Li Xiaofei returned to Earth No. 1818. The planet had undergone tremendous change in just a short span of time. Under the rule of Great Xia, star beasts had transformed from rampaging monsters into livestock and poultry that could be used by humans.
Back then, in a fit of rage, Li Xiaofei had nearly exterminated all high-grade star beasts. The remaining intelligent high-grade star beasts, intimidated by Li Xiaofei’s unparalleled strength, had submitted to humanity. Some of them had even signed contracts with Great Xia’s Dragon Group, becoming contract battle pets for top-tier powerhouses like Li Guorui.
Others, including beast kings, took on human forms. After registering with the Dragon Group, they joined human society, utilizing their abilities to become part of the new workforce, subject to human laws. And of course, they were also protected by human laws.
The pace of human evolution on Earth No. 1818 had entered the fast lane.
In accordance with Li Xiaofei’s will, the Dragon Group of Great Xia selected those with true martial talent and good character. Whether they were superpowered individuals or practitioners of ancient martial arts, they were taught cultivation techniques based on immortal arts. A total of 47,891 individuals had already evolved into cosmic-level lifeforms.
This rate of evolution was the highest ever recorded in Chongque City’s history. The entire planet had stepped onto a path of accelerated evolution. An unprecedented road of development had been unveiled before the eyes of the world.
Li Xiaofei felt deeply satisfied and comforted. It was his first time serving as Chief Evolution Officer for an Earth-era civilization. Yet, by sheer accident, he had done an excellent job.
This also meant that he could completely refute the previous method employed by Chongque City of using star beasts and the fires of war to stimulate evolution on base planets, and instead pursue a more moderate approach.
Of course, each base planet had its own unique circumstances, and not all would be suited to Earth No. 1818’s model of combining superpowers with martial arts. Still, with Chongque City having developed twenty-four evolutionary pathways, adopting a combinational approach to evolution seemed to be the way forward.
At the Meilin Mansion in Jinshi City.
Li Xiaofei and Miss Fan had battled through hundreds of rounds.
Miss Fan had long since shed her identity as a celebrity. After passing the Dragon Group's rigorous examinations, she had become an official member, and her outstanding performance had seen her rise to become a mid-level team captain stationed with the overseas special operations unit.
Her rapid rise was largely due to her dual cultivation with Li Xiaofei. Her physique had been transformed, giving her a tremendous edge in both ancient martial cultivation and superpower awakening. She had even cultivated a trace of Immortal Force.
Miss Fan looked almost otherworldly in her beauty. Nestled lazily in Li Xiaofei’s arms, she whispered softly, “Shall we have a child together?”
Li Xiaofei gave her rear a light pat and replied, “Let nature take its course.”
Due to his special physique, he had never once taken any contraceptive measures, yet only Si Kongxue had borne him a child. Li Xiaofei had once speculated that it was because Si Kongxue was a naturally-born cosmic lifeform with powerful vitality, so only she had the strength to endure birthing his child. Such was the wonder of life.
The next day, Li Xiaofei left Jinshi City alone. He conducted a thorough inspection of Earth No. 1818, seeking out deeply hidden high-grade star beasts that harbored ill intent toward humanity. One by one, he modified them, making them significantly more docile.
Yes. Star beasts were akin to viruses. They were bioengineered creatures, developed by Chongque City through advanced biological sciences based on interstellar beasts.
This was why both Jiepeng and Yiggs had mastered the means to control star beasts back on Earth No. 89876. The key lay in the highly controllable nature of these genetically edited organisms.
After completing all this, Li Xiaofei made his way to Mount Emei. Ah Qing had been secluded atop the Golden Summit in closed-door cultivation. She had been there for quite some time and still showed no sign of emerging.
Li Xiaofei took a leisurely stroll around the summit, enjoying the scenery. Ah Qing did not appear. He didn’t linger long and departed right away.
A moment later, he arrived at Mount Kilimanjaro, where he met Shin Koharu within a hidden valley.
