I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense - Chapter 629:

Chapter 629: Chapter 630: Stalemate

The speaker was a man in a white robe, majestic in bearing and with a striking aura, who bore a slight resemblance to the Old Dragon King.

His name was Long Zhan, the direct eldest son of the Old Dragon King, responsible for commanding the military generals. He was in charge of matters of war in the Eastern Sea, and he was well-informed about the affairs of Long Xue, respecting the wishes of his little niece in everything.

“Utter nonsense, even if he is a strong one, what of it?”

“Ultimately, he’s but an outsider, a Sea Clan princess absolutely cannot be given to a human race cultivator. I will not agree to this marriage!”

To the side, the Tortoise Prime Minister puffed out his beard and glared furiously, vehemently disagreeing with Long Zhan’s statement.

“Tortoise Prime Minister, all said and done, isn’t it just because your grandson was promised to Xue’er as a childhood betrothal?”

“That was merely a jest made by my second brother back then, not to be taken seriously. Now that Xue’er has someone she fancies, who also happens to be a master, we should be helping her, shouldn’t we!”

Long Zhan spoke calmly, he had seen through the old turtle’s scheming long ago.

He wanted to sabotage the relationship between Long Xue and Li Xiaobai, and thereafter elevate his own grandson. He certainly had a good calculation.

“General Long is mistaken, one can be reckless with food, but not with words. I, too, have only the best interests of the Dragon Palace at heart. Moreover, my grandson and Princess Xue’er are a match made in heaven, having been betrothed before their births. How can we simply go back on our word now?”

“Is it that the descendants of this old turtle are not worthy of Princess Xue’er?”

The Tortoise Prime Minister said with a heavy voice, his tone very cold.

“Marriage is a serious affair of destiny, not a child’s play. Instead of seeing Xue’er live a life of gloom and solitude, I would prefer to see her unite with that member of the human race!”

Long Zhan argued passionately, his purpose was clear: anyone might be suitable as Long Xue’s partner, except for the grandson of the Tortoise Prime Minister.

Normally, he and the Tortoise Prime Minister jointly handled the affairs of the court. Leveraging his status as a scion of the Dragon King, he managed to keep the other in check. If the Tortoise Prime Minister’s grandson were to marry into the royal family of the Dragon Race, it would enable him to rival Long Zhan in the court, making it hard for Long Zhan to take advantage in the future.

Fortunately, Long Xue herself had no interest in the Tortoise Prime Minister’s grandson, which gave him quite the opportunity.

“Not of our kind, and their heart will be different. The princess can only marry a Sea Clan cultivator!”

The Tortoise Prime Minister also argued with conviction, showing no sign of backing down.

“The two of you have made yourselves clear, but since the person is already here, why not first test him to let all the loyal ministers see his strength and character, to see whether he is suitable for Xue’er or not?”

“If the Tortoise Prime Minister still has objections, then we can have the two young ones compare with each other freely, fighting for it. How about that?”

The Old Dragon King intervened to stop the argument, slowly speaking out.

“I have no objections!”

“Good, may I know where that young man currently resides?”

Both men bowed with cupped fists, clearly seeing that the Old Dragon King had made up his mind, and therefore no longer spoke further.

“Hehe, I threw him into the dungeon, first let’s see how that young man fares. If he can’t even deal with a little difficulty like the dungeon, then he has no right to be a son-in-law of the Eastern Sea!”

The Old Dragon King stretched out his hand and performed a Seal Spell in the air. In the void, above the grand hall, an image appeared out of nowhere, displaying the scene within the dungeon.

…

At this moment, in the dungeon.

Li Xiaobai was conversing with the many who had become his subordinates.

The faces of Dao Zu and his men looked somewhat ugly, because Li Xiaobai made them get their hands on the Luminous Pearls from their respective lairs.

In this prison, they relied entirely on the Luminous Pearls for daily life; without the overflow of Spiritual Power and light from them, these prisoners would find themselves in a dark world, unable to cultivate.

There was a vast difference between having Luminous Pearls and not having them—it was like two different worlds.

Moreover, in the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea, it was strictly forbidden to steal Spiritual Pearls, let alone cause trouble within the dungeons. One misstep, and their sins could be greatly magnified—a fact Zhang Dabao understood all too well.

“My lord, we mustn’t touch the Luminous Pearl, I was imprisoned because I stole one,” said one humbly.

“If we take the Luminous Pearl in front of the warden, she will hunt us down!”

“And the Luminous Pearls are the source of spiritual energy for the dungeon. If too many are taken, the dungeon will not only be plunged into darkness, but will also be drained of Spiritual Power, leaving the cultivators unable to cultivate!”

The prisoners spoke with bitter expressions, never expecting Li Xiaobai to present them with such a tough problem right from the start.

Condemned prisoners and the warden were two sides that they could not afford to offend, leaving them in an extremely difficult situation.

“Fear not, I’ll handle the warden, and there won’t be any problems. As for cultivating, I can assure you, as long as you obey, you’ll be able to cultivate even without spiritual energy!”

Li Xiaobai chuckled, completely unconcerned by what the others said.

Resources must be utilized efficiently to realize their value; simply piling them on the floor was a terrible waste.

In a casual motion, he summoned a strand of Hellfire that instantly devoured and extinguished the Luminous Pearl hanging above the entrance.

“This…”

The crowd was shocked to their core, having never seen such a strange method. The eerie, pitch-black flames filled them with endless dread.

It wasn’t hard to imagine the disaster that would befall them if those flames were ever turned on themselves.

“Fine, if my lord wishes for it, we will assist you to our dying breath. I will return to my den and dismantle that Luminous Pearl right away!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve always disliked that thing. I’m going to dismantle it now!”

Impressed by Li Xiaobai’s authority, the group ultimately nodded in agreement. They had no choice; agreeing might mean death later, but refusing could mean death right there and then.

“Alright, Dao Zu stays, the rest go fetch the Luminous Pearls. Gather back here in two hours, understood?”

“Understood!”

The people dispersed, and Li Xiaobai entered the cave abode with Dao Zu.

He summoned another strand of Hellfire and devoured each Luminous Pearl on the walls one by one, causing the light within the cave abode to dim suddenly.

Glancing at the attribute pane, there was no change in the Hellfire’s data. Li Xiaobai sighed, realizing that advancing the Gluttonous Beast was not going to be easy.

“Cough cough, my lord, did you summon me here for any particular orders?”

Dao Zu asked apprehensively, staring as the ominous black fire crept and spread across the cave walls, instantly incinerating everything it touched.

Seeing Li Xiaobai’s nonchalant demeanor, Dao Zu was internally panicked to the extreme, suspecting that Li Xiaobai was a typical homicidal maniac, extremely dangerous!

“I am new here and not yet familiar with the situation in this dungeon.”

“Understood, my lord! Just ask, and I shall withhold nothing in my answers!”

“Good, tell me then, who is the strongest person in this dungeon?”