A World Worth Protecting

Wang Baole’s memories regarding the commencement of this journey were blurry. It seemed that his dream had seemed too real, which made everything around him now seem familiar yet foreign to him.

On their way back, after he had sung the Soul Song repeatedly, Wang Baole gazed at the starlit heavens. He couldn’t help but think of his dream.

He could vaguely remember that he had really appeared to be the most good looking person in the Federation. He had even had a few romantic partners. Like Bunny, like Zhao Yameng, like Li Wan’er, like Li Yi, like Li Xiu…

That’s not right, Li Yi wasn’t one of them! Wang Baole thought for a bit. He was slightly confused. He remembered Li Xiu was a man, but his memories weren’t clear. This sent him reeling back in shock. He was both doubtful and afraid.

That’s impossible… in my dreams… no, I, Wang Baole, am not that sort of person! Wang Baole twitched in fear. He tried to remember what had happened in his dream. He gradually recalled something. He remembered that Li Xiu was only the brother of one of his confidants. That made him sigh with relief.

However, as the memories of his dream surfaced, waves of unwillingness and nostalgia surfaced in his heart unknowingly. They were feelings for his parents in his dream, his friends, his romantic partners, and the Federation…

It’s only a dream… Wang Baole sighed in his heart. The elder standing in front of him turned and stared at Wang Baole. He said softly.

“Baole, are you still thinking about the Federation in your dream?”

Upon hearing that, Wang Baole lifted his head and looked at his master. He thought for a bit, then asked, “Master, why do people dream? This dream about the Federation felt too real…”

The elder stared at Wang Baole. There was tender love on his face. He patted Wang Baole on the head, then spoke kindly.

“Baole, as a Dark Child, you must know that there are no dreams in this world. What you see as a dream… is but another you!”

“Another me?” Wang Baole was slightly confused. He was about to question further when he looked down at his master’s hand and saw a finger vanishing. He immediately forgot all about his dream. He gasped and shouted.

“Master, your finger…”

The elder lowered his head and looked at his finger. He smiled. There was no hint of surprise or shock in his eyes. When he gazed at Wang Baole again, the kindness in his eyes grew.

“It’s alright, this is an old wound.”

Wang Baole wanted to pursue the matter, but the elder had already turned around. He moved the lantern oar and set the boat drifting into the distance. Slowly, it began to cross the heavens. A long time passed… before a dazzling starlit zone appeared around them.

This field of stars was littered with dazzling planets. The planets numbered in the millions!

On each planet was an illusory gate many times larger than the planet. They stood on each planet and seemed to all look the same. Every gate exuded an ancient aura and looked majestic, providing a spectacular sight.

From afar, one would see endless planets and hence endless gates… Rivers of souls flowed through every illusory gate, circling the field of stars.

There was a large horde of cultivators flying around in the skies. They seemed to be both guides and guards. They bowed respectfully towards Wang Baole’s master when they saw the latter. It was clear from their eyes that they respected the elder deeply and genuinely.

The elder found it difficult to return each greeting, only nodding slightly. He spoke softly, as if to himself and at the same time, as if trying to explain something.

“This is the Gate of Rebirth!”

“The Gate of Rebirth…” Wang Baole murmured. He was filled with awe. The boat had brought them to the center of this galactic domain, and in the middle of it was… an immense and vast planet that exceeded the size of the Solar System!

When Wang Baole saw this planet, shock and awe surged through him.

The planet was simply too big. It was speckled with bright, even colors, and a large horde of souls flew out from within the planet. From afar, it looked like the source of the Dark River. The souls that departed from it formed a river that spread and split into smaller streams. They flowed through the multiple Gates of Rebirth around the planet!

“This is the responsibility of the Dark Sect—rebirth!” The elder’s calm voice rang out. Wang Baole had long since been blown away by the sight before him. He stared with wide eyes and an open mouth until the boat entered the planet that was the size of the Solar System. He then saw countless vast mountains and rivers on the surface of this planet. There was also… a palace that stretched endlessly into the horizon!

In the distant lands, he could see miles and miles of beasts. They didn’t seem violent at all. They appeared to be peaceful beasts, and they were aiding the cultivators in constructing… a majestic stone monument!

