517 A Strange Place! (1/2)

A cry for help? Wang Baole stopped in his tracks. He lowered his head and studied the regional Spirit Internet jade slip carefully. He stared at the SOS signal that kept transmitting without stopping.

He could hear the despair in the transmission. He could sense an undying desire to live in the midst of death, the mad desire to survive. The Federation Seedling began to weep and beg as Wang Baole checked the transmission. He began uttering promises. Regardless, no one responded in the chat group.

The regional Spirit Internet had distance-based constraints. Since this Federation Seedling was trapped in the depths of the sword body, Wang Baole was probably the only other Federation Seedling in the vicinity.

”It's Fang Mu…” Wang Baole muttered softly. The image of a young man appeared in his mind. He recalled that he wasn't that familiar with this person. They were mere acquaintances who nodded their heads at each other when they passed each other by. In fact, during the specialized training for Federation Seedlings, Fang Mu had ganged up with quite a few other disciples to ambush him.

Subsequently, with him heading to Mars, their paths no longer crossed. Their limited interaction had only started again when they had arrived on the ancient greenish-bronze sword. However, Wang Baole seemed to recall that Fang Mu was friendlier towards Li Yi.

However, everyone was still a cultivator of the Federation. They were obliged to help one another in foreign lands. If he weren't at the sword body now but at the sword handle, Wang Baole wouldn't have hesitated to extend a helping hand. However… he was at the sword body now. This cry for help seemed slightly suspicious.

Fang Mu's cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment realm. How is he able to enter the sword body? Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He had been here for quite some time and had a deep understanding of how dangerous this place was. After some thought, Wang Baole didn't mount a rescue immediately. Instead, he replied in the group chat.

”Fang Mu? Why are you here?”

Fang Mu seemed to have reached the peak of despair. He was clearly stunned to hear someone speaking in the chat group. Then, excited and overjoyed, he quickly sent a voice transmission in the chat group.

”Baole? Save me. Baole, save me. Five fellow Daoists and I from the Waterfront Island were forced by the Island Lord to come here and search through one of the ruins. We encountered a hex. The Island Lord was despicable. While the rest were killed, he found an inner sect disciple's identity token and ran off!”

Wang Baole stared at the transmission in the chat group. He began to frown. There was nothing wrong with what Fang Mu had said. Everything seemed to make sense, but he couldn't help the doubt in his heart.

There's something quite strange going on… Wang Baole narrowed his eyes as he thought. He revealed none of his suspicions in the chat group though and got Fang Mu to send over his coordinates.

He soon received Fang Mu's location. He checked and realized that Fang Mu was fewer than ten miles away from him. He was extremely near. Wang Baole's suspicions deepened. It might not have been so suspicious if they were separated by a considerable distance, but for Fang Mu to be located so near him, and near the borders…

Could it be so coincidental… Everything seems to be leading me towards him. Wang Baole's eyes flashed. He took a step forward. Instead of hurrying over to where Fang Mu was, he continued flying towards the defensive barrier, intent on leaving this place.

As for mounting a rescue—the appearance of Fang Mu in the sword body was already questionable and invited suspicions. Regardless of how well he had explained his situation, Wang Baole knew very well the importance of caution in a foreign environment. He was no saint. He wasn't going to risk his life out of overwhelming empathy to save someone.

It might be cruel and cold-blooded, but Wang Baole decided to ignore the cry for help. The cries for help in the chat group grew more frantic. It didn't take long before Wang Baole began to frown.

He realized… he was lost!

He had clearly seen the defensive barrier ahead of him earlier. When he looked ahead now, the defensive barrier turned into a blur, then disappeared. Wang Baole immediately raised his guard. He went around the area. After advancing for a short while, he stopped once again. He stared at the mist that had appeared out of thin air, soundlessly, before him. He frowned. Then, he pulled out the regional Spirit Internet jade slip and stared at the coordinates that Fang Mu had sent over.

”This is interesting.” He muttered, his pupils contracting as soon as he saw the coordinates