Just as Wang Baole and the group were about to make their escape, a howl that seemed to come from the depths of the catacombs rang out suddenly. It erupted without any warning from the deep end of the catacombs.
It thundered and deafened, shaking everyone to their core. Blood spilled from everyone’s lips, and Wang Baole shuddered violently as the three Dark Fires inside his body wavered and became unstable. They almost extinguished.
As he lowered his head, he thought he could vaguely see a warped, translucent giant hand reaching out from the depths of the catacombs. It seemed to stretch endlessly towards where Wang Baole was, reaching out for him!
“Dark Child…” The voice howled. Its howl thundered and rang in the catacombs and drained all color from Wang Baole’s terrified face. He shouted back angrily.
“To hell with your shouting!” Wang Baole’s skull was about to explode with the terrible howling. He and the rest around him charged madly towards the catacombs’ entrance, but they were too late. The giant hand was too swift. It had been a distance away a moment ago, but in the next moment, it was but a hundred yards away from Wang Baole!
Everywhere it passed, it left catacomb walls frozen in ice. There would be waves of crackling as the giant hand approached, then after, ice everywhere.
It approached him and was about to catch up…
Wang Baole started heaving and was about to silently chant the scripture to fight back. It was then that they heard a snort over their heads. It erupted suddenly and without warning. Three silhouettes leaped across the crowd of people like lightning bolts, appearing behind their backs and before the giant hand that was about to grab them!
They were the Martian Colony Governor, the giant tree, and a red-haired elderly man dressed in military uniform. The three of them were all at the perfected Core Formation realm. Their cultivation erupted, and they joined forces as they clashed against the giant hand.
A thunderous boom erupted. It was deafening. The giant tree and the elder grunted under their breaths and retreated hastily. Only the Governor stood firm, raising her right hand. An enormous war hammer was instantly summoned and appeared in her hand. As soon as it appeared, its presence shook the heavens and earth. A force that paled only in comparison against the Divine Armament erupted. It was… a ninth-grade Dharmic Armament!
One hit from it seemed to shatter heaven and earth. The giant hand shuddered violently and split apart instantly. Only the howling remained, echoing in the catacombs. It seemed to be filled with hate and resentment, and it contained fury and madness.
“Go!” The Governor’s face was stern. After that single blow, she didn’t speak again and fell back hastily. She flung her sleeves and, together with the giant tree and the elder from the military, guarded Wang Baole and the tens of thousands of cultivators as they fled with increasing speed.
Their journey back was smooth and without obstacle. They immediately reached the entrance and charged out. When they reappeared in the open again, the Governor quickly formed a series of hand seals. The seal over the Divine Armament Catacombs erupted and once again sealed the catacombs shut.
Wang Baole’s heart was still racing after they escaped outside. He couldn’t help but stare at the Governor and her accompanying duo. He knew that the Governor had immediately teleported over after receiving his notice. If she hadn’t done so, the rescue mission would have been a complete disaster.
Supported by his fellow cultivators, Kong Dao swallowed a pill that prevented him from passing out despite his serious injuries. He knew that he had made a misstep this time and had narrowly avoided death. He also knew that if Wang Baole hadn’t come for him, it was likely… that he would have died in the catacombs.
He felt a complicated array of emotions regarding this. He didn’t know what to say to Wang Baole when he looked at him. He chose silence instead.
“Wang Baole, you’ve gone too far!” The Governor sealed the catacombs and turned on Wang Baole. There was fury in her eyes, and she had an extremely stern and disapproving expression on her face.
Wang Baole grimaced. He was about to speak when Kong Dao clenched his teeth and said softly.
“Governor, this entire incident is a result of my recklessness. It has nothing to do with Wang Baole…”
“Silence! So, you do know that you’ve been rash? What did I tell you before you came?” Without giving the Governor a chance to speak, the red-haired elder in military uniform flew into an instant rage. As the primary priest of the Martian military, he had a close friendship with Duan Muque. The reason Kong Dao was here on Mars was that he and Duan Muque had found him in the Sea of Beasts when he had been only a baby.
Kong Dao was clearly very important to the elder. That was why when he heard that Kong Dao had fallen into danger, he had immediately left his seclusion and joined the rescue party. Whilst he raged at Kong Dao, the elder still spared the occasional glance at Wang Baole. The expression he showed Wang Baole was different from what he was showing Kong Dao. It was colored with approval as well as gratitude.
The elder knew that if Wang Baole had waited for them to arrive before taking any action, Kong Dao… would have been dead by then.
Wang Baole blinked under the elder’s gaze. The Governor glared at Wang Baole again, then scolded Jin Duoming and Lin Tianhao. Finally, she said…
“This will never happen again!”
