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

Gui Xuan snorted coldly. He always took care to be thorough and secretive in his actions; how could the entire court of civil and military officials discover his plans? It must be Li Xiaobai spreading alarmist talk, trying to shake his resolve.

Listening to the words around him, Li Xiaobai shook his head with a wry smile, “Disturb your mind? I’m sorry, but that’s not my intention at all.”

“Because once we enter the Illusionary Realm, I will beat you to death, you bastard turtle grandchild!”

Li Xiaobai’s expression was indifferent. He had no intention of engaging in prolonged combat within the Illusionary Realm with the other party; as soon as he found the right opportunity, he would undoubtedly take action and kill him in the Illusionary Realm.

As for the so-called test, he neither feared it nor worried about it. With the System’s immunity, he was capable of withstanding most damage; the power of the Illusionary Formation could not possibly be stronger than that of a Half-step Human Immortal.

“Sharp-tongued brat, reveling in your verbal victory will only highlight your lack of substance even more!”

“Once you truly enter the Illusionary Realm, you will understand the harsh reality. Let me tell you a secret: I brought a treasure from my clan that will allow me to remain lucid within the Formation, while you will only sink deeper into its grasp, losing yourself!”

“I will make you live in fear for the rest of your life, tremble, mortal!”

Gui Xuan was furious, his murderous intent chilling. In his heart, he had already pronounced Li Xiaobai’s death sentence. Although it wasn’t possible to actually kill someone in the Illusionary Realm, if he could subject him to great terror, the trauma would leave indelible scars on his Primordial Spirit when he awoke.

He intended to instill fear in this mortal before him, to make him understand the vast gap in status and identity between them.

“Stay lucid, huh? I shall wait and see.”

In the midst of the fog, the corners of Li Xiaobai’s mouth unconsciously curved slightly upwards. He casually took out several Huazi from his Space Ring, lit them, and lightly placed them in his mouth.

The dense fog before his eyes suddenly dispersed, and the sky brightened. At the same time, Li Xiaobai and Gui Xuan felt the world spin before their eyes. When they regained consciousness, the scenery in front of them had changed drastically.

The grand hall of the Imperial Palace had vanished, replaced by endless mountains and vegetation, and a cacophony of noises reached their ears.

“Chop them down!”

“Demon scum, everyone has a right to execute them!”

“Don’t let them escape; it’s these bastards who looted and pillaged our clan, committing all kinds of atrocities. Heaven has eyes; they will finally be punished!”

“Kill!”

Hearing the chaotic shouts, Li Xiaobai and Gui Xuan were both at a loss for a moment, their minds somewhat muddled, and unconsciously looked downwards.

At that moment, there was a sea of people below, an innumerable mass of civilians surrounding them, leaving no way out. Every face was filled with anger and grievance, and many were throwing rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at them, denouncing their crimes.

Li Xiaobai felt his body lying flat on the ground; moving slightly, he immediately realized something was wrong.

His limbs were bound, rendering him unable to move. After struggling, he immediately recognized his predicament: at this very moment, he was bound like a condemned prisoner, about to be executed!

To be beheaded from the start, something was not quite right with how this story was unfolding!

Meanwhile, a flood of memories rushed into his alarm clock, helping him sort out his identity in this Illusionary Realm World.

This was a martial arts world where people could become stronger through the practice of martial arts, yet without the capability to destroy the heavens and the earth, they still remained within the realm of ordinary humans.

Martial arts were divided into five realms: Essence Refining, Spirit Refining, Refinement Void, Void Merging, and the Earthly Immortal Realm.

Within the martial community, practitioners of the Void Merging Realm were held in the highest esteem, while those in the Earthly Immortal Realm existed only in legends.

Here, he was also called Li Xiaobai, born into the Demon Sect, a martial artist in the Essence Refining Realm, who had never committed a bad deed in his life but was framed by a fellow sect brother and eventually sent to the execution ground.

Pressed alongside him were his fellow sect brothers and sisters, and besides Gui Xuan, Long Xue was also brought in.

At this moment, all three of them were bound tightly, just waiting for the appointed hour to come, when their heads would fall to the ground. At present, it seemed to be an inescapable death trap, but Li Xiaobai knew that there must be a turn of events because this was a trial set by the Old Dragon King, and there must be a sliver of a chance for survival.

“Brother, I never imagined you could be such a person, selling out your fellow sect members for the sake of money and profit. Have you forgotten all the teachings of our master?”

Long Xue slowly came to consciousness, her eyes reddening with anger as she glared furiously at Gui Xuan.

“Huh, what did I do?”

Seeing the angry Long Xue, Gui Xuan was momentarily stunned, unable to grasp what was happening.

“Hmph, still playing dumb. Junior Brother Li, you might not know yet, but the one who secretly reported our whereabouts to the Imperial Court, that person is Gui Xuan. For personal gain, he has willingly become a lackey of the court, tossing aside all of our master’s teachings, truly despicable!”

Long Xue said to Li Xiaobai.

With this one sentence, Li Xiaobai instantly judged that she had taken no protective measures and had completely merged with the character of this world.

That would make things easier. What followed would be a game of wits between him and Gui Xuan. He, too, wore a face full of fury as he glared at Gui Xuan, roaring, “Hmph, so it’s like that. I felt something was off. Along the way, this ‘turtle grandson’s’ behavior was the most suspicious. Who else could it be but him?”

“You, you turtle grandson, to trap me like this! Master’s teachings were not wrong; you are indeed a ‘turtle grandson’!”

“To betray your own sect brothers and sisters just for some measly monetary gain. But you never anticipated that heaven has eyes; ultimately, you dragged yourself in too. This is utterly satisfying!”

Li Xiaobai’s face was full of satisfaction, tinged with a hint of madness.

At this moment, Gui Xuan finally understood that the two people brought in with him had lost their previous memories and had fully integrated into the roles of this world, while he, because of a treasure brought from his clan, could still maintain his self-awareness at this moment.

Good, I’ve won!

Excitement surged in Gui Xuan’s heart. He had a natural advantage in this contest; Li Xiaobai, having lost his original memories, could not possibly be his match.

But the difficulty of this opening scenario was also not small. Not only was he bound, but he seemed to have taken on the image of a great villain. How to win Long Xue’s heart?

However, the most pressing matter at hand was to find a way to get rid of Li Xiaobai. Once the romantic rival was gone, he would have ample time to win over Long Xue.

Gui Xuan’s expression turned bitter, filled with regret, as he said, “Junior Brother Li, Junior Sister Long, your brother was wrong. Only facing death have I seen through the true face of the Imperial Court. I regret, I hate it!”

“If there is an afterlife, I am willing to be your servant for life, to atone for the sins I’ve committed in this one!”