“Grandmaster!” The young girl’s eyes lit up with excitement the moment she saw Li Xiaofei.
Her cultivation had borne fruit since they had last met. Though she was still small, her body had matured significantly. She was no longer the scrawny, dark-skinned child of the past. She had grown strong and graceful, blossoming into a poised young woman.
But she was still just as dark. Her deep, wheat-colored skin made her look very much like a sleek, agile leopardess from the African savannah.
Shin Koharu could hardly wait to recount the strange glowing mutation that had occurred in Ishihara Masami. She excitedly described every detail to Li Xiaofei.
“Oh? Something like that happened?” Li Xiaofei was surprised.
He entered the secret chamber within the cave and carefully examined Ishihara Masami’s condition. What he found shocked him. The black hole vortex within her body had grown several times stronger. The energy contained within it was beyond imagination. Just observing and lightly probing it left him deeply unsettled.
Li Xiaofei couldn’t understand the cause behind it. The more he observed, the more shaken he became. An indescribably powerful Black Hole energy was being nurtured within Ishihara Masami’s body. It maintained a miraculous and delicate balance between life and death. It was so fragile that the slightest disruption might cause her to vanish without a trace in an instant.
Li Xiaofei questioned Shin Koharu thoroughly and had her recount in detail the events of the day when Ishihara Masami underwent the transformation. But he still could not glean any clue or pattern from it.
For a fleeting moment, Li Xiaofei even wondered, could Ishihara Masami be the reincarnation of some great cultivator? Though her mind showed no signs of inherited wisdom, her body might be instinctively reawakening the cultivation of a former life.
No wonder so many pursued the Primal Divinity. Just by observing Ishihara Masami’s condition, Li Xiaofei had comprehended a new path to Immortal Dao cultivation and immediately broke through his bottleneck, ascending to the Black Hole level of cosmic lifeform.
If he were to devour and refine the black hole energy within Ishihara Masami... Then wouldn’t that mean...
Li Xiaofei shuddered. He realized that he absolutely had to protect this disciple. He could not allow her to fall into anyone else’s hands. He immediately restructured the formations of Mount Kilimanjaro, layering the entire valley with powerful restrictions and protections.
The arrangements he set up were nothing short of formidable. Even if a true Black Hole level cosmic lifeform descended upon the area, it would be impossible to break through the defenses in a short time.
Once all was in place, Li Xiaofei patiently spent three full days personally guiding Shin Koharu in her cultivation.
Haunted by a sense of guilt toward Ishihara Masami, he became even more dedicated in training Shin Koharu. He was almost treating her as his final, closed-door disciple. It was, in a way, his form of compensation.
After finishing everything, Li Xiaofei departed from Earth No. 1818. But this base planet remained protected by the formations passed down to him by his aunt.
Until he had fully seized control of Chongque City, Li Xiaofei would not permit anyone else from that city to set foot in this flourishing realm. However, instead of returning to Chongque City, Li Xiaofei went back to his own Earth. The one that had truly nurtured him, Earth No. 89876.
Now that his strength was sufficient, he returned to this dimension using the technique his aunt had taught him before her departure.
A flash of radiance lit the air as Li Xiaofei’s figure appeared in the void. In that very instant, he felt an omnipresent pressure from the heavens and earth. The planet was rejecting him.
More precisely, it was rejecting any lifeform whose body energy exceeded the tolerable limits of the world. Fortunately, Li Xiaofei had long anticipated this. He forcefully suppressed his own life force and sealed a portion of his cultivation until he adapted to the world’s environment.
“Luckily, I was born in this world. That’s the only reason the laws of this realm are barely willing to accept me. If it were any other outsider, they probably wouldn’t be able to enter, even with their cultivation sealed.”
Li Xiaofei came to a deeper understanding. Once he was fully adapted, his body transformed into a streak of light, soaring toward the territory of Great Xia. He could no longer wait. He wanted to return to Liuhe Base City. He longed to see his old friends once again.