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

Chapter 197: 198 I, Ouyang Di, Am Willing to Pledge My Loyalty

The four stewards knelt before Li Xiaobai, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets in sheer terror.

They were venerable powerhouses of the Transcendance Tribulation Stage who had made a name for themselves decades ago. Now, they found it unbearable to be kneeling before a junior.

The sword seemed to possess some kind of magical allure that invoked within them an overwhelming urge to kneel and accept it.

It was difficult to determine whether this was due to the sword itself or the technique employed by the opponent, too eerie indeed!

“Sword Imprisonment, Demon’s Wicked Sword, I have heard of it. Just what is your cultivation level?”

“You’re just in your early twenties, how can you be so powerful? We are at the Tribulation Crossing Stage yet we can’t fight back at all in front of you!”

Having somewhat recovered their senses, the stewards realized something was amiss. Nearly all the experts within the Imperial City were now under control, kneeling before Li Xiaobai. At this moment, the fate of Zhenyuan Country was in the hands of the adversary.

“What does being at the Tribulation Crossing Stage matter? Not to mention you, even the experts of Fire Qilin Cave willingly clean toilets within my sect,” said Li Xiaobai indifferently.

His defensive power had already reached the stage of fleshly sanctification. The power of his skills had also improved significantly. Now, his Barehanded Blade Catch at a hundred percent could completely control the masters of the Tribulation Crossing Stage.

However, this was only control. Having allocated all his Attribute Points to defense, he could only rely on the power of the Formation to kill these great masters.

Unfortunately, these elites were unaware of this fact and were extremely panic-stricken upon seeing themselves effortlessly controlled.

From the Space Ring of one of the stewards, two inconspicuous streaks of light passed through the Formation and entered Li Xiaobai’s forehead.

[Attribute Point +10000…]

[Attribute Point +10000…]

[Achievement: Trouble Maker (8/108).]

All the Blood Sacrifice Fragments within Zhenyuan Country had been collected by him, instantly adding several tens of thousands of Attribute Points.

All on defensive power!

[Defensive Power: Fleshly Sanctification (250000/1000000) Advanceable.]

Feeling their bodies disintegrate piece by piece, everyone was in great panic. Several princesses, with severely insufficient strength and at the stages of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul, struggled briefly before emitting screams and bursting to death.

Watching the cultivators burst continuously and blood gushing into the void, the woman behind the curtain was stricken with fear, lost and in turmoil. She was just at the Half-step Tribulation Crossing Stage and couldn’t withstand the mighty power of the Formation.

The erosive power of the Blood Qi had already begun to corrode her flesh. Her internal organs had suffered significant injuries, and in a short while, she would dissolve into the Formation like those cultivators of lower cultivation levels.

“Husband, save me!”

The beautiful woman’s face twisted in pain and ferocity.

“My empire, my Zhenyuan Country, my Dragon Qi!”

“Li Xiaobai, you’ve won. Let us go, and name your terms!”

With each passing moment, Ouyang Di’s heart was tormented. His kingdom was rapidly declining, the Dragon Qi fading swiftly; in just a few breaths’ time, the fortunes of Zhenyuan Country had regressed by at least ten years.

Furthermore, being immobilized, he couldn’t use his skills to resist the attacks of the Formation. His arms were already mangled into a bloody mess by the power of the Formation.

At this moment, he finally remembered what his youngest daughter had said: Li Xiaobai was a big shot, someone they couldn’t afford to provoke!

Ouyang Di’s eyes brimmed with resentment; it was all Ouyang Yue’er’s fault. His eldest daughter had actually made such a critical mistake in intelligence, severely underestimating the enemy’s strength. Did they really make such big news just because of Elder Tianwu?

Now it seemed, with or without Elder Tianwu, the situation was the same; they were simply no match for a powerhouse who didn’t even fear cultivators at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage!

“What’s with your Zhenyuan Country, descendants of the sage of the Confucian Path, stooping so low? I spoke to you politely to negotiate, yet you plotted to kill me. Must we have it this way before we can have a proper discussion?” Li Xiaobai said indifferently.

“Young Master Li, please spare the lives of my father and mother. They were just confused at the moment!”

Ouyang Shuanger cried out from the side, unable to bear the sight of their suffering.

“Yes, yes, Shuanger, please persuade your Young Master to spare the queen mother!” the beautiful woman shouted.

“Young Master Li, I offer Shuanger to you, please spare our lives!” Ouyang Di also said.

In their view, there was nothing in this world that couldn’t be traded. Their own daughter seemed to have a deep connection with Li Xiaobai, who had repeatedly taken her side, giving them a glimpse of hope. Without any hesitation, they opted to offer Ouyang Shuanger to him.

At this moment, Ouyang Shuanger turned even paler; she could never have imagined that her parents would resort to selling her off again so abruptly.

For that so-called benefit, could they really sacrifice anyone at will? Was she, their daughter, really just a pawn used by Zhenyuan Country to garner benefits?

“To spare you is simple. Each of you must swear an oath with your moral hearts, henceforth to pledge loyalty to me and never to defy my demands,” Li Xiaobai said lightly.

“Hehe, and you, Ji Wuqing, must swear loyalty as well!” Ji Wuqing edged closer and yelled.

“You must be dreaming!”

Enraged by the words, Ouyang Di felt a surge of fury. Zhenyuan Country was the foundation established by his ancestors, built upon by the contributions of dozens of generations to achieve today’s glory. As the ruler of the nation, pledging loyalty to another was tantamount to handing over a thousand years of foundation, especially to a junior.

“Then you lose your life,” Li Xiaobai shook his head and said.

“Wait, we are willing to swear the oath. My husband, life is the most important. I, Hua Niang, swear with my moral heart, from now on, to be loyal to Li Xiaobai and never harbor a second heart!”

Seeing Ouyang Di’s temper flare up, the beautiful woman’s face changed, and she hastily apologized and made her moral heart oath to Li Xiaobai.

With her leading the way, the remaining cultivators issued their moral heart oaths very straightforwardly.

“I, Kong San, pledge my loyalty to Young Master Li!”

“I, Zhang Tianfang, pledge my loyalty to Young Master Li!”

“I, Wang Xian, pledge my loyalty to Young Master Li, and will never betray him in this life!”

Who wouldn’t want a chance to live? Trapped within the Formation, they stood no chance of survival; even a Transcendance Tribulation Stage expert would die in time within the Formation, let alone them.

One by one, they made their moral heart oaths quite resolutely.

As he watched his vassals swear their oaths one after the other, even the several retainers not being an exception, Ouyang Di felt as if he had aged decades in an instant.

With a sigh and a defeated tone, he said, “I, Ouyang Di, pledge my loyalty to Young Master Li!”

He knew that from today, Zhenyuan Country existed in name only.

“Very well, rest assured, I will not interfere with you. Zhenyuan Country will still be governed by you, but you need to vigorously develop and promote my enterprises.”