the Supernova, the Thearch Armor, his Stellar Nascent Soul, and the Demonic Eye Art!

The accumulated power momentarily surpassed the limits of what an ordinary Nascent Soul realm cultivator should possess. In fact, it wasn't power that a Nascent Soul realm cultivator could contain. However, Wang Baole had an incredibly resilient physical body and his Thearch Armor serving as a vessel for his power. That allowed him to unleash power that was beyond what a Nascent Soul realm cultivator was allowed to possess!

It was a punch that could rival one unleashed by a Soul Conduit realm cultivator, one that not only matched a punch by a Soul Conduit realm cultivator at the early-stage but surpassed it entirely. It was like receiving a punch given by a true mid-stage Soul Conduit realm cultivator!

Alarm colored Chi Lin's face. He howled, raised both arms, and with a sudden wave, summoned the gray Daoist robe that had been hovering above his head before him. The gray Daoist robe flew down and stood before him, prepared to stop Wang Baole's attack.

He prepared to make a hasty retreat as well, smacking his forehead with a force that exposed his intention to tear his host body apart and reveal his true Never-Ending Clan form. Read more chapters at L isnovel

It was the right move. He acted swiftly, but it was still too late!

Just as the gray Daoist robe flew ahead of Chi Lin and the latter threw himself back, a white light flickered in Wang Baole's eyes. The demonic eye behind him, which had been shut all along, suddenly… blinked open!

The cosmos shuddered. Silence descended. Space and time and all living things came to a standstill!

Chi Lin was one of them. He froze, as if the thread connecting his body and spirit had just been snipped, and as if all thoughts had suddenly fled his mind. He stood immobile as Wang Baole stepped around the gray Daoist robe and passed Chi Lin in a single swift moment. The right arm of the Thearch Armor flared with the light of the Divine Armament.

It was too late to retaliate or dodge the attack, too late for his Never-Ending Clan form to escape from his host body. The Divine Armament arm slashed forward in a sweep, ending the battle… Blood splattered as Chi Lin's head flew into the air. As his head parted from his body, the latter instantly shriveled up, its blood and flesh drained immediately by the Thearch Armor. Chi Lin's soul was devoured by the black eye in the same instant. Behind Wang Baole, next to the first black eye, appeared another… a second shut eye the size of a fist!

So, it's that simple, killing a Soul Conduit realm cultivator. Wang Baole shut his eyes. He could sense another separate cultivation inside his body. His Demonic Eye Art was growing more powerful, inching slowly and steadily towards the fourth level of the cultivation technique.

The expression on his face was calm. There was no joy nor sorrow. This was the price one paid for practicing the Demonic Eye Art. He no longer felt anything when killing others. In fact, a faint and indescribable hunger began to unfurl inside him. It was urging him to continue killing.

Interesting. Does the Demonic Eye Art possess its own will? Is it trying to control me… Wang Baole assessed the waves of hunger inside him, then turned towards the second Soul Conduit realm cultivator who was currently trapped. An icy glint flashed across his eyes as he made his way towards the Soul Conduit realm cultivator!

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Chapter 693: The Demonic Eyes Explode

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Having reached the Nascent Soul realm on a physical level, Wang Baole was better able to unleash the potential speed a late-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator was capable of. The speed he had originally been capable of had already surpassed that of his peers. With the additional boost from his Thearch Armor, he was now as fast as a Soul Conduit realm cultivator. This augmented speed received an extra boost from the power unleashed by his Stellar Nascent Soul, allowing him to be even faster than an early-stage Soul Conduit realm cultivator. With the final push from the strange Demonic Eye Art, his speed was utterly shocking!

If one were merely hurrying from one place to another, such speed might not be as useful as teleportation. However, it possessed an advantage that teleportation lacked. The process of acceleration allowed one to accumulate power. The principle for such accumulation had long been established and proven by the Federation thousands of years ago. Power was the result of strength multiplied by speed!

