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

Chapter 979: Chapter 980: Obsession

This time, the immortal light emanating from the child was quite different from that of the other children, with a faint white glow revealing strands of “immortal energy.” It was unclear what it was exactly, but merely touching it made one feel refreshed and comfortable as if basking in the gentle warmth of spring.

It seems he had some comprehension after watching the phenomenon on the ruins of Devil Cloud Cave from a distance.

His idea was correct—these kids needed to be taken out into the world to witness its vastness in order to gain insights. There was no need for deliberate guidance; their role as mere observers was sufficient.

“Ee-ya-ya!”

The toddler could no longer sit still. Using hands and feet, he crawled up to the few children who were radiating immortal light, pushed them to the ground, seized their little braids, and started pulling wildly. He was getting anxious, as he watched the other tykes around him undergoing transformations, feeling a strong sense of urgency.

“Have you felt any changes in your physical body?”

...

Li Xiaobai pulled the toddler aside and looked at the few children in front of him and asked.

“Ee-ya-ya!”

The immortal light gradually retracted, and the children got up and performed a set of “Drunken Fist” with wobbly movements and babyish voices—unfortunately, nothing happened.

“Seems like there might be some changes in their constitution and fundamental understanding of the Dao. I’ll have Sixth Senior Brother take a look later.”

Li Xiaobai fumbled with the children; these little tykes were still too young to harness the power they had just experienced. He didn’t understand cultivation and couldn’t see anything, so he decided to find someone with knowledge to have a look later.

The toddler, not satisfied, stood up, positioned himself in a horse stance in the middle of the kids, and started throwing punches, drawing sidelong glances from the cluster of children whose eyes were filled with admiration.

Li Xiaobai remained silent. The toddler might be small in stature, but his ambition was anything but. Not having been cleansed by the Power of Faith of the Buddhist Sect, it was unclear if he possessed some unique trait.

“Ee-ya-ya!”

After another wobbly round of Drunken Fist, the toddler started punching the children who had transformed into beings of immortal light. After a good beating, he re-established his position as the king of the kids.

“Boom rumble rumble!”

The roaring sound of engines rose as a heavily armored truck climbed up the mountain range. The phenomenon above the Devil Cloud Cave ruins had not dissipated. The group approached closer, with the sect entrance now clearly visible.

A moment later, the truck came to a halt.

In front of them was a majestic entrance to the mountain sect, with a giant stone stele standing at the front, elegantly inscribed with three large characters: Devil Cloud Cave.

It is said that in earlier years, Devil Cloud Cave was a stone mansion carved out of a cliff, containing a vast world within. Later, the previous Sect Leader thought hiding the sect within a small world made it a target for enemies, and so he decided to relocate the entire sect out of there.

After all, there was only one spatial passage inside the small world, and if it fell into enemy hands, Devil Cloud Cave would face an existential crisis. However, what the human calculations didn’t account for was that even moving the sect atop an expanse of mountains could not prevent the eventual downfall of the sect.

“Sect Leader, we’ve arrived!”

Fu Tiantian dismounted from the truck, appearing very excited.

“Put away the transport, let’s proceed on foot so as not to disturb our predecessors,” Li Xiaobai said lightly. He knew that the gate in front of them was merely an illusion and not truly real. Perhaps there could be some unknown dangers within, and they would need to move forward with caution.

“Yes!”

The expedition proceeded on foot, with Li Xiaobai leading the way. The group of children followed behind, crawling their way into the interior of Devil Cloud Cave.

Within the mountain sect, peaks abounded, and the air was filled with a mystic aura. Cultivators on flying swords communicated back and forth; one could occasionally see cultivators setting up stalls on both sides of the road, selling various Demonic Beast materials amidst a bustling and lively scene. Everything appeared frighteningly real.

“Senior Brother Wang!”

Fu Tiantian called out in surprise to a white-clad young man setting up a stall, recalling that this Senior Brother Wang was a direct disciple who had risked his life to send her out of Central Province along with many other senior sect members.

“We’re closed for the day; no more trading,” said Senior Brother Wang, tossing a bag of coins, smiling lightly.

“Why are you here, Senior Brother?”

Fu Tiantian continued to ask.

“I’m waiting for my junior sister to come back. I’ve been single since birth for over thirty years, waiting for her to find me a wife.”

Senior Brother Wang said with a grin.

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother, we’ll find you a fine lady, and you’ll have a grand wedding carried on a palanquin!”

Fu Tiantian took out a notebook and earnestly wrote down: find Senior Brother Wang a wife.

A faint smile hung on Senior Brother Wang’s face, and a trace of contentment seemed to flash in his eyes. His figure began to fade slowly along with the stall on the ground. By the time Fu Tiantian looked up, the place was empty.

“Senior… Senior Brother?”

Fu Tiantian looked around in a bit of a panic, trying to find Senior Brother Wang again, but unfortunately, the surroundings had already emptied, with several nearby stalls disappearing at the moment Senior Brother Wang vanished.

“He’s already left, and he left peacefully.”

Li Xiaobai patted her head, saying that the whole sect was probably one giant obsession that, for some unknown reason, had materialized, allowing Fu Tiantian to see them one last time. @@novelbin@@

But not all obsessions were like Senior Brother Wang, who could converse. Those cultivators who were flying on their swords in the void, moving mechanically, clearly lacked the ability to communicate.

“Eee ya ya!”

The little toddler also crawled beside Fu Tiantian and, imitating Li Xiaobai, patted her ankle in an attempt to comfort her.

“The disciple understands, Senior Brother Wang is already dead.”

Fu Tiantian rubbed her eyes and, holding the notebook, continued forward.

Before long, she encountered another being of obsession, a female cultivator with flying hair, blood-red eyes, and a face full of murderous aura. Occasionally, obsessions on flying swords that came near were crushed by her grasp. Li Xiaobai sized her up, deducing that she must have been a tough one in life, and that her death must have been accompanied by some great humiliation to have spawned such resentment.

“The sect was destroyed, my heart cannot accept this!”

“My heart is fierce like a tiger but alas, my body perished and my path is gone, I cannot accept this!”

The female cultivator raved madly, muttering to herself.

“Senior Sister Liu!”

Fu Tiantian stepped forward and called out softly.

The ferocity in the female cultivator’s eyes suddenly diminished, and her fierce expression relaxed.

The female cultivator’s lips parted slightly, “I’m waiting for my junior sister.”

Fu Tiantian asked, “Waiting for her for what?”

The female cultivator replied, “Only my junior sister can make the scallion pancakes from Devil Cloud Cave, I miss that taste.”

Fu Tiantian once again raised her pen and noted down earnestly: make scallion pancakes for Senior Sister Liu.

“Senior Sister, I will avenge you!”

The female cultivator gently touched Fu Tiantian’s brow with a finger, “Having the scallion pancakes is enough.”

“Over there, the Sect Leader is waiting for you.”

Senior Sister Liu pointed in a direction. Fu Tiantian looked in the direction indicated, which led to the courtyard she lived in with her grandfather. By the time she turned back, the raging female cultivator had already disappeared.

Fu Tiantian proceeded onward, and without notice, the environment of the surrounding sect changed, transforming from rolling mountains to a single path leading to that specific courtyard.

This seemed to be some kind of guidance. Li Xiaobai knew the answer to the true nature of this obsession must lie within that courtyard.