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

Chapter 362: 363: Making a Rod for One’s Own Back

“Oh?”

“Could it be that junior brother Li has a connection with this black flame?”

Yang Chen’s expression shifted, and he asked with some surprise.

“Hehe, well, that’s something I can’t say, but suffice it to say that today, everyone on this ship, one and all, must die. Brother, you just need to do as I say when the time comes.”

“Of course, that includes you too.”

Li Xiaobai cocked his head and said to Yang Huan and Ji Wuqing at his side, signaling his indiscriminate attack would require his teammates to clear the area in advance.

“Understood, Boss.”

Yang Huan nodded, feeling the gravity of the situation. The boss was about to make a move; it was going to be a matter of life and death.

“Giggle, lad, I too want to slaughter in all directions!”

Ji Wuqing was not satisfied. With such a grand scene unfolding, it couldn’t help but stir up trouble for its own amusement.

“Hehe, as you wish.”

Li Xiaobai glanced at it, thinking this creature just hadn’t died enough times to learn its lesson.

Letting this damned bird die a few more times would be good anyway; at least that ensured a level of strength.

In the midst of their conversation, the warship stopped and hovered in mid-air.

Li Xiaobai looked outwards; below was an endless black ocean, its boundary not visible to the eye. The warship had already arrived above the periphery but still couldn’t find a place to land.

“Is this the source of the black flames?”

“What kind of treasure could it be that it could swallow up the entire periphery directly!”

“This all happened in just a few days, right? Just a few days ago there was nothing here, and yet in such a short time, it has covered the whole wasteland.”

“Why do I feel this thing is even more dangerous than Flesh Mountain?”

“How are we supposed to get down there?”

All the cultivators were drawn to the horrific scene below. They hadn’t noticed anything staying in the inner area, but now, actually being above the outer wasteland, they realized the severity of the situation.

Such a vast flame burning fiercely, searching for a treasure within it was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, judging by the spread of the flames, it seemed likely that it wouldn’t take long for the blaze to reach the inner war zones.

Li Xiaobai was equally astonished. He hadn’t expected that the black flames he encountered initially could grow to this extent.

Is this the power of “afk” cultivation?

It’s incredibly strong, not just a little bit. Just letting it burn freely and it could grow to this stage; it seems “afk” cultivation is indeed the best way to level up Hellfire.

At the prow of the ship, Xiong Da and Cai Kunxu were also feeling very troubled.

The intensity of the flames below far exceeded their expectations.

They had easily extinguished the small patch of flames they discovered in the third battlefield two days before, so they hadn’t been particularly alert.

But the situation today couldn’t just be described as serious; the black flames had developed dangerously. Probably even they couldn’t extinguish them easily, and the burning and spreading of the flames were swift. If left unchecked, within another two days, it would certainly reach the third and fourth battlefields.

Its spreading to their cities wasn’t out of the question.

They had to find that treasure quickly and extinguish the flames. The immediate priority was to find a landing spot and make haste to descend.

“Old Cai, what do you think?”

Xiong Da, with a furrowed brow, looked at the scene below and asked.

“How else to think? The flames have spread beyond the periphery and have begun to reach the uninhabited areas. If we let it burn this way, it won’t just be the frontier at risk; the Immortal Spirit Continent might suffer as well.”

“We need to move fast. We can’t afford to be killed by these flames before Flesh Mountain has fully revived. We need to find a spot and create a small space.”

“`

Cai Kunxu spoke indifferently.

“Understood.”

The warship circled around in the void before slowly descending.

At the bow, Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da worked together, forming seal spells with their hands. Two massive Primodial Spirit Phantoms emerged, reaching up to the skies and entering the clouds.

Their formidable Primodial Spirit Power swept across, forcefully repelling the flames below and clearing a patch of ground where the warship descended, landing amidst the flames.

Cai Kunxu chose the landing spot at the center of the wilderness, the easiest place to explore for treasures within the flames.

Of course, it was also the most fitting place for Li Xiaobai to commit murder and seize the treasure.

“See that? That is the City Lord’s strength. Just a glance from the Primodial Spirit of a Great Crossing Realm Cultivator could kill a lower-level cultivator!”

The previously seen youth had returned at some point, speaking proudly.

“Great Crossing Realm is certainly powerful, but what does that have to do with you?”

Li Xiaobai scratched his head, his face full of confusion.

“Sharp-tongued, but soon you’ll face a brutal reality!”

The youth spoke coldly.

“Scram, or believe me, I’ll throw you into the flames!”

Yang Chen went up and started a fierce tussle, kicking the youth away.

“You wait for me!”

The youth, holding his behind, limped away.

Li Xiaobai leaped down from the warship, surveying the surrounding scene.

The space cleared within the flames could barely accommodate the warship and the cultivators; it did not solve the problem of the flames, and it was still difficult to move even an inch on this wasteland.

Li Xiaobai could reestablish a connection with this Hellfire anytime he wished and manipulate the flames to engulf everyone.

However, the time wasn’t right. Receiving this Hellfire would take time.

“Gentlemen, the treasure lies within these black flames. However, we know very little about them. Is there any cultivator willing to volunteer and scout ahead?”

Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da, who were in front, closely examined the flames and asked with furrowed brows.

The flames’ capabilities were too bizarre; the Spiritual Power they sent to scout was devoured in an instant, as if a black hole resided within the black flames, a bottomless pit.

They needed to send someone to scout and find out the specifics of the flames before deciding the next steps.

The cultivators whispered amongst themselves. With the current situation, the whole wilderness was enveloped in darkness. Going into the flames blind was a path to certain death.

Not to mention the difficulty in discerning directions in the darkness, there was also the burning of the flames to withstand.

“Young Master Li is a peerless genius, and his cultivation level stands out among us, second only to the City Lord. I believe it would be most appropriate for Young Master Li to enter the flames and seek out their weaknesses!”

A cultivator spoke loudly from the crowd, directly targeting Li Xiaobai.

Li Xiaobai followed the voice and saw that the speaker was still the youth who had provoked him earlier. His expression darkened; this guy really had not learned. Such reckless behavior meant he couldn’t let the other off easily later.

“That’s right, Young Master Li is a prodigy. He’s a master personally recommended by the Holy City’s City Lord himself. With him making a move, we will surely uncover the truth of these dark flames!”

“I support Young Master Li!”

Other young cultivators also chimed in, fully agreeing with the youth’s suggestion.

They had suffered the loss of Cai Kunxu’s personal guard squad, and in their eyes, Li Xiaobai was the sinner of the fourth battlefield, and he should atone for it!

To them, dying in the flames would be letting him off easy.

Yang Chen’s eyes flashed murderously, “Damn it, these bastards really think their lives are too long!”