Wang Baole's physical strength and the boost provided by his Thearch Armor, when combined with his extraordinary speed, resulted in an incredible power that now rushed towards the second trapped Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivator like a meteor. It rumbled and thundered in its charge, passing through the vast hordes of souls in an instant. The second Never-Ending Clan cultivator stood shocked, his pupils contracted, as Wang Baole smashed into him with the overwhelming power of a meteor!

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator let loose a loud howl. As the overpowering threat of death loomed over him, alarm bells rang loudly in his head. He raised both of his arms abruptly, and four additional arms burst out from his sides. Six arms—two tightened their hands into fists, another two had their palms open, and the last two came together to form a series of hand seals—shifted to defend as he tried his best to stop Wang Baole.

Thunder crashed, and the skies rumbled. Energy shock waves surged and flooded the area, spirit energy rippled through space like vast waves, and masses of souls shrieked and retreated. The Never-Ending Clan cultivator spat blood out of his mouth as he too was forced back. Shock filled his face and incredulity colored his eyes as he attempted to escape.

It was too late. Wang Baole approached with the speed of a shooting star, and the demonic eyes hovering at his back opened once again. Power that rendered all living things immobile was unleashed once more. Wang Baole could hear a distinct roar inside him, urging him to kill.

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator who had been madly retreating stumbled to a standstill as soon as the demonic eye fluttered open. A dazed cloud fell over his eyes. The black eye behind Wang Baole stared. Its gaze seemed to have transformed into a physical prison that trapped the Never-Ending Clan cultivator, holding him still in the middle of space!Read more chapters at L isnovel

He could have struggled. In fact, given sufficient time, the Never-Ending Clan cultivator might have been able to free himself with ease, but he was now trapped in a fierce battle for his life. Every second was precious!

The price he paid for that moment of immobility was heavy. Wang Baole approached instantly. Without even activating his Divine Armament, he lifted his right hand and pressed his open palm on the Never-Ending Clan cultivator's head!

He unleashed Flame Snatch!

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator's body shriveled up amidst thunderous booms. It shrank and collapsed into itself, like a ball suddenly squeezed of all air!

He wasn't done yet, he also unleashed the Demonic Eye Art!

The Never-Ending Clan cultivator's soul was ripped out of his body instantly. It transformed into a sliver of white light that shot straight into the demonic eye. A third eye materialized next to Wang Baole. The Never-Ending Clan cultivator, drained of his flesh and blood and rid of his soul, turned to dust instantly, becoming gray specks that drifted into space.

The third Never-Ending Clan cultivator, surrounded and trapped by souls, and the fourth, engaged in fierce battle with Feng Qiuran, saw the entire thing. Alarm and shock flooded them. They were beset by an incredible, indescribable feeling. The emotions that Wang Baole inspired in them at that moment were simply beyond description. The power he was displaying was simply overwhelming!

He had slain two Soul Conduit realm cultivators within a short period of time. The feat itself would have struck fear into the heart of any Soul Conduit realm cultivator. What made Wang Baole more terrifying was his appearance and the mystic techniques he was wielding.

Hovering behind Wang Baole at the moment were one huge and two smaller black eyes. They shifted and wriggled in a strange manner, as if they were ingesting something. The sight of these eyeballs made one's hair stand on end. The sensation was akin to coming upon an immense, horrible monster.

What cultivation technique is that?

Such a spell seems to have an effect on the laws of Dao themselves. He's playing with Dharmic Dao. That's something only one who's at least at the Planet realm is capable of. How is he able to wield such power?

Overwhelmed with shock and terror, the surviving Never-Ending Clan cultivators had lost all appetite for battle. Their only thought was to escape. Unfortunately, one of them was currently trapped in a fight with Feng Qiuran, while the other was surrounded by souls commanded by Wang Baole. There was no way they could escape within a short period of time. Anxiety filled their hearts.

As the two cultivators lost themselves in terror, Feng Qiuran was also trying to rein in her shock. There was no doubt that she had been continuously surprised every time Wang Baole revealed something new and extraordinary. The latest reveal had inspired true awe.

The awe she felt was not towards Wang Baole, it was towards the black eyes guarding his back. They exuded absolute evil—a malice that made everything around them pale in comparison!

