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

Chapter 750 -751 Ergouzi’s Astonishing Transformation

“Everything I know is from books; I never thought there would come a time when I could actually use it. Please excuse my modest attempt.”

Yan Xiao behaved with great humility, bowing deeply with a flicker of smugness in his eyes.

Today he had performed flawlessly, and he truly believed that once he got his hands on that golden staff in a short while, Luo Shui would certainly come to admire him.

Everyone was very patient, containing their breath and silently waiting for the ripples on the lake’s surface to subside.

What they didn’t know was that at this very moment, in the darkness, several pairs of eyes were intently watching them.

“These people really are patient, aren’t they, just standing motionless by the shore?”

The old beggar couldn’t help but grind his teeth in irritation, feeling quite vexed.

“Damn it, I really want to kick them all into the water!”

The Kraken was also scratching his ears and cheeks, looking more like a monkey than a monkey, finding it more torturous to just stand still and do nothing than to be killed.

“Be calm and patient. There are a hundred and three in total, most of them Human Immortal Realm experts. If we pull this off, we’ll be set for life!”

Liuren said.

“Bark, why not just let Ergouzi take them down, throwing them into the lake would be much easier, wouldn’t it?”

Ergouzi asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Simply throwing them in won’t necessarily wake the Demonic Beast.”

“Moreover, doing that would startle them and they would flee the moment they were released; we must get them to enter the lake themselves, and then we can wake the beast!”

Li Xiaobai explained calmly.

“Hush, listen closely to their conversation; perhaps there are other places within the periphery that we can utilize.”

On the shore.

These cultivators were indeed capable of enduring solitude; either they were in small groups exchanging information or they sat crossed-legged, taking out scriptures and starting to recite.

Li Xiaobai noticed that while these cultivators were reciting, strands of golden numbers appeared above their heads.

Most of them hovered around the twenties or thirties, but Yan Xiao had the highest Merit Value, a full one hundred points, with Luo Shui close behind at ninety points.

They were all diligent and persistent children indeed.

However, the progression of Merit Value was painstakingly slow; despite reciting scriptures for quite a long time, they didn’t seem to gain even a little bit of Merit Value, which seemed incredibly slow when compared to accumulating Sin Value.

Seeing this, Ergouzi also took out a tattered booklet and began to mutter the scripture under his breath.

Unexpectedly, just after reciting the first line, faint golden numbers appeared above his head.

“In utmost stillness…”

“Merit Value +1…”

“With a peaceful mind!”

“Merit Value +1…”

“Beyond earthly dust!”

“Merit Value +1…”

“Inside, not lingering!”

“Merit Value +1…”

After reciting just four sentences, four points of Merit Value had been added above his head, forming a large “four.”

“Holy shit, Lord Ergouzi is a prodigy, gaining one point of Merit for each line recited!”

Ergouzi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly overjoyed and was about to continue, but Li Xiaobai quickly covered his mouth.

“We’ll continue later. If you get discovered now, no matter how much Merit you have, they’ll skin you alive and string you up!”

It was fortunate that they were far enough away that no one noticed the anomaly here; the golden numbers lingered for a moment before fading away.

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Ergouzi nodded vigorously, but his eyes still sparkled with ecstasy. Just one mantra could increase his Merit Value by one point, wouldn’t it mean that he could easily reach a million Merit Value later?

“Hiss!”

“Is Merit Value that easy to earn?”

“Should the old beggar give it a try too?”

The old beggar didn’t ask for permission and recited the mantra as well, but there was no response at all. The others took turns reciting it, and even Ji Wuqing, unable to resist, followed suit and chanted a few times, but still, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

Li Xiaobai had black lines all over his forehead. These people were too careless with their expressions; weren’t they afraid of being discovered while they still had the leisure to explore this?

“Woof!”

“Lord Ergouzi truly is a supreme existence, an unrivaled genius, a born great merit holder!”

“I’ve decided, I want to become a Saint and teach the law to all creatures in the world!”

“Narrate the exciting tale of Lord Ergouzi’s life turned upside down!”

Ergouzi was tremendously excited; it wasn’t the scriptures’ fault, so it must be due to its extraordinary talent.

“Giggle, but why would that be?”

“You’re a stupid, lazy dog who always exaggerates. How can you accumulate Merit Value?”

“A dog like you should be committing great sins instead!”

Ji Wuqing asked with some confusion, and the others nodded in agreement, equally perplexed.

“Woof, you all underestimate Lord Ergouzi!”

“Lord Ergouzi is destined to illuminate all the worlds; he is not someone whom you vulgar lot can comprehend!”

“We, beings with status and cultivation, should see into the depths of the soul, understand the true nature of all things. The essence of Lord Ergouzi is that of a Living Buddha!”

Ergouzi boasted without shame, already fantasizing about how it would preach to all beings once it had gathered a million Merit Value.

“This must be related to the Elixir it consumed.”

Li Xiaobai pursed his lips and said indifferently, recalling how he had given Ergouzi a Justice Elixir when he first acquired him; now, it appeared that the Elixir was finally taking effect.

“Giggle, I’ve taken one too, let me kill someone to verify it!”

As soon as Ji Wuqing heard this, her spirit was revived. One Elixir for righteousness, one for evil—Ergouzi had consumed a Justice Elixir, while she had taken an Evil Elixir. Wouldn’t that mean if she killed someone, her Sin Value would skyrocket?

“You’re just a weakling now. If Sin Value were to be added to you, you’d probably be killed as soon as you stepped outside. Calm down.”

Li Xiaobai scoffed at her words. This chicken, although able to become big and endowed with an ability to revive infinitely, was utterly useless.

However, being pursued endlessly with Sin Value might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for this chicken, allowing it to become slightly stronger. But its progress was so far behind that for the moment, he had no expectations whatsoever.

“Phew, it’s not about extraordinary talent, that’s a relief. I almost got outdone by a dog.”

Now that they understood what was going on, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, having nearly believed that this dishonest and insidious creature was truly the reincarnation of a Living Buddha.

“There’s movement over there!”

Everyone held their breath and turned their gaze toward the lakeside.

At that moment, the surface of the lake was peaceful, without even a ripple to indicate that the Wanyue Rhino had fallen asleep; Yan Xiao and Luo Shui slowly got up on the shore.

“It worked, the Wanyue Rhino is asleep. Let’s keep our auras hidden and enter the water!”

The two reached a tacit agreement and swiftly jumped into the water, starting their search for the treasure at the bottom of the lake.

The group of cultivators on the shore looked at each other, somewhat at a loss. Watching the situation, it seemed that the two powerhouses had no intention of taking them along. After thinking about it, it made sense—who would want to dive for treasure with their competition?

“What do we do?”

“Do we even need to ask? Young Master Yan and Senior Sister Luo have both entered the water, let’s go too!”

“Fortune favors the bold. Let’s conceal our auras and take a gamble!”

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