Wang Baole finally released a sigh of relief when he heard that. He realized that there was nothing he feared in the entire universe, except the Martian Colony Governor. He didn’t understand why…
He stepped forward hastily and was thinking about how best to suck up to the Governor when she snorted.
“You can stop that now. Put away that pitiful look on your face. Since I’m here, I’m going to check out how far the construction of the new city zone has progressed. If there’s anything not in order, you’re going to be punished!”
“Don’t worry, Governor. I won’t dare to make guarantees for anything else, but this definitely is in order. Your humble subordinate has been forgoing sleep and food for the past six months…” Wang Baole thumped his chest and immediately started rattling off. A glare from the Governor stopped him mid-track in his exaggerations. She didn’t say anything else, only walked ahead and started her inspection.
It was a detailed inspection but hardly slow-moving. The Governor’s cultivation often allowed her to identify any flaws or oversight with a mere glance. Within an hour, the Governor had found a few problem areas and instructed Wang Baole to resolve them quickly. She ended the inspection and left.
During the entire process, she hadn’t spared Li Yi a single glance, nor had she spoken a single word to the latter. She had seemed to have completely disregarded her presence. Li Yi, who had been expecting praise, had been stunned.
The red-haired elder had done the same. He had been stern towards Kong Dao, but towards Wang Baole, Lin Tianhao, and Jin Duoming, he had shown apparent approval. He had smiled and displayed friendliness towards the trio. He similarly ignored Li Yi. Before he left, he had given her a deep, meaningful look and snorted.
Li Yi had grown nervous. She hadn’t been able to control herself from sneaking a glance at the giant tree, but he remained silent. Then, just before they left, he sighed. He looked at Li Yi with an unfathomable look in his eyes, filled with thoughts he found difficult to express. There had been slight regret and a certain sense of speechlessness.
When he first arrived and noticed that Wang Baole and the others had entered the catacombs while Li Yi alone had remained outside, he had immediately known… that Li Yi had made a grievous mistake!
It would have been fine if there had been no basis for comparison, but that hadn’t been the case. Everyone knew that the relationship between Wang Baole and Kong Dao was strained. However, despite the tensions between them, Wang Baole hadn’t hesitated to put his life at risk in order to mount an immediate rescue.
Even though his actions might have revealed an impulsive nature, they were all young men and women. Some passion and impulse was essential. His actions might not have been appropriate, but he had gained points for his character in people’s hearts!
Li Yi, on the other hand, regardless of the reasons she might have had, chose not to follow them. She seemed to have made the right decision from the grand scheme of things; however, in reality, while what she had done wasn’t exactly wrong, she had lost points in the hearts of the people. In fact, she hadn’t simply lost a few points…
In the political landscape of the Federation, one’s character was key. Others’ impression of them were equally important. Often, it was important to accumulate points for one’s character.
This was especially so because of the special status Kong Dao held…
Li Yi started trembling under the giant tree’s gaze. She had grown pale gradually. Then, she had come to her senses and snuck a glance at Kong Dao. She then saw the look that Kong Dao had been giving Wang Baole. It was one filled with complicated emotions.
Even Jin Duoming had shaken his head inwardly. He had wondered if Li Yi had directed all the nutrients towards nourishing her body and had left her brains malnourished and inadequate.
Everything seemed to revert to normal after the Governor and the other two cultivators left. However, Li Yi could clearly feel herself being ostracized… Kong Dao hadn’t said anything, but the military cultivators under his supervision treated Li Yi more coldly compared to how they treated Wang Baole.
Lin Tianhao had been like this from the start. Though, Jin Duoming’s attitude towards her seemed to have grown less fervent…
Wang Baole, you must have done this intentionally! A sullen Li Yi returned to her residence. She gnashed her teeth as her eyes shone bright with hate and resentment. She swore that she would kick Wang Baole out and take his place!
While Li Yi swore vehemently under her breath, Wang Baole had just returned to his residence. He released a sigh of relief as a strange light glimmered in his eyes. He recalled what had happened in the catacombs earlier. The absorption by his devouring seed had enhanced his cultivation tremendously during that short period of time.
He couldn’t control himself. He started thinking. Then, he realized that while most of his mosquitoes had been destroyed after they had rescued Kong Dao, two remained… they were alive and were inside the catacombs right now!
Wang Baole relied on the two mosquitoes’ vision and saw the chill inside the catacombs rapidly dissipating. After everything returned to normal, he maneuvered the two mosquitoes, with slight difficulty, and got them to rapidly fly deeper into the catacombs. Slowly, they reached the end of the catacombs… where the wall was!