I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense-Chapter 171: 172 Return to the Sect

They wanted to leave quickly, but after only a few steps, their ears were blasted by a deafening roar.

It was a powerful booming sound, accompanied by intense vibrations. The ground trembled, and horror choked their hearts.

What kind of creature was this?

“Quick, hide to the side!”

In a frantic scramble, a thick scent of death enveloped them, throwing their minds into turmoil.

From the woods, they saw a strangely shaped mount charging through, causing towering ancient trees to crash down, while a human-shaped lightning bolt chased it, flashing by without so much as a second glance at them.

“This…”

Their eyes were dull, unable to comprehend what was happening before them.

“Was that lightning?”

“I think I saw a few figures inside the mount.”

“Let’s follow them. That figure being chased by lightning must be a senior with great power. There are footprints of the mount on the ground; let’s seek guidance from the senior, perhaps we could receive pointers!”

The female cultivator’s eyes were firm as she followed.

…

Inside the sports car.

Li Xiaobai completely relaxed. The power of the Heavenly Tribulation was dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the horse beneath him had vanished, unable to catch up with the sports car.

One morning, the human-shaped lightning disappeared, and the sports car arrived at the foot of the Holy Demon Sect.

The people in the car each had their own thoughts. After the human-shaped lightning vanished, they went their separate ways to report what they had witnessed to their clans.

Little Monk Liaowang also had to return to the Western Desert to report on the Flesh Mountain matter. Although he wanted to continue influencing Li Xiaobai, this was more urgent. Su Mei’er stuck close to him, and they left together.

The old beggar, with nothing else to do, entered the sect with Li Xiaobai. To have such a deity in the sect, even if he was unreliable, meant they need not fear anyone for the time being.

If those cultivators who automatically made payments came seeking revenge, they could just push the old beggar out.

They led a group of captives up the mountain.

The sect remained the same as ever, but Misty Peak had completely transformed in just a few days.

With various bathhouses and shops and a dense flow of cultivators, everyone had a Huazi dangling from their mouths, puffing clouds of smoke. Some more unrestrained cultivators even wrapped themselves in a bath towel and leisurely strolled around.

After the shops opened, the sect disciples tasted the sweet life. There was no need to cultivate; soaking in the baths increased their cultivation level several times faster than using Spirit Stones.

Whenever they needed to understand Cultivation Techniques or moves, they would just smoke a Huazi, convenience taken to the extreme.

Within the sect, they no longer had to strive; soaking in baths and chatting every day, their cultivation levels soared.

In just a few days, Misty Peak had become the number one peak within the Holy Demon Sect.

Whether True Disciples or Sect Elders, all gathered here, and the Service Disciples, once scorned and looked down upon, suddenly became the object of respect for all sect disciples.

As natives of the peak, the Service Disciples also began to receive more and more respect.

The way disciples spoke to each other became more polite, an unprecedented experience that fulfilled their vanity to a great extent.

“There’s even Tangneng First-class here, and shops selling Huazi!”

The old beggar’s eyes shone brightly, swiftly slipping into the Tangneng First-class establishment.

A group of people returned to the mountain silently, overhearing many Sect Disciples’ conversations.

They were all discussing the Tianbei Secret Realm animatedly.

“Have you heard? Monsters have appeared in the Tianbei Secret Realm, said to be relics from the ancient times.”

“Yeah, I heard quite a few cultivators died. In the end, it took a powerful senior who summoned Heavenly Tribulation to defeat it.”

“It seems our Peak Master went too, I wonder if he encountered any issues.”

“The Peak Master is wise and shrewd. He single-handedly, in cooperation with the Sect Leader, rooted out the sect’s traitors. He should be fine.”

“Haven’t you seen the ranking? Our Peak Master is now ranked among the top 200 prodigious experts, and Immortal Spirit Daily even published a special report on this.”

After the excursion to the Tianbei Secret Realm, Li Xiaobai’s fame skyrocketed. With his Sword Imprisonment technique, the moniker Demon Sword Li Xiaobai had spread widely. After all, it was with this very stroke of the Demon’s Wicked Sword that Li Xiaobai had slain too many cultivators.

Essentially, he had climbed ranks by stepping on the corpses of other cultivators.

“The Peak Master is back!” Yuan Fang exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Li Xiaobai.

“Hmm, not bad, the mountain is well-managed and thriving. How are the laborers doing?” Li Xiaobai asked.

“The construction work for Misty Peak has nearly concluded. Besides the regular cleaning of the latrines, we’ve added diverse tasks such as planting Spiritual Medicines for the sect, building roads, and transporting Cultivation Technique scriptures.”

“Now they’ve completely acknowledged their wrongdoing and have wholeheartedly joined this big family.”

Yuan Fang said with a smile, as he had worked tirelessly for the construction of Misty Peak during this period. With the Peak Master placing so much trust in him, he had to give his all.

“Very good. Here are the new laborers; arrange for them. Let them reflect on life for two days and do some training,” said Li Xiaobai, pointing to several captive prodigies by his side.

Yunkun’s face fell. He had a very bad feeling, having cooperated so actively before just to flatter Li Xiaobai, hoping for better days to come.

“Brother Li, just release the news and my Clan Leader will redeem me at the first opportunity. There’s no need to go to the trouble for us.”

“Indeed, Brother Li, it would only take a day or two for our family elders to arrive. It’ll be very quick.”

“Yes, indeed…”

The others were also somewhat panicked. Judging from the situation, it was clear their captor intended to discipline them. Now powerless, they were anonymous in this sect, and a single misstep could mean death.

“Of course, this matter must be settled. The prices will need to be discussed at length. Before you regain your freedom, stay here for the time being.”

Li Xiaobai waved his hand dismissively, and Yuan Fang, understanding the situation, dragged the captives away.

“Miss Shuanger, what do you think? I have enough Spiritual Medicines, all kinds of attributes. When shall we exchange them for Spirit Stones?” Li Xiaobai inquired, knowing that exchanging his resources for Spirit Stones was of utmost importance right now.

“Anytime is fine. However, I don’t have many Spirit Stones on hand. If you are interested, I can report directly to my father, and Zhenyuan Country can purchase the Spiritual Medicines from you,” Su Mei’er proposed, having spent days on edge among powerful figures, feeling as if she were dreaming. Now finally safe, the thought of returning to her father made her so excited she was almost in tears.

Li Xiaobai nodded; although he wasn’t particularly fond of Zhenyuan Country, who could resist Spirit Stones? The resources of an entire kingdom were undoubtedly substantial. If Zhenyuan Country was willing to buy, he could probably clear out his considerable inventory in one fell swoop.

However, before that, he had to deal with the captives quickly.