Having devoured the second Never-Ending Clan cultivator, Wang Baole seemed to exhibit no distinct changes. He seemed as he always was. However, he could feel distinctly inside himself a consciousness that seemed to have formed from the Demonic Eye Art. It was growing swiftly as he killed. It seemed that the more he killed, the stronger and more powerful it became.

That's quite strange. No one mentioned this in the books that I've read in the Dark Dream, about the Demonic Eye Art developing a mind of its own. Wang Baole shook his head. He had no time to think about that now. The Demonic Eye Art developing a mind of its own posed a danger, but the Never-Ending Clan cultivators before him now were an immediate threat.

What's the point of worrying about the future if you can't even survive the present? Wang Baole narrowed his eyes, an icy flint flashing within. He took a step forward and raced straight towards the third Never-Ending Clan Soul Conduit realm cultivator, who was currently surrounded and trapped by souls.

Only mere moments had passed since Wang Baole had devoured the first Never-Ending Clan cultivator, with a brief interruption when Wang Baole thought about the potential threat presented by the Demonic Eye Art—one that no one else was privy to. He was approaching his third Never-Ending Clan cultivator now. The latter howled furiously, the terror flooding his mind threatening to cause his complete mental breakdown.

He knew that he wasn't Wang Baole's match. He watched as the black eyes that appeared to embody the power of the Dharmic Dao itself approach. He knew that he was going to end up like his fellow dead comrades—not merely destroyed in body and spirit but consumed entirely!

Compared to the latter, the former seemed infinitely comparable, especially when death was inevitable. The third Never-Ending Clan cultivator laughed madly, a crazed look bright in his eyes. Just as Wang Baole came near, he blew up. His Dao Palace host body was torn apart, revealing the true three-headed, six-armed form of an Never-Ending Clan member.

"I'm the only one who gets to decide my own death!" A self-destructive power filled his newly revealed form and activated instantly.

Just as the self-destructive force expanded outwards and began to rip his body apart… the three black eyes behind Wang Baole opened. Wang Baole's will echoed in the air and in the mind of the Soul Conduit realm cultivator, whose soul was already in the midst of disintegration.

"You're wrong."

Those were the last words the Never-Ending Clan cultivator heard. The waves of self-destructive energy came to a standstill in the next moment, as if frozen immobile by a seemingly tangible gaze. Wang Baole stepped past the Never-Ending Clan cultivator, pulling along with him the mutilated flesh and blood body as well as a partially destroyed soul.

The three black eyes behind Wang Baole fluttered shut. Quiet momentarily descended. It was then that a fourth eye appeared behind him!

A furious roar erupted in the heavens instantly.

"Wang Baole!" It was a familiar voice. It was Daoist You Ran. Wang Baole had acted swiftly, but his extermination of the three Soul Conduit realm cultivators had still been discovered by Daoist You Ran. Furious but unable to leave the battleship, Daoist You Ran nevertheless chose to attack!

His attack didn't come from himself but through… the fearsome Never-Ending Clan battleship!

His furious roar thundered in space, followed by a red beam of light, ten thousand feet wide, blasted from Mercury. It shot through space, blasting numerous black holes in its wake, and appeared next to Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran in an instant!

It was swift and powerful, its speed and power as pure as light itself and equally blinding. It exuded destruction and power that almost rivaled one at the perfected Soul Conduit realm, threatening to overpower them instantly!

The sudden arrival of the immense threat didn't cause Wang Baole to lose his calm. Without hesitation, he turned, his eyes bright with madness, and pressed his hands together in a series of hand seals. Then, he turned his hands outwards, towards the approaching beam of light and its waves of spirit energy, which were rippling outward and burning his hair.

"Demonic eyes, explode!"

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Chapter 694: Nowhere to Run!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Four eyes, one large and three smaller, hovered behind Wang Baole. Except for his original demonic eye, the other three black eyes raced away from Wang Baole and appeared before him, between him and the approaching beam of light, and opened simultaneously!

There was something different this time when the eyes opened. Besides the immobilizing effect of their gaze, an aura that exuded destruction surged from the black eyes. Before the beam of light could flood them, these black eyes blew themselves up!

