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

Chapter 947: Chapter 948: Another Xiao Lao Di

Li Xiaobai was at a loss for words. The old man had thick-skinned and superior strength, and Li guessed that getting meat from him was probably out of the question. However, following such a person might allow him to learn some secrets not known to outsiders.

“What is inside the main hall?”

The two men and the dog followed Xiao Lao Di’s pace.

“Just now, this old man caught a glimpse of a huge crystal, but what exactly it is, I am not sure,”

Xiao Lao Di said.

The group ascended the bluestone steps, passing by several caves with wide-open doors, not needing to ask to know that Xiao Lao Di had already emptied them.

The main hall was directly in front of the bronze steps, also obstructed by a large bronze door with a Tai Chi groove on it.

“That’s not right, didn’t you say you saw a huge crystal inside the main hall just now? Now that the door is tightly closed, how did you see it?”

Li Xiaobai asked skeptically, seriously doubting if the old man was up to mischief.

“I saw it through the gap in the door.”

Xiao Lao Di spoke with a solemn expression, watching his nose, his nose watching his mouth, his mouth watching his heart. The bronze doors were originally open, but because he had tried to force the crystal and carry it away, it triggered a mechanism that closed the doors again. Fortunately, he got out at the last moment, unable to move anything inside the main hall.

“Woof, Old Bangzi, I knew you were not so kind-hearted!”

Once bitten, twice shy, Ergouzi immediately bristled, suspecting the old man was targeting his blood essence since he couldn’t get in himself.

“This scroll of secret techniques was taken from the hands of the Abbot of the Great Thunderclap Temple years ago. It is said to be a Buddhist Sect secret, only accessible to the direct disciples of the Great Thunderclap Temple. There are only a handful of people in the Central Origin Realm who master this Cultivation Technique. Consider it your reward.”

Xiao Lao Di pulled out an ancient book and threw it to Ergouzi. The Buddhist scriptures were of little use to someone who neither cultivated virtue nor accumulated the Power of Faith. @@novelbin@@

Ergouzi picked up the book, its cover emblazoned with four bold characters: “Great Majestic Dragon!”

“What kind of secret technique is this?”

Li Xiaobai and Liu Jinshui moved closer out of curiosity, but Ergouzi immediately tucked it away in his pouch and said dismissively, “It’s a mediocre Cultivation Technique, I guess. In this day and age, Cultivation Techniques change so rapidly, this old relic is outdated. But, given the elder is in a bind, as a virtuous Buddhist Disciple, I naturally should offer my full support. Take this drop of blood essence!”

Disinterested, Ergouzi spat out a bead of blood essence into Xiao Lao Di’s hand, looking significantly drained.

“Damn, this is definitely good stuff. You, this stingy bum, are actually willing to part with some blood, let Ol’Fatty have a look and broaden my horizons!”

Liu Jinshui was unhappy, knowing Ergouzi was usually miserly. Now that Ergouzi was willing to give up blood essence voluntarily, the scroll of techniques must be something extraordinary.

“Bumpkin, don’t block the way.”

Ergouzi gave him a sideways glance and followed closely behind Xiao Lao Di.

“This dog is too cunning!” Liu Jinshui muttered in annoyance.

“No, it’s a literal canine spirit,” Li Xiaobai said quietly.

Ahead, Xiao Lao Di injected the blood essence into the Tai Chi groove, causing Yin and Yang Qi to circulate. An eerie face split in two halves emerged from the bronze door. One half had a benign and kind look; the other was blood-thirsty like a demon. It somewhat resembled the Two-faced Buddha in the Buddhist Sect.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A dull sound echoed as the bronze door gradually opened, releasing a faint white light from the huge crystal inside, accompanied by the rotting scent of Flesh Mountain.

The main hall was surprisingly large yet appeared exceptionally empty. At the center, a huge crystal was placed with various large and small chunks of flesh around it, pulsating rhythmically.

This was just a small part that was visible. In the darkness not illuminated by the faint light of the crystal, countless more chunks of Flesh Mountain lay dormant, their mere thought chilling to the bone.

“This must be Flesh Mountain’s nest. Could it be that the tomb’s owner actually transformed from Flesh Mountain?”

Liu Jinshui exclaimed, overwhelmed by the sheer number of Flesh Mountains that almost reached the ceiling, resembling a small mountain. Just one wrong move could cause them to collapse and bury them all.

“Never mind Flesh Mountain, look at the crystal first; there are treasures inside!”

Li Xiaobai said, noting the crystal embedded with all kinds of exotic treasures, Earth Dragon Grass, Frost Cicada, and many other indescribable items, all sealed within it. At the crystal’s very center, a figure was seen sitting crossed-legged, showing only his back.

“There’s someone inside!”

Ergouzi exclaimed. To think that a person was still preserved underground in this tomb!

“Don’t panic. This should be the tomb owner, presumably long dead, having sealed himself with natural treasures as burial items. This crystal is his coffin, probably self-sealed to preserve his corpse or to prevent enemies from finding and destroying his remains,”

Xiao Lao Di calmly explained, “Regardless of the reason, it seems the tomb owner met a peaceful end.”

“Can we take these treasures then?”

