688 Grandmatron? (2/2)

\”You little rascal, still not dead? You holding up alright?\”

Wang Baole felt a surge of warmth upon hearing Li Xingwen's voice. He set his voice transmission to play through the speaker, then spoke at his voice transmission ring.

\”I thank the grandmaster for his concern. Please, do not worry. Baole will carry out his duties as you have commanded. I'll deliver the grandmatron to safety on Venus even if it kills me!\”

There was a clear pause on Li Xingwen's end. He spoke again after a few seconds of silence, his voice gentle.

\”Baole, you've done a good job. Your grandmatron means everything to me. I haven't been eating or sleeping this entire time, worrying myself sick over your grandmatron' safety.\”

Feng Qiuran's breathing grew uneven when she heard those words ringing out from the voice transmission ring. A myriad of emotions flashed across her eyes, and a strange look settled on her face. Wang Baole couldn't help but approve of the old fellow. Those were indeed the quick reflexes of someone who had once been the president of the Federation. He had guessed correctly from Wang Baole addressing Feng Qiuran as Grandmatron that the voice transmission had been put on speaker.

\”Baole, I'm on the way. You have to protect your grandmatron and be careful of the Never-Ending Clan… Baole, I'm going to owe you a huge favor for this. I…\” Li Xingwen's voice was filled with agitation, anticipation, and his desire to see Feng Qiuran as soon as possible. He didn't have a chance to express those feelings fully. Wang Baole was feeling increasingly awkward when Feng Qiuran finally coughed. She couldn't take it any longer either.

\”Li Xingwen…\”

\”Qiuran!\” The sound of a chair being overturned rang out from the voice transmission ring. It was followed by Li Xingwen's voice. He was beside himself with emotion.

\”Li Xingwen, you…\”

\”How are you doing, Qiuran? Are you tired? Have you been hurt anywhere? Do you feel any discomfort? Don't worry, I'll take care of you after you arrive in the Federation. I'll make sure those who made you suffer pay for it, even if it kills me!\”

Feng Qiuran was rendered speechless by Li Xingwen's passionate declaration. She had lived through war. It had aged her. Love had become a foreign, distant thing. His declaration had shaken her deeply, causing her face to flush ever so faintly. Wang Baole coughed softly. Li Xingwen was behaving like a lovesick fool. That didn't stop him from eavesdropping, though.

Li Xingwen knew Wang Baole very well. He immediately told Wang Baole to hand the voice transmission ring to Feng Qiuran. Wang Baole had no choice but to obey. With the voice transmission ring in hand, Feng Qiuran quickly deactivated the speaker mode, switching to private voice transmissions instead.

Wang Baole had no idea what Li Xingwen said, but Feng Qiuran's face seemed a lot redder to Wang Baole's curious eyes when she finally ended the conversation with Li Xingwen. The look in her eyes was no longer as lost. Faith and confidence had replaced it.

Something stirred inside Wang Baole. He opened his mouth and tried the new string of words on for size.

\”Grandmatron Qiuran?\”

Feng Qiuran raised her head and glared at Wang Baole. She didn't reject the new form of address, though. Instead, she adjusted the direction the shuttle was heading, then spoke hurriedly, as if nothing had happened.

\”Your grandmaster has shared the route with me. Based on this route, it should take us about two days to reach the destination and meet up with them. After that…\” The expression on Wang Baole's face suddenly shifted. He lifted his head suddenly. A bright, red light appeared above them and transformed into a sea of red that enveloped their shuttle instantly!

Beyond the sea of red, space distorted itself as an entire fleet of Dao Palace battleships appeared. There were more than ten thousand of them. Each one was shooting out a bright red light. That was what had created the sea of red and trapped Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran's shuttle!

The worst had yet to come. Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran shook with alarm as four distinct spirit energy signatures erupted from the mass of Dao Palace battleships… radiating Soul Conduit realm cultivations!