Waves of spirit energy surged outwards violently, creating an immense shock wave that might not rival the singular attack from the great Never-Ending Clan battleship but still managed to scatter the concentrated beam. The beam of light diffused into a fainter, glowing blanket of light instead, its original force weakened.

The weakened attack still managed to drive Wang Baole back thousands of feet, causing his organs to churn under his Thearch Armor. However, no blood was spilled. Feng Qiuran, on the other hand, seemed worse for wear. She hadn't yet fully recovered from her earlier injuries. She recently had her soul devoured and mind taken over. Under the cast of light, blood dripped from her lips as she tried her best to retreat. The Never-Ending Clan cultivator, whom she had been engaging in battle, seized the opportunity and unleashed a spell. He melted into the light and escaped!

That wasn't the end of it. Daoist You Ran was clearly furious over his oversight. He found the casualty count unacceptable. The hate he felt towards Wang Baole intensified and had reached a point where he had to kill Wang Baole.

After all… this time, he was the one who had initiated the attack. He was the one who had picked up a boulder and dropped it on his own foot. If he hadn't decided to use Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran as bait to lure the Federation fleet to him, he wouldn't have initiated the Soul Infusion Destruction, and Wang Baole wouldn't have had the chance to exploit the Soul Infusion Destruction, causing him such great casualties and such a humiliating defeat.

"Wang Baole, I must kill you!" Daoist You Ran sat inside the great Never-Ending Clan battleship resting on Mercury, his hair loose and disheveled, and a red glow lighting his eyes. Before him was a pool of water, and within the pool, a body!

It was lined with cracks, as if pieced together from numerous parts. This was what Wang Baole had blown up earlier, the core of the great Never-Ending Clan battleship, the battle robes!

Daoist You Ran was trying to fuse with the battle robes as he repaired the battleship. There was no way he could leave. Regardless, his desire to kill Wang Baole was overwhelming. He might not be able to leave the battleship, but that didn't stop him from making other arrangements. The light beam earlier was one of them.

As Wang Baole fought against the beam of light, Daoist You Ran sent out new orders. They were received by the Dao Palace cultivators hidden in space, who were ready to ambush the Federation.

They were all waiting for their orders. They had hidden themselves and were isolated from the battlefield. They had no idea what was going on outside. Upon receiving the latest orders, alarm flashed across the faces of the leading Never-Ending Clan cultivators inside the battleships. They immediately sent their orders. The battleships revealed themselves instantly, turning towards the battlefield a short distance away from them, where Wang Baole was currently located. They spread themselves out into a fan-shaped formation and charged towards the battlefield!

In order to guarantee Wang Baole's death, after making a series of orders, Daoist You Ran gritted his teeth and pressed his right palm on the torn and tattered battle robes before him. No one knew what spell he cast, but the battle robes' shut eyes suddenly opened!

Its eyes shone with hate for Wang Baole. The glow within mirrored Daoist You Ran's eyes. It was as if it were an exact copy of Daoist You Ran!

"Wang Baole!" The battle robes spoke. It lifted the index finger of its right hand with great difficulty, then pointed it at the surface of the pool. The finger dipped in the water lightly. The battleship, which had been formed from shards of Heavenly Dao, suddenly shuddered. Black ripples of energy traveled across the entire battleship, gathering at the central, primary altar. Black light continued to gather as waves of spirit energy spread into space. The speed at which Mercury was being mined of its stellar source seemed to quicken. The battleship seemed to be gathering its strength. At the same time, a wisp of spirit energy drifted into space and locked onto Wang Baole's location!

Something shifted in Wang Baole's expression. His demonic eye and his Thearch Armor seemed not to sense anything amiss. His Stellar Nascent Soul, however, opened its eyes at that instant. A strong sense of dread and danger erupted from the Nascent Soul, flooding Wang Baole's senses.

"Something's wrong!" The heart-racing sensation that beset Wang Baole compelled him to unleash a sudden burst of speed without hesitation. He raced into the distance. Feng Qiuran hadn't sensed danger at all, but she had seen the serious look in Wang Baole's eyes. She didn't speak. Instead, she set all her doubts aside and chased after Wang Baole.

