I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Chapter 744: 745
 

“If you dare kill me, the Punishment Squad will surely come after you!”

The faces of the young men and women turned exceedingly ugly.

“Heh heh, even if we kill you, what of it? As long as this young master does a few good deeds afterwards, I can rest easy without worry. Moreover, I never said I would kill you with my own hands!”

The youth laughed heartily, clapped his hands, and a servant led out a gigantic bird from the bushes, its feathers a brilliant red and its eyes ablaze with murderous intent.

“This is my mount. It shall be the one to end your lives.”

“You can’t do this!”

“If the Great Flame Dynasty finds out, you too will lose your life!”

“Let us go, and you can take the Demonic Beast!”

Their faces changed dramatically, not expecting the youth to have prepared so thoroughly, planning from start to finish not to dirty his own hands.

As they got up to flee, the youth’s expression darkened, and he immediately gave the command, “Kill them!”

“Roar!”

The fiery red giant bird screeched, its cries reverberating through the sky, as it spewed forth a scorching flame that swept through a large swath of the jungle, enveloping the group of young men and women. In but a moment, only several charred corpses remained.

From the void, a large number of Spirit Stones rained down from the heavens, mixed with some Magic Treasures, all of which had burst forth from the cultivators’ Dantians.

“I didn’t expect this bunch to be so wealthy. These Spirit Stones should be enough for this young master to cultivate for some time.”

A glint of greed flashed in the youth’s eyes. He waved his hand, ready to gather all these resources, but at that moment, a whizzing sound approached, and a blood-colored tentacle stabbed towards his body, sending a strong sense of crisis that instinctively made him roll on the ground, narrowly escaping the attack.

“Hmm? To actually avoid it, you do have some skill.”

Li Xiaobai and his group slowly emerged from the bushes, their faces wearing a calm smile.

“Who are you people, daring to ambush our young master? Are you seeking death?”

Several disciples from the Great Flame Dynasty regained their composure, their faces filled with fury.

“Heh heh, ever heard of ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’? You think you’re the cunning oriole, yet have no clue that behind the oriole, there’s a hunter!”

The Kraken laughed sinisterly, its face contorted, its body emanating a menacing aura.

“So it’s you. To think you are all but Half-step Human Immortals, daring to openly attack the Inner Sect Disciples of the Great Flame Dynasty within the Demonic Beast Mountain Range. Who gave you the nerve?”

The youth sensed their cultivation levels and his heart suddenly eased, regaining his composure.

“The world of cultivation is one of survival of the fittest, where only the strong can live. This rule is the same everywhere. Today, I shall give you a lesson to let you comprehend the harshness of this world. In the next life, if you are reborn, you better grow more watchful!”

Li Xiaobai chuckled, returning to the youth the very words he had just said.

Behind him, the massive Heart of the Blood Demon emerged, countless tentacles swarming forth, enveloping the group of disciples in front of him, effortlessly piercing their foreheads, shattering their Primordial Spirits, and in an instant, dessicating them completely.

At the same time, a blood-red glow burst forth above their heads, and the Sin Value increased to a thousand.

“You… You actually dare to kill directly!”

“Could it be that you’re not afraid of being pursued and killed by the cultivators of the Punishment Squad?”

The youth’s complexion turned to one of sheer terror. He wanted to continue with threatening words, but when he saw the gigantic blood-red heart behind his opponent, he suddenly went weak at the knees and collapsed to the ground, the heart bringing back some long-forgotten memories.

“This… This is the Heart of the Blood Demon!”

“`

“You are all followers of the Demon Path!”

He still remembered his childhood, when he first began his cultivation training, and how his parents would always issue a multitude of warnings whenever he ventured outside. They cautioned that a certain kind of cultivator belonged to the Demon Path, committing acts of murder, violence, and cruelty without restraint. Among these, the Blood Demon Sect was the most notorious, their Heart of the Blood Demon sending countless sects throughout the Central Origin Realm into trepidation. Whenever he was away from home, he was told never to casually befriend strange cultivators.

At first, he took it as a joke. As he grew older, he grew tired of such nagging, and when his parents passed away, the admonishments ceased, and he completely discarded the legend from his mind. After all, in over ten years of cultivating, he had never once encountered these so-called followers of the Demon Path.

But he never expected that today, he would encounter them. Wasn’t the blood-red heart behind that young man exactly the same as the Heart of the Blood Demon his parents used to warn him about?

Looking at the blood-red Sin Value above the young man’s head, it was clear he didn’t take it seriously at all. This was a genuine follower of the Demon Path!

“Hmm? You seem quite well-informed. I will take that as your last words. You may die now.”

Li Xiaobai waved his hand, and in the blink of an eye, several tentacles pierced the young man’s brow, shriveling him into a dried husk. A large number of Immortal Stones and Magic Treasures fell to the ground, obviously not cheap by any means.

“Boy, why do you act so fast? Let this lord take action too!”

Kraken spoke with dissatisfaction.

“Hehehe, I want to kill people too!” Ji Wuqing also said.

“Sin Value is not something to be taken lightly. I suggest that if you want to kill, you should at least wait until you’ve reached the Human Immortal Realm. Otherwise, without any self-preservation abilities, you could easily get killed,” Li Xiaobai said indifferently.

“Hmph, just give this lord a few more days of cultivation, and I will definitely break through the Human Immortal Realm!”

With a fierce tone, Kraken spoke, its progress not slow, but still nowhere near as fast as Li Xiaobai’s by countless factors.

“Young Master Li, are you interested in hitting a big score?”

The old beggar gazed at the corpses and resources on the ground as he spoke.

“Hmm? Senior, what are you suggesting?”

Li Xiaobai asked, puzzled.

The old beggar gave a mysterious smile: “Hehe, have you ever heard of ‘money begets money’?”

…

After the time it took to brew a cup of tea.

On the outskirts of the Demonic Beast mountain range, by a river.

The terrain here was level, with wide open views and clear air. It was a spot where many cultivators passing by would stop to take a rest.

A few groups of cultivators on a training expedition were preparing to land there for a short pause, to arrange their thoughts. Just then, the sounds of fierce fighting came from the riverbank.

“Something’s happening!”

“Conceal your aura and keep quiet!”

The leading woman made a shushing gesture, guiding her team slowly towards the riverbank, and the other small groups did the same.

Peeking over carefully, they saw several bodies lying in disarray by the river, with Magic Treasures and Immortal Stones scattered all around.

An old beggar, dressed in tattered clothing, was entangled in a fight with a beautiful woman wearing golden armor and wielding a long staff, their Immortal Spirit Qi causing intense turbulence, making it hard to predict the outcome.

The situation was quite clear – two cultivators were engaged in a fight to the death over looting treasures!

Seeing this, the eyes of everyone present lit up. The Magic Treasures and Immortal Stones on the ground were too numerous to count; if they could claim a portion, they might be able to use this opportunity to significantly improve their abilities.

Moreover, the two quivering figures by the riverbank had only reached the cultivation level of Half-step Human Immortal, easily extinguishable with a simple gesture!

“`