I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

“Don’t panic in situations like this. If you lose your composure, you’ll have no chance at all.”

Seeing Long Tian fiddling with the formation, Qiu Li Gao suddenly remembered how he had just broken several third-tier formations.

While individual strength was limited, the aid of formations could greatly enhance one’s power. Especially for formation masters—given enough time, they could both attack and defend, making them indispensable in any group of cultivators, highly sought after.

“I didn’t ask before, but you’re a third-tier formation master?”

“Let’s say that’s the case.”

“Impressive… but you’re only at Foundation Establishment. You shouldn’t be able to maintain too many formations, right?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Long Tian found Qiu Li Gao adorably naive, too quick to trust others. Did he really think that just because Long Tian claimed to be at Foundation Establishment, he truly was? Could someone at Foundation Establishment reach this depth of the secret realm?

“I’ll count to ten. If you don’t come out, we’ll come in. At that point, it won’t just be leaving behind a hand.” The burly cultivator continued to shout.

Qiu Li Gao took a deep breath, remembering Long Tian’s words, and did his best to stay calm.

“Ten!”

Long Tian had already repaired several formations he had previously unraveled.

“Six!”

A bead of sweat trickled down Long Tian’s forehead. After all, he was not a formation master; his techniques were too clumsy. Even though the old immortal had taught him formations in the simplest way possible, he couldn’t speed up his progress much.

“Two!”

Qiu Li Gao watched Long Tian’s busy figure, wanting to do something but feeling utterly powerless, only able to fret anxiously.

“One!”

Long Tian did not pause; the countdown outside merely informed him of when the enemy would breach the entrance, but it did not mean he would halt his activation of the formation in sync with the ticking clock.

The cultivators outside exchanged glances.

“They’re not coming out.”

“Then we kill them.”

“There might be traps and formations inside.”

“Two weak Foundation Establishment cultivators coming in and out—how formidable could it be?” someone scoffed.

“Be cautious. To reach this depth of the secret realm so quickly indicates they possess some skill.” The Crystal Master of the tenth layer signaled for the second-tier formation masters to step forward.

The two formation masters nodded, leading the way.

The Crystal Master then instructed some to encircle the cave, ensuring Long Tian and his companion could not escape through the secret passage, before following closely behind the formation masters.

“Fortunately, many formations remain here.” Long Tian heard movement echoing through the stone corridor, realizing the enemy had entered. When he had first deciphered these formations, he had found it exhausting; now, he could only express gratitude to the one who had set them.

Setting up formations required time. If Long Tian were to arrange them himself, he could never have created so many in such a short span. But to dismantle and then repair them allowed for ample time. Although he had only restored about ten, these were third-tier formations capable of dealing with Golden Core cultivators, let alone a mere group of small Crystals.

Long Tian instructed Qiu Li to hide in a corner, feigning terror to confuse the enemy. In truth, there was no need for pretense; his legs trembled, breath quick and chaotic.

Let’s hope he doesn’t wet his pants from fear, Long Tian thought silently, his expression serious as he fixed his gaze on the entrance.

—

119 Bystanders

Ye Yong could prevent the protagonist from harvesting materials from spirit beasts, but he could not stop the human race from playing their roles in delivering treasures. Unaware of the events unfolding in the cave, he was currently enjoying himself, slaying monsters.

The highest-tier spirit beasts within the secret realm were merely at the third layer of Golden Core. In just one hour, he had nearly wiped out all the early-stage Golden Core spirit beasts that those cultivators dared not approach.

“The flesh of this spirit beast is quite good; this one is not suitable for eating. The fur and bones can be used for refining…” Before leaving the secret realm, Ye Yongqing began to tally his spoils.

The monsters he had slain in the Black Water Secret Realm were all defeated using formations. At that time, he was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, lacking any real combat power. The formations worked too swiftly, leaving him with little sense of the struggle. Now, having reached the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment and with his cultivation method automatically refined to perfection, he possessed considerable strength. The more than twenty early Golden Core spirit beasts he had captured were far less valuable than those from the Black Water Secret Realm, but their significance was immeasurable; after all, he had participated directly, feeling the thrill of involvement.

Yet, Ye Yongqing did not relish the sensation of killing. The ease with which a life could be extinguished in his hands felt too trivial, so trivial that he found himself somewhat indifferent. Though the world of cultivation was one of the survival of the fittest, to disregard life would eventually lead to a cold-blooded heart.

In the novel, Long Tian had killed countless beings, but in many instances, it was out of necessity. When resources were abundant and nothing was lacking, he would not simply kill for amusement.

Reflecting on this, Ye Yongqing felt fortunate for his timely reaction; otherwise, the villainous genes within him might have awakened unknowingly. Approaching killing with a mindset of enjoyment, once it became a habit, would undoubtedly sow the seeds of future troubles.

“It’s about time to leave,” Ye Yongqing was preparing to depart when he suddenly spotted a group of burly men bullying three frail women in the marsh.

Strictly speaking, the secret realm was beyond the reach of outside control; what transpired here would largely go unnoticed, unless one belonged to a wealthy family carrying a death-sensing artifact. But such individuals typically wouldn’t be bullied; rather, they would be the ones doing the bullying.

In the secret realm, those who were oppressed, bullied, or even killed were usually cultivators without much background or those whose backgrounds were insufficiently strong.

Bullying the weak was a constant occurrence. As a villain who wished to avoid unnecessary trouble and simply survive to the end, Ye Yongqing didn’t want to intervene, yet as a young man with a sense of justice, he felt compelled to help.

As the saying goes, when one sees injustice, one must speak out; when it’s time to act, one must act.

Of course, before intervening, Ye Yongqing needed to ascertain the situation. What if the women had stolen something from the men? He couldn’t rush in blindly.

Equipped with a cloaking artifact, Ye Yongqing approached silently, unnoticed by anyone.