The entire region had fallen under Daoist You Ran's grasp, however. There was almost nowhere they could escape to. The battleships that had hidden themselves for ambush revealed their forms under Daoist You Ran's orders. Their fan-shaped formation allowed the battleships to be spread across a vast area. No matter where Wang Baole tried to escape, he would still run into a few battleships.

A dozen battleships soon discovered his tracks. The battleships set up array formations swiftly. This was followed by hordes of Dao Palace cultivators, as well as Never-Ending Clan members hiding in the host bodies of Dao Palace cultivators, surging out from the battleships and charging towards Wang Baole.

The Never-Ending Clan members amongst them hadn't witnessed Wang Baole's terrifying battle prowess first hand. Regardless, they had been able to figure something out on their own, based on the orders given by Daoist You Ran. The Dao Palace cultivators were blinded by their greed for battle credits. All of them wanted to kill Wang Baole in exchange for rich rewards. They weren't fools, though. Quite a few of them had realized that something wasn't right. The enormous black eye hovering at Wang Baole's back was terrifying enough to give anyone the creeps.

That was why… they appeared to approach steadily, but in reality, no one wanted to be the first to die on the battlefield. What they planned to do was to hold Wang Baole back and keep him under control. It seemed like a relatively safe method that would earn them battle credits. It was, indeed, a good strategy. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to work on Wang Baole.

Wang Baole was beset with anxiety. A sense of danger crept steadily inward, eating at his soul. The murderous look in his eyes intensified. His gut was screaming at him. If he were to be slowed down here and now, he was going to die. His fate would be sealed!

Maybe the only way out isn't to escape, but to… kill them all! Wang Baole was a decisive character. Once the thought entered his head, he immediately narrowed his eyes and shifted his feet. In the face of the approaching battleships, their brightly flaring array formations, and armies of flying cultivators, Wang Baole didn't run away. Instead, he picked up his pace and charged towards them!

Thearch Armor!

Wang Baole roared inwardly. The armor on his body shifted. Numerous red meridians burst out and danced around his body, transforming Wang Baole into a fearsome-looking beast!

He ignored the beams of light emitted by the battleships' array formations, allowing them to race towards him and land around him. They stirred violent ripples of spirit energy around him, but the shock waves were all stopped by his red meridians. The beams of light cut down his meridians but couldn't touch him, and where the meridians were destroyed, more meridians emerged to take their place!

Wang Baole looked like a war chariot—invincible, infallible, and powerful beyond measure!

Demonic eye!

Red meridians continued to be blasted into bits, to turn to dust, to reform and resurrect. Behind Wang Baole, the black demonic eye fluttered but didn't open. The mind behind the eyelid seemed to shiver with excitement. It sent thoughts of murder and carnage into Wang Baole's mind. Its urge to kill was so powerful that it seemed to distort the fabric of space around the black eye.

Feng Qiuran trembled. Wang Baole seemed like a complete stranger at that moment. More terrified were the Dao Palace and Never-Ending Clan cultivators, who had flown out from the battleships and been intent on stopping her and Wang Baole from escaping.

"What is that?"

"He's Wang Baole? That's impossible!"

"There's something not right with him!" Shocked and alarmed, the Dao Palace cultivators attempted to retreat but were a step too late. As Wang Baole rushed at them, the demonic eye behind him opened without warning!

A pitch-black eye and its pitch-black pupil. It gave one a bizarre feeling. It was as if… they were staring into an actual eye!

One that exuded malice, madness, and a lust for blood. One whose gaze seemed almost tangible, that caught and rendered all living things immobile!

A shiver rippled through the starlit space. The cultivators stood dazed as Wang Baole charged into their midst!

Concealed underneath the Thearch Armor, Wang Baole's lips dripped with blood. He had overreached and tried to cast his control over too many cultivators. It had resulted in a backlash from the demonic eye.

Let the backlash come. I need more demonic eyes to counter the approaching threat! Murder flashed across Wang Baole's eyes as he attacked!

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