The stone monument seemed to be in the beginning stages of construction. Despite that, it already seemed to stretch into the skies. It was a spectacular sight!

Countless Dark Sect cultivators wandered the planet and in the field of stars. Everything felt strange and unfamiliar to Wang Baole, but he kept telling himself that these were all familiar to him. The two vastly different feelings clashed inside him. His breathing grew uneven, and he felt lost and confused most of the time.

Finally, his master’s boat brought him to the highest mountain range on this planet. Palaces were in groups, spanning the entire width of the horizon with no end in sight. It wasn’t only the land that was littered with countless grand halls and cultivators; the skies were the same. Countless palaces floated in the skies, and countless cultivators made their way around them. Enormous, Kun Peng-like beasts swam in the skies.

Every single thing sent waves of intense emotion through Wang Baole. He didn’t even notice that his master had landed the boat outside a palace and had left him. It was only when a voice protested in his ear that Wang Baole finally returned to reality.

“Why are there so many this round? We’re going to be so busy. Baole, why are you in a daze? It’s not like you haven’t seen this before. Quick, come over and help me!” It was a youth who spoke to him. He wore black robes, and there were freckles on his face. The expression on his face was one of exasperation. He stared at the sky and at the wide river formed from the great crowd of souls that Ming Kunzi had ferried over and sighed.

Wang Baole turned his head hastily. A familiar feeling rose from his memory as he looked at the youth. He could tell that this was his senior brother, so he hurried over. Only, he didn’t know what to do. After some hesitation, he asked, “Senior Brother, what should I do?”

“Are you trying to shirk your duties again? Baole, there are too many dead souls this round. Your senior brother won’t be able to handle them all, so you can’t sneak off again this time!” The youth grabbed Wang Baole’s arm and pulled him into a great hall that was half the size of a city. It was expansive, and it had nine statues erected inside, one of which was a statue of Ming Kunzi!

It was clear that the other eight statues held the same status as Ming Kunzi… they were of the other Grand Elders of the Dark Sect!

In the center of the nine statues were bronze mirrors the size of a man. There were countless mirrors—at least a million of them. Before every bronze mirror sat a Dark Sect cultivator, who drew continuously in front of the mirror…

Amongst the million or so bronze mirrors, two mirrors stood out. They were not only bigger, but they were of a different color. The rest were all bronze while these two were purple. They seemed to be the primary mirrors!

Wang Baole was yanked along by his senior brother. They swept past the greetings from the rest and arrived before the two main mirrors. His senior brother seemed determined not to let him escape.

Wang Baole’s head swelled. Everything around him seemed foreign yet familiar, but he really didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. He scratched his head and asked again.

“Senior Brother, what exactly should I do?”

The youth with freckles on his face gave Wang Baole a deep, long look. He asked softly.

“Baole, don’t you know how to draw the Corpse Face?”

Corpse Face! Wang Baole shuddered. He stared at the purple mirror before him. He could see a soul forming in the mirror. It cupped its fists towards Wang Baole, and its face was formless and without features…

“Baole, don’t do a hasty job. When souls arrive here, the faces of their past lives would gradually fade away. You have to listen to the guidance of the Heavenly Dao and draw them a new face. What you draw will determine what they will be born with in their next life!” Having said that, the youth ignored Wang Baole. He used his finger as a brush and painted the face on the dead soul in the mirror.

Wang Baole’s breathing grew uneven. He naturally knew how to perform the Dark Corpse Face Art. What he didn’t know was whether he had originally known how to do it, or if he had learned it in his dream. His memories were in a mess. He could see the dead soul waiting, so he set his thoughts aside and lifted his right hand. He shut his eyes. The Dark Corpse Face Art, which he had learned, appeared in his mind.

First, the Corpse Eyebrow, then the Corpse Eyes, followed by the Corpse Nose and the Corpse Lips, finally forming… the Corpse Face!

A moment later, Wang Baole opened his eyes. Just as right index finger was about to land as he began to start painting, a sudden consciousness descended in his mind. He could somehow see a baby girl being born on a planet. He could see her entire life, from birth to death…

This wasn’t the soul’s past life, but that of its next!

He couldn’t clearly discern its fate, but he could see what it was supposed to look like. Its face… etched itself into his mind as a force guided his hand. Slowly, he began to draw…