632 A First Look! (2/2)
Daoist You Ran contemplated for a moment, then nodded.
”I agree with Mie Liezi's suggestion. The battleship's appearance is suspicious. However, even if there are surviving Never-Ending Clan members after the war, their level of cultivation shouldn't be very high. Otherwise, they wouldn't choose to reappear now. I believe we should strike!”
Upon hearing Daoist You Ran's words, Mie Liezi turned and stared at Wang Baole. Feng Qiuran did the same. They waited for Wang Baole's reply.
Wang Baole thought silently. Both Mie Liezi and Daoist You Ran had reached an agreement on this matter. Feng Qiuran might say otherwise, but this matter concerned her father. Her views on the matter required no vocalization on her part.
They might have given him a choice, but Wang Baole knew that he had only one option he could choose.
Wang Baole maintained his silence, and a decision was made. All Nascent Soul realm cultivators and a great majority of Core Formation realm cultivators from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace would participate in the mission. They would be split into three teams, led by the three Soul Conduit realm cultivators, in a mission to infiltrate and investigate the battleship!
The size of the battleship demanded such a big group of people to search the ship. That would enable them to conduct a swift rescue. The three Soul Conduit realm cultivators also informed the entire Dao Palace about the cries of help, as well as the appearance of the battleship at the border between the sword body and the sword handle. The news sent the entire sect into an uproar.
The Dao Palace prepared sufficiently for the mission. They activated the array formation that kept its treasures under lock and key and retrieved a few Explosive Teleportation Talismans. Everyone was also given a Teleportation Talisman, which could be used anytime to teleport away.
The prices of several Dharmic treasures and pills were also lowered so that everyone could stock up on both quickly.
Finally, Mie Liezi announced that they would leave in seven days. Everyone participating in the mission went into short-term seclusion in order to maintain their condition at peak performance.
Seven days passed. The Dao Palace bustled with commotion as an array formation was activated. Hundreds of cultivators flew into the sky, transforming into rainbows that charged furiously towards the battleship!
Amongst them were the personal disciples of Feng Qiuran and Daoist You Ran. However, there were also familiar faces absent in the crowd, such as Dugu Lin, Zhuo Yifan, the giant tree, and Sect Lord Xu. The Sect Lord was the only Nascent Soul realm cultivator who wasn't participating in the mission. Wang Baole had fought hard for him to stay out of the mission. The only other Federation cultivators joining Wang Baole on the mission were Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao.
They had to take part because they had acquired official Dao Palace discipleships. Their names had been recorded in the Dao Plate, and they were able to establish resonance with the ancient greenish-bronze sword's array formation. They were the contact points between the cultivators inside and outside the battleship once the mission party boarded the ship.
If Wang Baole and the others had been traveling on their own for this mission, they would have required multiple teleportations in order to cover the distance. The time required would be immense. However, with the entire Dao Palace activated and with array formations supporting the mission, everyone's speed was augmented to an incredible degree. It took them a mere two days before they saw… the enormous battleship straddling the border!
Wang Baole was shaken to the core at the sight of the battleship, left gasping. It was enormous. The three disks that formed the body of the battleship were like planets, and they each seemed to harbor a world.
Power emanated from the battleship. The Core Formation realm cultivators shook, fear instinctively rising inside them.
Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao were similarly affected. However, they had the protection of their Dao Palace discipleship status. They were better able to acclimate themselves to being inside the ancient greenish-bronze sword's array formation as compared to the others. Even so, their faces still looked slightly pale.
The Nascent Soul realm cultivators weren't faring much better. Only the three Soul Conduit realm cultivators and Wang Baole seemed unaffected. The Soul Conduit realm cultivators were powerful enough and already on the verge of a breakthrough to the next level of cultivation. Wang Baole, on the other hand, was an adopted disciple. He was able to fight against the suppressive force after his cultivation was augmented by the array formation.
”As planned, we will split three-ways here and attempt to infiltrate the battleship. Our priority is rescue, but should things go south, activate your Teleportation Talisman immediately and evacuate!” Feng Qiuran took a deep breath and gazed at everyone. She outlined the details of the mission solemnly. Wang Baole nodded, and the group began to divide into their smaller teams.
They were split into their respective factions, with the three cultivators from the Federation joining Feng Qiuran's team. After the teams had been split, they were ready to move. Before the teams dashed off in their separate directions, Daoist You Ran reminded everyone solemnly.
”Everyone should be mentally prepared. Technically speaking, the talismans should work inside the battleship, but we can't guarantee that they will. Based on what I've found out in the past few days, it is challenging to enter an Never-Ending Clan battleship. There were accounts of intruders who successfully entered but then were teleported out again.
”This is the Never-Ending Clan battleship's defense mechanism. That's why should you fail and be teleported out, gather here first. We will regroup and discuss how to proceed next.”