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

“What mighty force is this? Is the human race about to strike at us, the cultivators of the Sea Clan?”

“Send orders down, prepare all troops, and strictly guard the Sea Dragon Palace!”

The cultivators of the Sea Clan were thrown into chaos, civilians hurriedly packed their belongings, ready to evacuate at any moment, and the soldiers were fully armed and prepared to deploy. The number of sentries patrolling the streets had suddenly increased several-fold, maintaining the public order of the Dragon Palace.

With the Old Dragon King not present, they were all clueless about the origin of the vortex in the sky, but they had an innate sense of alert to the approaching crisis, sensing ill intent from the newcomer.

In the Celestial Prison, atop the Seven-Layered Exquisite Pagoda, three streams of light streaked across the sky, pursuing the Spiritual Power Vortex in the void.

The Spiritual Power Vortex was rising orderly, breaching the sea’s surface, and ascending slowly toward the sky. The whole sky had become darkened, with bolts of electric lightning snaking erratically and tumultuous waves surging on the sea, stirring up thousands of huge waves. At this moment, all living beings felt an extreme oppression in their hearts, a vision of the apocalypse.

“Where is this altar heading?”

the Old Dragon King asked.

“It’s not clear yet. The energy of this altar is countless times more vast than when we communicated across the void. It seems that the beings from the Upper Realm have not just opened this channel for communication, but perhaps to descend to the Lower Realm in person!”

Li Xiaobai’s expression was also very serious. Initially, when he activated the altar on the frontier, only a Spiritual Power Vortex large enough for two people to pass through appeared, and it did not soar directly into the heavens like the one in front of them. Evidently, the energy used to activate the altar this time was outrageously high, enough to truly construct a passage and stabilize it.

“The passage between the two realms has been opened, and I am about to embark on a new conquest!”

“Reptile, do you dare to lead the warriors of the Sea Clan and accompany me in conquest of the Upper Realm?”

The Kraken was excited beyond measure, laughing heartily. The purpose of the beings from the Upper Realm in opening the channel was still unclear, but one thing was certain—this was a tremendous opportunity. If the channel could be firmly established, it meant he could enter a higher level of cultivation, limitless future prospects, no longer confined to the realm of a Half-step Human Immortal.

“Don’t rejoice too soon. The coming of beings from the Upper Realm might represent an opportunity for us, or it might be a catastrophe. We must observe more before deciding. The Sea Clan will not join you in this reckless venture,”

the Old Dragon King gave him a sidelong glance and snorted coldly.

The three followed the slowly drifting Spiritual Power Vortex towards the heavens.

From a higher vantage point, Li Xiaobai noticed that it was not only the sky above the Eastern Sea that was shrouded in darkness; the far distance was deep and somber as well. It was as if light had been blocked at this moment, and the entire Immortal Spirit Continent had plunged into darkness.

“It seems that not only here has an altar been activated. The rest of the altars on the Immortal Spirit Continent must have been activated too; otherwise, we would not witness such a vast spectacle. This is premeditated!”

Li Xiaobai immediately said. A single altar could not affect the entire continent, but six altars could.

“There is also a disturbance in Aolai Country—it’s the altar in the hands of the Vice Leader that has flown away!”

the Old Dragon King, with sharp eyes, suddenly pointed into the distance and said. The other two looked in the indicated direction, and above an island below, they too could see several figures chasing a huge Spiritual Power Vortex. Unlike the other vortices, however, this altar vortex was not flying straight up but was slowly drifting towards a further region, in the direction of the deep frontier.

Within the crowd, Li Xiaobai saw several familiar figures; the old beggar and the three House Leaders were there. The two groups exchanged glances and nodded to each other, each following different Spiritual Power Vortices as they departed.

“Each altar has its own position, and even if taken away, will automatically return to its place once activated.”

“It seems there is an altar in each of the eastern, western, southern, northern, central, and frontier regions of the Immortal Spirit Continent. The one held by the Evil Sect should belong to the Northern Region.”

Li Xiaobai said in a heavy voice, which amounted to the cultivators from the Upper Realm fully descending upon the Immortal Spirit Continent.

No matter how one looked at it, it was not a good sign.

“Let’s take it one step at a time, meet the soldiers with blocks and the water with mounds of earth. We can only hope that the cultivators from the Upper Realm descend more slowly, giving us time to lay our hands on the Immortal Spirit Qi first.”

The Old Dragon King spoke.

“Reptile, your way of thinking is too rigid, hopelessly mired in stagnation. If we could directly enter the Upper Realm, Immortal Spirit Qi would be as common as cabbage and we could break through realms just by breathing. Would there even be a need to fight for it?”

“In my opinion, we should strike first and turn passivity into activeness. People from the Upper Realm would never expect us to have the courage to ascend.”

The Kraken said with a sneer.

“Are you confident you can defeat the big shots from the Upper Realm?”

“We are all merely at the Half-step Human Immortal realm. That level of cultivation is probably no different than ants over there.”

“We definitely need to go, but not now. Knowing both ourselves and our enemy, we can be invincible in any battle. First, let’s quietly watch for changes and clearly understand the origin behind the altars before making plans.”

Li Xiaobai said lightly, thinking that this big shot had just seen the light of day and his mind was still not functioning properly.

The Spiritual Power Vortex rose to a halt at ten thousand meters in the sky, visibly compressing into a flat, round line that blended into the void. From below, it looked as if a colossal mouth had torn open the sky, slowly weakening the surging storm within and gradually stabilizing.

At the same time, from that vast rift, a cold and distant voice slowly drifted down.

“Lower Realm natives, listen well. Today, as the envoy from the Upper Realm, I have opened the altar to bridge our worlds, which is a blessing for you all.”

“This savage land will become the trial ground for the outstanding individuals of my multitudes of races. For the undeveloped Barbaric Lands in which you live, it will be an unprecedented glorious era. I hope you will serve the multitudes of races with all your heart and effort.”

“In two days, talents from all races will descend to the Lower Realm along with the Immortal Spirit Qi. Should anyone dare to offend, they will be executed without hesitation!”

This voice echoed simultaneously from the rifts in the skies across the continent, ethereal and indifferently toned, genderless, devoid of any mundane warmth, condescending, in the manner of a high-ranking figure.

It was clear that the people from the Upper Realm looked down on their Immortal Spirit Continent, much like one regards an insignificant ant.

For a moment, creatures all over the world were filled with fear and trepidation, and the major powers collectively fell silent.

The Upper Realm had always been the goal for which the cultivators strove, but now these previously unattainable Immortals were going to suddenly appear before them, leaving them feeling somewhat at a loss.

“What do you think?” the Old Dragon King asked.

“This is blatant aggression, treating the Immortal Spirit Continent as a proving ground for the younger generations. Clearly, they do not regard us as equals at all,” the Kraken said seriously.

“Let’s go back and think of a strategy. Regardless, I am determined to obtain the Immortal Spirit Qi this time!” Li Xiaobai stated.