Starforce Warriors-Chapter 1016: The First Target

Who would become Emperor at the end of the immortal path? Cultivators gathered like rain, yet few ever reached the end. Li Xiaofei raised his hand and swept it across the sky. The clouds dispersed in an instant, and the skies above the Thirty-Third Heavens cleared.

When he felt the power of laws within him return to its purest essence, Li Xiaofei experienced a strange sensation. It was as if he had become one with the human race, breathing and sharing their fate.

With a single glance, his eyes pierced through the endless void. He saw what was unfolding far away in the Realm of Ruins.

"It is time," muttered Li Xiaofei.

Divine radiance shimmered in his eyes, interwoven with countless blazing patterns. A moment later, he arrived at Doushuai Palace. At that moment, Tan Qingying, the young lady, had already sensed the shift in the world’s energy. She knew her beloved had become an Emperor, but seeing it with her own eyes still brought a joyful smile to her face.

"You don’t seem all that different." She stepped forward and lightly smacked Li Xiaofei’s chest. "I thought you’d be all radiant, sparkling, dazzling, and cool. But now that you’ve become an Emperor, you still look like an ordinary man."

Li Xiaofei smiled faintly. His path to Emperorhood had indeed taken a shortcut, but it was one no one else could ever replicate. If she saw him as ordinary, then that was best. If power created distance between husband and wife, then that would truly be a tragedy.

"Come on, let’s go see Father." Tan Qingying said, "He’s returned."

Li Xiaofei nodded. "Alright."

Little Aunt was not at Doushuai Palace, so Li Xiaofei and Tan Qingying went together to the Peach Garden. Old Tan was sitting under a tree, eating peaches. His mouth was dripping with peach juice.

Well, that's something, even Li Xiaofei was momentarily surprised.

These were not ordinary fruits; they were divine peaches. Old Tan was enjoying quite the treatment. Old Tan had changed over the years. He looked younger, his skin now fair and smooth like jade. His appearance and demeanor resembled that of a youth no older than eighteen or nineteen. Yet his eyes carried the weariness of someone who had seen ten thousand years of life.

"Dad," Li Xiaofei stepped forward to greet him.

Tan Zhenwei casually tossed him a peach. "Want to try one? Then again, you probably won’t be interested. These peaches are treasures to others, but they hold no value to someone who has already become Emperor."

Li Xiaofei caught the peach and examined it closely but did not eat it. Old Tan was right. The peach could no longer enhance his cultivation. Eating it would be nothing more than a waste. It was better to leave it for the heroes of the human race. Sometimes, a single peach could change the life of a young prodigy.

"Forget it, then," said Old Tan, picking up another peach and continuing to eat with gusto.

Li Xiaofei glanced around. The vast Peach Garden stretched out before him. Not a single peach was missing from the grove of fruit-bearing trees. Then where were the peaches Old Tan was eating coming from?

As if sensing Li Xiaofei’s thoughts, Old Tan reached for a barren branch of a peach tree that was in its withered phase. Time rippled gently around it as he plucked a bright red peach from the empty branch.

Li Xiaofei’s heart stirred, What kind of ability is this?

"The place I’m taking you to is extremely dangerous," said Tan Zhenwei. "So before we go, you must be well fed."

It was not just about being full. The energy within the body also needed to be replenished completely. For instance, he was already feeling bloated from eating, yet he still had to consume several hundred more peaches. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Li Xiaofei asked, "Dad, who are you planning to take with you?"

Old Tan replied, "Whoever wants to go, I’ll take them."

Li Xiaofei paused to think for a moment.

Old Tan added, "After this battle, who knows how many people will be left in this world? The fall of Emperors is inevitable... Little Li, you and Little Ying have walked through storms and trials together. There’s only one thing left. Let’s complete the final ritual today."

Li Xiaofei understood what he meant. A wedding. A ceremony carried out with the blessings of parents and elders. It was a symbol of commitment. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful thing for their love to receive parental blessing.

He turned to look at the young lady. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was smiling brightly at him.

"Alright," said Li Xiaofei.

Li Xiaofei had been without parents since his transmigration. Though he had many old friends, few could come to the Heavenly Court. But after a brief period of preparation, his aunt appeared in the Peach Garden as the groom’s representative.

A simple wedding was held soon after. It was only symbolic, a ritual to witness their union. As for the wedding chamber... That, of course, was indispensable.

Li Xiaofei never expected that the first thing he would do after becoming Emperor would be to marry and leave behind descendants. The next day, Li Xiaofei departed from Heaven. Standing at the Southern Heavenly Gate, he raised his fingers and flicked a single sword light into the air, which turned into a gentle mist of rain that spread across Heaven.

"If I never return, then may the future generations of the human race still remember me," mummured Li Xiaofei.

With that, he vanished into the void. Tan Zhenwei and his daughter stood atop the tallest peach tree, watching the direction where Li Xiaofei had disappeared.

"When he returns, the final battle will begin. This time, I hope you won’t go," said Old Tan.

Tan Qingying said nothing. They would always stay together through life and death. To grow old side by side, no matter how far the ends of the earth. Would she ever choose not to go?

***

The Realm of Ruins. Stormcliff.

Li Xiaofei appeared beside a mountain pool. He could sense the lingering aura left behind by the Ancestor of Wisdom. It was clear that this supreme Reaper had departed not long ago.

After a brief moment, Li Xiaofei followed the narrow path along the cliff, making his way down. Guided by his memory, he arrived at the subterranean world within the mountain’s core.

The handsome and jade-like Sword Immortal, Lin Beichen, sat idly. When he saw Li Xiaofei appear, he immediately broke into a grin.

"Oh ho ho, you’re a loyal one after all. The first person you come to visit after becoming Emperor... I’m touched."

Li Xiaofei could still feel the immense strength radiating from this human Immortal Emperor. Now, he could also sense the terrifying presence of the Reaper known as the Ancestor of Strength who was imprisoned here.

It truly deserved its fearsome reputation if it required an Immortal Emperor-level cultivator to suppress it.

"You’re not thinking of teaming up with me to kill the Ancestor of Strength once and for all, are you?" Sensing the fierce battle intent burning within Li Xiaofei, Lin Beichen instantly grasped his purpose.

Li Xiaofei nodded. It was the first step in his plan. The existence of the Ancestor of Strength posed an immense threat to the human race. This threat needed to be eliminated before the final war began.

Lin Beichen thought for a moment and said, "The Ancestor of Strength is different from the Ancestor of Wisdom. Its mind holds nothing but bestial instinct, a fusion of slaughter and bloodlust. It acts purely on instinct, and yes, it poses a tremendous threat to humanity. That’s why I personally came to suppress it... but to kill it? That won’t be easy. You’ve only just ascended to the rank of Immortal Emperor, so if you want to stretch your arms a bit, be my guest."

As he spoke, sword light shimmered in his hand. A single spatial gate opened before them.

"If you can’t beat it, call for me," said Lin Beichen. "I’ll cover you from outside."

Li Xiaofei remained silent. He moved and stepped into the portal. An instant later, he arrived in the alternate space where the Ancestor of Strength was imprisoned. A colossal beast, vast as a constellation, was coiled in the void, seemingly asleep.

But Li Xiaofei’s arrival stirred it awake.