Liu Jinshui asked brazenly, feeling somewhat uneasy about taking the burial treasures of someone who hoped for a peaceful end.

“If you can break this crystal, of course, it’s no problem. I’ve said before, once inside, it’s every man for himself. I won’t steal your fortune,”

Xiao Lao Di said cheerfully.

“Then the junior will boldly give it a try.”

Liu Jinshui charged at the crystal with a palm strike, but the crystal remained immobile, absorbing the Earth Immortal Realm’s Immortal Yuan Power like a drop in the ocean, instantly dissolving.

“Hehe, young friend, you indeed have a real personality. This crystal material is extremely tough; even I cannot break it. However, at my level, I no longer need brute force to permeate it. Just a little skill is enough to reach in as if entering an unguarded zone,”

Xiao Lao Di chuckled merrily, his figure suddenly becoming illusory as he passed through the crystal surface to reach for a jade pot vessel.

“Damn it, I knew this old man was up to no good!”

Li Xiaobai’s expression darkened. This crystal was the tomb owner’s coffin crafted for him. Even beings of the same level wouldn’t easily destroy it. How could these minor cultivators shake it? The old man knew about the crystal all along but deliberately kept it from them.

Merging into the void, this skill was indeed the perfect choice for stealing treasures.

“Bang!”

A loud noise ensued, Xiao Lao Di screamed in agony as he was suddenly hurled backward, smashing into the bronze door.

“Damn, merging into the void doesn’t work either?”

Xiao Lao Di’s eyes widened in disbelief, a look of incredulity on his face. Considering his stature in the Saint Realm, what kind of cultivation level did it take to easily force him out of the void and fling him away?

Ergouzi’s eyes almost narrowed into slits: “I’m feeling damn good right now!”

Liu Jinshui chimed in, “Hehe, me too.”

Li Xiaobai: “Not gonna lie, I kind of feel awesome too.”

“Hehehe!”

The group laughed somewhat gleefully. This old man also had his downfalls, truly a joyous sight.

“It doesn’t make sense. How could my cultivation level be forced out? This is too much of a slap in the face. Who on earth is this guy?”

Xiao Lao Di was filled with disbelief. How could his high cultivation level be so easily defeated?

The elderly figure began walking circles around this huge crystal, trying to figure out who exactly was sealed within the crystal. Unfortunately, the crystal was mounted against the wall, its back to everyone, making it difficult to see the true face of the tomb owner.

“Senior, do you know who is sealed inside this crystal coffin?”

Watching Xiao Lao Di bustling around, Li Xiaobai stepped forward and asked.

He too began inspecting, not the grey figure, but rather focusing more on the treasures sealed within. After all, each of these treasures was first-class, and any of them could incite fierce fighting among sects.

The only downside was that they could only be admired from afar and not touched, which was truly frustrating.

“Cannot see the true face; we need to turn the crystal around!”

Xiao Lao Di rubbed his teeth, feeling somewhat troubled.

Li Xiaobai puzzled, “With your capabilities, senior, flipping it over shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“But flipping it over would trigger the mechanism and the bronze doors would close tightly, which could be troublesome!”

“Uh, how did you know that?”

“Don’t ask; it’s just a guess.”

Li Xiaobai: …

Could this old bruiser have already sneaked in here once before?

“Since the crystal can’t be moved, why not move the wall? If we tear down this wall, wouldn’t we be able to go through and see the tomb owner’s elegance for ourselves?”

Liu Jinshui said.

“Woof, blow up the wall!” Ergouzi yelled.

“No, disturbing the Flesh Mountain could cause unimaginable consequences. The tomb owner’s cultivation shaped the universe, and nobody knows just how powerful the flesh chunks hidden in this underground tomb could be. Let alone the Saint Realm, even just a Half-Saint Realm Flesh Mountain appearing would be a catastrophic disaster for the Cultivation World.”

“Let me handle it. I’ll be gentle and not disturb the Flesh Mountain’s slumber,” Xiao Lao Di said slowly.

Just taking out a single piece of Flesh Mountain might not seem like much, but the underground tomb containing countless indistinguishable Flesh Mountains—if disturbed and awakened—could wreak havoc. And given that so many Flesh Mountains could gather here, it was clear there must be some colossal presences. Best not to provoke them.

Xiao Lao Di extended a finger and lightly tapped on the wall. Instantly, the entire wall of the Bronze Great Hall disintegrated into powder and vanished, a giant hand of Immortal Yuan reached out, pushing the tomb’s soil and stone walls back several meters, creating a small space big enough for several people.

“Senior, that’s imposing!”

Li Xiaobai admired, worthy of a being from the Saint Realm, doing anything with a sense of ease and casualness.

“I shall see for myself who this tomb owner is. Anyone with such cultivation cannot possibly be an unknown individual in the annals of history!”

Xiao Lao Di’s figure flickered and he instantly appeared on the other side of the crystal, followed closely by the two men and the dog.

However, when they finally saw the face and form of the person sealed within the crystal, they couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

The figure inside was also an old man, and what shocked everyone the most was that his face looked exactly like Xiao Lao Di’s standing beside him.

Ergouzi was the first to freak out, leaping three feet high and scurrying behind Li Xiaobai, barking, “Woof, damn it, old man, I knew from the start you weren’t human!”