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

The pupils of the line of people were trembling, their assailants reduced to ash in a flash, and the man before them struck fear into their hearts.

With such strength and cultivation level, they had encountered him on the periphery—it wasn’t just them who would be unqualified to speak to such a being, even the City Lord would not be worthy.

“We came from the vanguard camp…”

The woman leading the group spoke with a trembling voice, even the ice mountain that was she felt immense terror, her heart seemingly ready to leap out of her chest.

The pitch-black flames and the casual attitude in annihilating enemies made her feel a chill deep in her soul—such a being, she had only seen on the first battlefield!

And even then it was from a far distance, the powerful aftershocks of the battle still caused her heart to pound with residual fear.

The other guards tried to position themselves in front of the woman, but alas, their lower legs were cramping, and after several attempts they were utterly unable to move even a step.

Seeing this scene, Ji Wuqing’s spirits lifted.

“Kukuk, no matter where you come from, follow me from now on, and I assure you safety and peace!”

Ji Wuqing said indifferently.

“This… thank you, Lord Chicken!”

Looking at the chicken before them, the people did not dare to show any negligence, as this was the offspring of a peerless powerhouse—they could not afford to offend and must be honored.

“Hmm, not bad, quite obedient. Rest assured, you’ll be as safe here as if you were back home; nothing will happen to you.”

Ji Wuqing, quite familiar with the routine, flapped its wings and spoke with a smile.

Li Xiaobai glanced at it, not only did this creature love showing off, but it also had a brain that wasn’t quite sharp, asking all kinds of no-brainer questions, with no technical content whatsoever, simply lowering his own standards.

He felt somewhat embarrassed to be associated with this thing.

“Thank you, Lord Chicken…”

The woman in the lead was extremely tense, her focus remaining on Li Xiaobai throughout the entire time, not paying any mind to what Ji Wuqing had said.

She knew that the man before her was a bona fide master, one who could determine her life and death with a single word.

“Who are you, what is this vanguard camp, and why were those people chasing you? Explain in detail.”

Li Xiaobai spoke slowly, casually waving his hand to keep the surrounding black flames at bay.

“I am Yang Huan, daughter of City Lord Yang Guang. Is this your first time at the frontier, sir?”

The woman’s expression shifted as if she had guessed something.

“Indeed, it’s my first time in No-Man’s Land. Unfamiliar with the place, I had to burn through most of the wilderness before finding you cultivators.”

Li Xiaobai nodded, acknowledging that he did not know of a Yang Guang.

The numerous guards were speechless in their minds—burning through most of the wilderness, can a person even do such a thing?

And to speak of it so casually, as if it were nothing more than a small task, just who was this young man, springing out like an old monster from nowhere?

“Sir, this area is the periphery of the frontier where Flesh Mountains mostly consist of lower-level life forms, which pose not much trouble to cultivators, and hence the cultivators do not waste much time here but defend deeper areas against stronger Flesh Mountains.”

The woman’s demeanor became even more respectful, if the man was not a local big shot in the frontier, it meant he had no standing here, and she wanted to pull him to her side as much as possible.

“As for the vanguard camp, it’s the advance force for a small battlefield ahead. There are many such small battlefields, and we are mainly responsible for scouting the strength and distribution of Flesh Mountains in the battlefield. Also, during combat, we are the troop that charges at the forefront.”

Li Xiaobai understood, so it was a forlorn hope; frontline fodder doomed to be among the first to fall in battle.

And they were truly fodder with such weak cultivation.

“Then who were those people just now, and why did they try to kill you?”

Li Xiaobai continued to ask.

“My lord, those were cultivators from the same battlefield, trying to snatch the military authority from the hands of the young lady to expand their own forces, hence the scene earlier, which embarrassed us before you.”

Li Xiaobai nodded, he understood that the situation in this borderland was not as free as he had imagined.

In places where there really were strong Flesh Mountains, cultivators were always entrenched and guarding. Only in these peripheral areas, which were not taken seriously, would they be left alone to make trouble without supervision.

“What is the strength of the Flesh Mountain in the battlefield you are guarding?”

“Very strong. We have lost many brothers at the Golden Core Stage, and even one at the Nascent Soul Stage has been wounded or killed.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Huan’s heart was filled with joy. If this great cultivator before them was willing to help them eliminate the Flesh Mountain, it would be a breeze.

However, Li Xiaobai’s next words left her speechless.

“Golden Core Stage? Nascent Soul Stage? There are cultivators at such low levels in the borderlands?”

“That’s too weak, isn’t it?”

The crowd’s faces turned awkward, especially for the several guards who were all at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Stage. They used to be respected within the team, but now they were being called weaklings by someone else.

But there was nothing they could do, for it was a big shot who was speaking.

In front of a big shot, everyone is a weakling.

“Cough cough, my lord, although our cultivation levels may not amount to much in the borderlands, the backbone of the battlefield will always be these cultivators with weaker cultivation levels.”

Yang Huan coughed a few times, slowly speaking.

“Hmm, not bad, defending the country, all are heroes. Indeed, one should not judge solely by cultivation level; I was impertinent.”

Li Xiaobai nodded, his face solemn, remembering the words once spoken by Tian Ba.

These cultivators had all gathered here to encircle the Mainland, and even though their power was meager, what they did was indeed great.

“It is the junior’s strength that is too feeble to be considered by my seniors.”

Yang Huan hurriedly said.

“Which battlefields are nearby? Take me to see them one by one.”

Li Xiaobai said indifferently, hands clasped behind his back.

“Please follow me, my lord!”

Yang Huan was ecstatic. The big shot actually agreed to join them. This was like a godsend boon.

With the big shot joining them, their brothers would not need to fight life and death battles on the battlefield anymore.

She waved her hand, and all the guards, now regaining their senses, were overjoyed. With the big shot’s help, they no longer needed to fear every day!

What day was this?

They actually managed to encounter such a legendary existence!

With a thought from Li Xiaobai, the raging fires instantly split to both sides, and the crowd hurriedly stepped forward to lead the way. They were even more shocked that he could tear apart the sea of flames so casually, and they had not felt the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Power. Such cultivation level was incredibly powerful.

Li Xiaobai hung back from afar, the sea of fire still raged behind him, and the group ahead felt incredibly tense. Since the big shot showed no sign of using his cultivation level to speed up the journey, they dared not fly with the wind. But traveling on foot was too slow, and the spreading fire behind them was nerve-wracking.

“Cluck cluck, kiddo, this flame is mighty fierce. How did you do it? Give me some too?”

“Sure, here’s some for you.”

A wisp of pitch-black flame streaked by, and Ji Wuqing’s body instantly turned into a charred silhouette, tumbling to the ground.

Li Xiaobai extended his hand to pick it up and held him close, his expression indifferent, having never heard such a rude request.