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

To prevent his detection, Li Xiaobai had swiftly descended the staircase in the moment he took the Luminous Pearl, heading directly down to the third floor, where the crowd was thickest, and concealed himself.

Watching Long Xue’s rampage on the seventh floor, Li Xiaobai cracked a small smile. He had won. As soon as he removed his Human Skin Mask, the other, the other would no longer have a chance to catch him.

Above the sixth floor staircase, several figures slowly stood up and, disregarding the oppressive force emanating from Long Xue, looked at each other and saw the amusement in each other’s eyes.

“Junior Brother has really got a trick up his sleeve, aiming for the Luminous Pearl right from the start. Quite impressive,” one remarked.

“Fortune favors the bold, but I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly. Had I known earlier, I would have taken the field myself!” Liu Jinshui said, somewhat aggrieved, unaware of just how smoothly everything had gone for their Junior Brother.

Had he known this, he would have climbed to the top himself and taken the Luminous Pearl. Wouldn’t that have been wonderful?

Maybe he could even have left with a beauty in his arms. This round, he felt like he had made a loss.

“Hehe, Sixth Junior Brother, no offense, but your appearance is clearly not fit for marrying into another family, and besides, our Junior Brother is much cleverer than you,” Yang Chen said with a light shake of his folding fan, chuckling softly.

On the seventh floor.

Long Xue’s figure flashed wildly, leaving a trail of afterimages as she frantically searched for Li Xiaobai’s whereabouts, but to her dismay, there was not a single person to be found on the top floor.

When she entered her own boudoir, everything was in disarray.

The room, which had been untidy before, was now spotlessly clean in every sense of the word.

Aside from a set of clothes, everything else had vanished without trace, leaving the room empty and bare.

Not to mention her treasures, even the daily-use tea sets, the bowls and chopsticks, and even the bed for sleeping had disappeared without a trace. Clearly, this was the work of that unfamiliar face earlier.

At this moment, she finally realized why that cultivator had lingered in her room for so long—it turned out he was “moving house”!

“Don’t let me find you!”

Long Xue ground her teeth. The mere thought of her intimate and somewhat embarrassing clothing being taken by a man filled her with a mix of shame and rage.

As she turned to leave and continue her search for traces of the cultivator, her eyes caught a glimpse of some words etched in the corner.

“Immortal, the room is much cleaner after a good sweep. No need for thanks; this is what I ought to do.”

In an instant, a formidable intent for battle pierced the sky, and horrifying waves of Spiritual Power swept across the Linglong Pagoda, enveloping every floor.

Layers of azure scales materialized over Long Xue’s body, and her eyes transformed into a dark purple, pulsing with eerie light.

“You’ve really done it now, Long Xue. We are determined enemies!”

With a flick of her wrist, she pulled out several small Luminous Pearls to light up the Linglong Pagoda.

Light returned to the seven-floor staircase, and upon seeing Long Xue’s current form, all cultivators felt a chilling fear from deep within. If Long Xue had been gentle and tender during the tea ceremony, then at this moment, she was the very image of a Sea Clan War Goddess.

Her sharp scales did not hide her features; rather, they accentuated her devilish figure to perfection, outlining an incredibly stunning silhouette.

The iron-hard intent for battle radiating from her added a heroic air, while the light flickering in her dual purple pupils emitted chilling rays that captivated the soul.

“This is what true Sea Clan strength looks like, formidable yet graceful,” murmured some cultivators, mesmerized by this powerful form of beauty.

Long Xue’s figure blurred as she abruptly appeared before Su Yunbing and her group like a stormwind, her deep purple eyes fixed on them as she questioned word for word, “Have you seen that cultivator’s whereabouts just now?”

Senior Sister Su Yunbing shrugged casually and pointed downward, saying, “We saw him; he ran downstairs.”

Second Senior Sister Ye Wushuang, “I can attest, he ran downstairs!”

Third Senior Brother Lin Yin, “Hmm, he did run downstairs.”

Fourth Senior Brother Yang Chen, “A dark figure, whoosh, just flashed by.”

Fifth Senior Brother Ling Feng, “Indeed, with a smack, he was really fast.”

Sixth Senior Brother Liu Jinshui, “With a clap, oh so fast, I told him to halt, youngsters ought to uphold martial ethics, but it’s a pity he wouldn’t listen.”

“Thank you all for the information.”

A trace of demonic charm flashed across Long Xue’s face, as her formidable Primodial Spirit Power covered the entire staircase, slowly making her way down step by step, her gaze sweeping over each cultivator’s face, trying to find that unfamiliar face from before.

The sound of scales colliding with the steps knocked on every cultivator’s heart, slow yet forceful, each step adding insurmountable pressure.

The cultivators nervously gulped, fearing being targeted by Long Xue in her furious state.

Within the Mermaid’s Essence of the Eastern Sea lay the remains of the Eastern Sea’s ancestors; anyone would be enraged if their forefathers’ bodies were stolen.

This was a great disrespect to the entire Sea Clan; if one were found out, they would likely be suppressed in the Undersea World forever, never to rise again.

No one dared to speak; the stakes involved were too great for them to even touch upon. It was a matter of the Sea Clan’s dignity, and not just they themselves, but even their families behind them had no choice but to retreat.

When passing the fifth floor, Situ Guixiong’s eyes gleamed with ecstasy. That shamelessly audacious rogue had actually dared to covet the Luminous Pearl at the top of the tower, making a foolish move.

Now, in Long Xue’s heart, there was probably only resentment and anger. As long as he played his cards well, he still had a chance!

“Cough cough, Lady Long, I just saw a dark figure darting downwards; he must have blended into the crowd. I am willing to help Lady Long search for him!” Situ Guixiong quickly said, offering his eager assistance.

But Long Xue was not in the mood for his sycophantic pleasantries. She turned to look at him; her two dark and deep pupils seemed to penetrate him, her voice cold as she said,

“Young Master Situ needn’t trouble himself, this person is extremely dangerous. You would do well to consider your own safety first.”

“I…”

Situ Guixiong was terrified. Merely making eye contact, he felt as if his Primordial Spirit were being scorched. Was Xiao Longnvu’s strength really so fearsome?

The woman was completely engulfed in rage; he had unwittingly stepped into trouble.

Feeling the vigorous Primordial Spirit Power in the void, he dared not speak anymore. The current Long Xue showed no mercy, and if he upset her even slightly, his life was likely in danger.

Recalling the words he had previously said about wanting to spar with her in the arena, Situ Guixiong felt his cheeks burn. She had merely begun to display her Primodial Spirit Power, and he was already suppressed to a point of kneeling, unable to stand. With such a disparity in their levels, did he even have the right to stand in the same ranks as her?

Perhaps she never took him seriously at all?

It was all just him deluding himself!

The third floor!

All the cultivators trembled, the oppressive aura brought by Long Xue giving them a strong sense of imminent danger, as if they could be torn to pieces at any moment.

Crack!

The footsteps suddenly stopped.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to exhale loudly, their eyes wide with fear, not understanding why Long Xue had stopped. Was she going to strike at them?

As they let their imaginations run wild, a cold voice reached their ears.

“May I ask, Young Master Li, where were you just now?”