đź“– Chapter 1323 - Becoming Friends
“The new Wang Baole?” Sitting cross-legged deep beneath the purple desert, Wang Baole smiled.
This clone was indeed independent, and it had no relation to Wang Baole. At most, there would be some similarity in their laws of joy and ear’s desire.
But that didn’t matter. Those two laws were originally part of the World Realm, so they didn’t count.
There was only one real connection, and that was… that both had the same determination to sever their karma with the Emperor.
This was enough.
“I made him calmer and more decisive than me. Perhaps he will have a better chance of success.” Wang Baole stared at the departing clone for a while, then closed his eyes. If the clone succeeded, that would be for the best, but it didn’t really matter even if he failed. By the time that happened, Wang Baole himself would have already solved the problem with the laws of the outside world.
As long as some time passed, he would completely integrate with the laws of joy and ear’s desire. When that day came, he could head out by himself without worrying about being exposed.
Just like that, Wang Baole’s true body closed his eyes and immersed himself in cultivation, while his clone moved rapidly across the lands beyond the desert.
Unlike Wang Baole’s original body, who tried to stay low-key, the clone didn’t hesitate to unleash the full force of his Nascent Soul Realm cultivation base as he sped into the distance.
Wang Baole’s clone roamed aimlessly, with no particular location in mind. This vast world was completely unfamiliar to him, so he intended to find a native cultivator and ask for directions.
With this in mind, he flew through the air at top speed, and four days quickly passed. Over the course of these four days, he hadn’t seen a single cultivator.
On the fifth day, the purple soil beneath him gradually changed from a deep purple to a pale yellow. Green appeared as well, as vegetation popped up from time to time.
Sweeping his gaze casually across the ground, Wang Baole was about to keep moving forward when he suddenly looked to the right. In a distant forest, he suddenly sensed fluctuations of laws.
He narrowed his eyes and changed direction, heading straight for the forest. However, as soon as he got near, a whistling sound rang out.
Wang Baole’s legs didn’t move, but his upper body leaned back casually. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a black shadow flash past him. The shadow landed on the top of a giant tree not far away, revealing a person’s figure.
This person was an old man who was skinny like a monkey. He was wearing a black robe, and his cultivation base was in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. A green light flickered in his eyes as he squatted on the treetop and spoke to Wang Baole in a hoarse voice.
“Who’re you?”
“From Ancient Epoch City.” Wang Baole replied calmly without stating his name. His eyes glittered as he looked at the old man.
“Ancient Epoch City? You’re not welcome here. Leave immediately.” Narrowing his eyes, the old man licked his lips and responded in a sharp voice.
Wang Baole glanced back at him coldly, then stared at the forest in front of him. Obviously, the old man didn’t want him entering this forest. Wang Baole could sense three gazes in the forest staring at him with ill intent, and could also smell an odd aroma.
He didn’t know what kind of meat this aroma came from, but although it was very light, it made his stomach rumble. It was as if his body instinctively wanted to devour it.
Most likely, the old man and the three people inside the forest were guarding whatever was giving off the aroma. Wang Baole’s true body might have been interested, but as the cold and independent clone, he didn’t care.
“Give me a map of this area and I’ll leave.” Retracting his gaze, Wang Baole directly stated his intentions.
The old man in black frowned, feeling surprised and a little strange. After glancing at Wang Baole a few more times, he tossed out a jade slip. Wang Baole caught the jade slip, scanned it with his divine will, and turned to leave.
But before he could move more than a few dozen zhang, a deep voice suddenly rang out from the forest.
“Fellow Daoist from Ancient Epoch City, our meeting must be the work of fate. Do you want to come over and eat with us?”
At the same time, the old man in black seemed to receive a voice transmission. His eyes narrowed and he suddenly disappeared on the spot. When he reappeared, he was blocking Wang Baole’s way.
“What’s the meaning of this?” No expression could be seen on Wang Baole’s face.
“Nothing much. I just want to make a new friend.” The one who answered Wang Baole wasn’t the old man in black in front of him, but one of three cultivators flying out from the forest at this moment.
The three newcomers all looked middle-aged, and two of them had early-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivation. However, the one who had spoken was in the late stage.
As he looked at Wang Baole, his eyes shone with greed. Licking his lips, he was obviously full of ill intent.
“Oh.” Wang Baole didn’t seem surprised and nodded lightly. In that instant, he suddenly exploded with speed, moving far faster than just a moment ago. Before the four people could react, he had already grabbed the black-clothed old man’s neck and squeezed tightly. At the same time, his left knee shot upward and slammed into the old man’s crotch.
With a scream, the old man’s body was ripped to shreds, and his nascent soul was also destroyed. Only his head remained intact. Wang Baole turned to look at the three other cultivators and tossed the head over.
“Since we’re friends, I obviously have to give you a greeting gift. I was in a hurry and didn’t have anything prepared, so let’s just use this head. Do you like it?”
The two early-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivators instinctively took a few steps backward, looking at Wang Baole with fear in their eyes.
This person, who could instantly kill a fellow Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, was definitely someone who couldn’t be provoked.
Even the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator felt his heart pound. Taking a deep breath, he plastered a warmhearted smile on his face and spoke while cupping his fists.
“Fellow Daoist, you’re too kind. This gift is excellent indeed. I have an exotic creature cooking in the forest, as well as some fine wine. Please, join us!”
Wang Baole didn’t move. Instead, he smiled lightly at the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
“Since we’re friends, you should also give me a greeting gift, don’t you think?” As he spoke, he glanced at the necks of the two early-stage cultivators who had stepped backward.
Noticing Wang Baole’s gaze, the two early-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivators both paled. They stumbled backward again, cultivation bases ready to go at any moment.
The late-stage cultivator’s expression also changed. After glancing at his two companions, his heart pounded heavily. He asked himself – if it were him, could he have so cleanly killed the middle-stage Nascent Soul Realm old man so quickly and easily? He couldn’t. Thus, it was obvious that he was no match for the man in front of him.
His group was the first to show ill intent. If he didn’t handle this well, he probably wouldn’t make it out of here alive. Thus, he gritted his teeth and took out a token.
“This is the entry token for Tongue’s Desire City. It has two uses remaining. Is this enough for a gift?”