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

Chapter 347: 348: Frontier Secrets

Li Xiaobai exclaimed, feeling a pang in his heart as the bitter wine went down his throat, remarkable indeed for someone with his extraordinary defensive power to feel such heartache.

Giving is only courtesy in return. With a flick of his wrist, he presented a Huazi.

“Elder, try this. It’s called Huazi, and it’s very refreshing when smoked.”

Song Que, imitating Li Xiaobai’s manner, clamped the Huazi in his mouth and casually produced a flame to light it, took a small puff, and began to exhale swirling smoke.

But in an instant, he was stunned. With that single puff, he felt as if his internal organs were cleansed, his Spiritual Platform much purified, and the puzzling issues from his cultivation path seemed to resolve themselves!

With just a bit more contemplation, his strength might just increase slightly again.

“What is this thing? It actually has such an effect!”

Song Que’s face showed great surprise. As a master at the Mahayana Realm, his cultivation and strength were among the elite. Logically, nothing in this world except Immortal Spirit Qi should be able to affect him so.

Yet here was a mere Huazi taken casually by Li Xiaobai, bestowing him an instant enlightenment and a slight increase in strength?

What kind of treasure must this be?

But opportunities like this come once in a blue moon, and without any hesitation, Song Que quickly sat cross-legged, sucking on the Huazi with thick smoke surrounding him.

Watching Song Que’s actions, Li Xiaobai smiled faintly. His Huazi was indeed effective for cultivators of any level, and it seemed Song Que had already discovered its wonders.

Song Que’s expression turned serious, his eyes tightly shut, with thunderous sounds occasionally rolling within his Dantian, and a hum vibrating through the air.

The sword strapped at his waist trembled lightly, as if ready to unsheathe at any moment. Li Xiaobai discreetly backed away, a little afraid that the sword might suddenly come loose and cut him.

The old man, when serious, was truly frightening. Even missing one hand, he might still be capable of breaking through Li Xiaobai’s defenses.

One can never be too careful.

After the sword trembled for a moment, it returned to its calm state, and Song Que gradually opened his eyes, shooting two sharp beams from them, piercing the sky.

“Young Master Li, this item actually has such divine effects, almost rivaling the Divine Medicine itself!”

“Such a precious item, I owe you a favor!”

Song Que earnestly proclaimed.

“No need for that, it’s just a Huazi. I have many of them. Feel free to ask if you want more,” Li Xiaobai casually dismissed with a wave of his hand, flipping his wrist and tossing two more packets of Huazi to Song Que.

Song Que’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Damn it, the man was too wealthy! Such a high-level treasure and the other man nonchalantly handed over a large amount?

He felt a blow from the poverty, as if poverty had restricted his imagination.

“Young Master Li, who exactly are you?”

“Heh, just a traveler on the path to invincibility, not worth mentioning. This is nothing; I have even better things. I’ll show you sometime later.”

Li Xiaobai waved his hand dismissively, his face unconcerned, as if a few packets of Huazi were nothing.

Song Que carefully stored the two packets of Huazi, still not quite recovered from the shock of this “enormous wealth.”

“Young Master Li, have you come to seek out this cripple for some matter?”

After a few bowls of wine, Song Que’s eyes slightly narrowed as he entered the main topic.

“Hehe, looking to learn a bit about the affairs of the borderlands, I heard you’ve been through the borderlands and killed your way to and fro, you probably know many secrets, right?”

Li Xiaobai lit a cigarette with a hearty laugh.

Song Que watched with a heartache, for this was something that could enlighten him, but he held back his comments out of concern for his dignity.

“The borderlands are perilous, with countless formidable Flesh Mountains. We cultivators can only suppress and relieve their onslaughts, unable to completely eradicate them. For a long time, there has been a delicate balance.”

“However, just a few months ago, these Flesh Mountains suddenly went berserk. Many that were previously dormant have awakened, and the pressure on the borderlands has suddenly increased several fold.”

“Young Master Li has not yet been to the battlefield and is unaware of the situation there. The four battlefield fortresses that guard the borders have already been pushed back several miles.”

Song Que slowly said, the situation in the borderlands was very grave.

“If the situation is so urgent, why would a being like you not be on the battlefield but instead serving as a guard at the gates of the Holy City?”

Li Xiaobai continued to inquire.

“Because there are those who do not wish for me to go to the battlefield, they don’t even want Yang Guang to appear in the borderlands. I sit here to protect Yang Guang from being assassinated by treacherous villains.”

A flash of murderous intent passed through Song Que’s eyes as he spoke with a cold expression.

“What about the other battlefield City Lords?”

“Indeed, the City Lord of the first battlefield is a being of the same level as myself. This arm of mine was chopped off deep in the borderlands by him. These men harbor wild ambitions, are not content under the jurisdiction of the Holy City, and constantly wish to kill Yang Guang to rule their own territories as kings.”

“If I were to appear on the battlefield, Yang Guang would surely be killed, and with one arm less, my strength has been greatly reduced, making it difficult for me to make much of an impact on the battlefield.”

Song Que shook his empty left sleeve, appearing somewhat despondent.

Li Xiaobai understood in his heart, it was much as he had speculated, several City Lords had major issues, and Song Que had been plotted against.

However, that the City Lord of the first battlefield was actually on the same level as Song Que was a fact that demanded Li Xiaobai’s vigilance.

“How strong exactly are those Flesh Mountains in the depths of the borderlands?”

“Unable to be killed even by a predecessor’s strike?”

Li Xiaobai asked the question he cared about most. Elder Tianji had said that even a Half-step Human Immortal could not defeat the Flesh Mountain in the deepest part.

Song Que, having fought his way there and back, should have seen it.

“Such beings, I have only seen from a distance. It’s said that I’ve cut through the borderlands, but in truth, it was more a morale-boosting praise than reality.”

“I indeed once penetrated to the core, thinking that with this blade I could sever all, but in front of that monster, my blade lost its edge. That Flesh Mountain was not afraid of pain; even if sliced into a pile of meat, it could regenerate in a few breaths, showing no sign of injury.”

“After shooting out a distant slash, I realized this and did not dare to linger, escaping immediately.”

Song Que exhaled a breath, filled with mixed emotions as he recounted the past.

“I heard that later, the Second Leader of the Aolai Country also fought with that monster, but the result was the same: no success. At that time, I realized that the Flesh Mountain in the deepest depths was not something cultivators of this world could contend with, perhaps only an Immortal descending from the Upper Realm could have a chance to turn it over!”

Song Que gradually narrated what he had seen and heard back then, and Li Xiaobai listened with growing alarm.

Sky Blade Song Que spoke highly of the Second Leader of the Aolai Country, seemingly placing the opponent’s strength above his own. Yet, even so, he was helpless against the Flesh Mountain.

For a terrifying creature like that, Li Xiaobai knew he was not equipped to handle it; he would have to be extra cautious venturing into the borderlands in the future.