687 A Sea of Stars! (1/2)
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?\”