âMany thanks, Lord Ergouzi!â
Dry Flame Saint Child showed an elated expression, gratefully speaking.
âWoof, Little Qianzi, from now on follow your Master Ergouzi, and Iâll ensure you sleep safe and sound, much better than being some Fire Qilin Cave Saint Child!â
Ergouzi couldnât stop grinning, never having imagined that one day it would take on underlings, and ones that swore allegiance no less.
âDonât worry, Lord Ergouzi, itâll be your word and no one elseâs. You tell me to go east, Iâll go east; you tell me to go west, Iâll go west. Wherever you point, Iâll strike!â
The Dry Flame Saint Child smiled humbly, also letting out an inward sigh of relief. Though he had gambled his future prospects and fate, he had after all saved his own life, and that was enough.
âWoof, Little Qianzi is very accommodating, but Lord Ergouzi still prefers the unruly pride you had before.â
Ergouzi stood upright, casually stating with its paws crossed over its chest.
âGot it, got it. Lord Ergouzi is a figure of stature, his underlings must also have some presence, only then can they avoid embarrassing their master!â
The Dry Flame Saint Child nodded in understanding.
âGood, good, you are very sensible. Go stand over there.â
Ergouzi waved its paw, eyes squinting into slits.
âSaint Child, how can you demean yourself so? You are the Saint Child of the Fire Qilin Cave!â
Elder Ji, who was also kneeling and not getting up, shouted hoarsely, the actions of the Dry Flame Saint Child having disgraced the Fire Qilin Cave.
âElder Ji, itâs better to keep the green mountains around, as there will always be wood to burn. If life is lost, then truly everything is gone. Thatâs the rationale you taught me.â
The Dry Flame Saint Child spoke indifferentlyâhe knew life was of the utmost importance. If one were to die, what use would fame and fortune serve?
Elder Ji fell silent, struck dumb, not knowing what to think.
âGiggle, you audacious dead dog, daring to take on minions, I want one too!â
From within the pond, Ji Wuqing jumped up, envious of Ergouziâs recent treatment: Not only did it hold a exalted position in the Fire Qilin Cave, but it also had a Mahayana Realm servant to protect its way, and now it even had taken the Saint Child as its underling.
This was truly the peak of a dogâs life!
âWoof, what do you want with an underling, you useless chicken? Just stay obediently beneath your Master Ergouziâs feet!â
Ergouzi retorted with a swipe of its paw, flipping Ji Wuqing over and pressing it down.
âCough cough, if thatâs the case, I too am willing to become a servant for Lord Ji Wuqingâ¦â
Elder Ji, still kneeling and not getting up, began to speak again, his gaze fixed intently on Ji Wuqing, ready to swear allegiance to the sky. He truly believed what the Dry Flame Saint Child had saidâlife indeed was the most important.
As for the face of the Fire Qilin Cave?
What was that? Could it be eaten?
But he only got halfway through his sentence when a sinister flame flickered, instantly enveloping him.
âWhat is this? I am willing to submit, willing to work like an ox or a horse for Lord Ji Wuqing!â
Elder Ji screamed in panic, crawling on the ground, unable to use his cultivation technique to resist, his inner Spiritual Power burning away even faster.
In just a single breath, his remaining Spiritual Power had dwindled to less than fifty percent.
The threat of death filled him with fear.
âHeh, not just anyone can become an underling. Elder Ji, youâre too weak, and your status is not as good as Dry Flame Saint Child. You donât qualify to be taken on as a minion, just be a good boy and turn into nourishment for the Hellfire.â
Cold light flashed in Li Xiaobaiâs eyes, and Elder Jiâs body disappeared in an instant, leaving not even a pile of ash behind.
[Current coverage area: five hundred and ten meters.]
Having added ten meters to the initial coverage area, it wasnât too bad. With a flick of his wrist, the flames disappeared, and the great hall once again returned to tranquility.
âHehe, kiddo, why did you stop this lord from taking on a little brother?â
âThis lord also wants a little brother, kiddo, youâre biased!â
Ji Wuqing screamed, as this was a cultivator at the Mahayana Realm, no less, and a formidable one from the Fire Qilin Cave at that. Having such a person as a minion would have greatly bolstered his prestige, and yet Li Xiaobai had just incinerated him straight away, which left it heartbroken and in deep anguish.
âHehe, keeping that old man around wouldâve been useless. If you want minions, Iâll find you someone even better in the future.â
âNot just anyone can become our minion. To be worthy of serving us, they have to be a genius!â
Li Xiaobai said cheerfully, casually releasing a stream of water from his Space Ring, refilling the pool again.
âWoof, stop your yapping, you damn chicken, and behave!â
Ergouzi was quite disdainful, as Ji Wuqing was no longer any match for it, not by any measure.
Xiong Da, who had always been unnoticeable, now had cold sweat beading on his forehead, and his calves were beginning to cramp. He had not expected todayâs events to unfold so swiftly and brutally. There wasnât even basic small talk before people were slaughtered, showing no fear of the power behind Fire Qilin Cave.
Even taking the Saint Heir as a minion was exceedingly vicious. He wondered what Fire Qilin Cave would think if they knew about this.
Right now, all he wanted was to leave this place as quickly as possible, for fear that Li Xiaobai might burn him too if he were to become displeased.
âLord Xiong, your performance today was quite satisfactory. Tomorrow I will head to the third battlefield to set up a Teleportation Formation. From then on, our two factions should communicate more, and letâs not have any more tricks up your sleeve.â
Li Xiaobai said.
âUnderstood, understood. This time I was completely deceived by the honeyed words of Fire Qilin Cave. From now on, this city lord will pledge loyalty only to Young Master Li. If Young Master Li tells me to go east, I will never go west!â
Xiong Da wiped off the cold sweat and hurriedly responded.
âBoth of you have recently arrived in the Holy City, and you may still be confused about the newly established shops. Why not take a tour in the city first, and Iâll summon you if thereâs anything else.â
Li Xiaobai waved his hand, indicating that Xiong Da and the Dry Flame Saint Child could leave.
âThank you, Young Master Li.â
Xiong Da and the Dry Flame Saint Child, as if granted a grand amnesty, trampled over each other to get out.
Steam once again rose inside the house.
âYoung Master Li, you really have divine foresight. Without spending a single soldier or piece, you easily took over the third battlefield and the Dry Flame Saint Child. Iâm truly impressed!â
Cai Kunxu chuckled, feeling immensely satisfied with Xiong Daâs behavior just now.
âIndeed, I never would have thought that taking over a city lord would be such an easy task,â Yang Guang also laughed.
âAt this rate, it might not be long before we retake all four cities.â
âEat food one bite at a time, walk a road one step at a time. The first and second battlegrounds are unlike the third and fourth. Both the cultivation level of the city lord and the overall strength of the battlegrounds are vastly different. If we want to take them over, weâll have to do it slowly.â
Li Xiaobai said slowly.
Mei Changqing was not like the likes of Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da; with Li Xiaobaiâs current strength, it was impossible to defeat him.
The opponentâs cultivation level was too high, and neither the Hundred Percent Barehanded Blade Catch nor the scorching of Hellfire could inflict any harm on him.
To take over these two cities would require a long-term plan.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âSo whatâs your next plan, Young Master Li?â
âWeâll take it slow, letâs first focus on developing the Holy City. The cultivators from just the third and fourth battlefields alone will be enough to make us rich overnight.â