Song Yu frowned slightly.
“Who gets the credit if we find Heaven?” she asked.
Li Xiaofei replied, “Whoever is capable enough.”
Song Yu fell into deep thought. After a brief moment, she nodded and said, “Deal.”
Li Xiaofei said, “In that case, hand them over to me.”
Song Yu shook her head and replied, “We’ll wait until we find Heaven.”
Li Xiaofei said, “Once we enter Heaven, life and death are uncertain. At that point, will you simply hand them over? Just because I’m easy to talk to doesn’t mean I’m a fool. Everyone should show some sincerity, or this deal can’t go through.”
Song Yu sneered and said coldly, “You have no right to bargain with me.”
Li Xiaofei’s tone darkened as he said, “If you won’t give in, then let’s drag each other down.”
A powerful battle intent and surging killing aura erupted from his body, locking onto Song Yu.
A cold smile appeared on Song Yu’s face as she said, “I’ve been wanting to teach you a lesson for a long time.”
She made the first move. She swept her long sleeve forward and white sword qi howled forth, surging toward Li Xiaofei like strands of light.
Threads of sword qi filled the entire space. It was as if heaven and earth had transformed into her sword, entirely under her control, obeying only her will. It was terrifying to the extreme.
Li Xiaofei made the judgment in an instant. This woman named Song Yu possessed a level of swordsmanship that was, without a doubt, the highest Li Xiaofei had ever witnessed. Yet, instead of showing fear, Li Xiaofei grew excited. Googlᴇ search NovelHub(.)net
He remained motionless. As his intent shifted, he raised his hand and struck from afar with a blade formed from his hand.
A single move, Naihe Bridge. This slash represented the pinnacle of his saber cultivation. It contained not only his comprehension of the saber, but also the sincerity with which he wielded it.
Saber qi surged in all directions. A blinding white torrent, like the waters of the Heavenly River flowing in reverse, surged forth to drown the world. Sword qi and saber qi collided, clashing and grinding against each other within the boundless space.
For a moment, the entire space distorted, light twisted and scattered, and strange phenomena erupted one after another.
From a distance, Lin Yi watched with terror on her face and retreated frantically. She knew all too well that even the slightest wisp of leaked energy in a confrontation of this level could obliterate her in an instant.
Her heart was filled with shock. She had previously fought Li Xiaofei in prison. Although it had only been a clone, and although she had been defeated, the Li Xiaofei from back then hadn’t been this terrifying.
Had Li Xiaofei unleashed such strength at the time, a single strike would have destroyed her soul, leaving her beyond salvation for all eternity.
Low, muffled booms and the rumble of Dao principles shook the air. Fortunately, the interior and exterior of the divine hall were reinforced with special formations, or the entire structure would have been reduced to rubble.
“Interesting,” Song Yu sneered coldly.
She flickered as she closed the distance, arriving less than a meter in front of Li Xiaofei. She extended her thumb toward the center of his forehead and slowly pressed it down.
In that instant, the countless threads of sword qi in the air seemed to converge on her finger to form a faint glow at her fingertip. Yet, it seemed as though it could tear apart the very fabric of space.
Li Xiaofei sensed the omnipresent locking force emanating from her fingertip and burst into laughter. He transformed his saber-hand into a sword-hand and thrust it forward.
A sword move, Fate Breaker! It was Li Xiaofei’s forbidden technique in the path of the sword. This thrust embodied his understanding of the sword, his devotion to swordsmanship, and his supreme talent in the way of the sword. The tip of Li Xiaofei’s middle finger collided directly with Song Yu’s thumb.
It was as if electric currents danced and crackled in the air. Space within a ten-meter radius collapsed and shattered chaotically, then reformed under the operation of natural laws, like swirling mists of chaos. It was terrifying to the extreme.
From a distance, Lin Yi was so shocked that words failed her. Her peerlessly beautiful face contorted into an expression like she had seen a ghost.
After about three or four seconds, both Li Xiaofei and Song Yu's bodies trembled simultaneously. They each took three steps back.
The chaotic mist in the surrounding void vanished in an instant. An uncontrollable look of shock appeared on Song Yu’s face. She had never imagined that Li Xiaofei would be so formidable.
Just moments ago, she had impulsively decided to suppress him with overwhelming force in an attempt to capture him. Since she had his wife and daughter in her hands, even if Li Xiaofei were unwilling, he would have no choice but to comply.
But to her surprise, his strength far surpassed what her previous intelligence had indicated. Song Yu silently concluded that it was no longer possible to overpower Li Xiaofei.
“Our greatest show of sincerity, we will let one of them go first,” she conceded.
As she spoke, she lightly waved her hand. Lin Yi led Li Anxin out.
“Daddy! Daddy!” The little one lit up with joy at the sight of Li Xiaofei and ran toward him, cheering.
Li Xiaofei scooped her into his arms, carefully checking her over. It was only after confirming there were no lingering restrictions or hidden techniques within her that he finally let out a breath of relief.
“Daddy, why didn’t you let big sister come with us too?” asked Li Anxin, her tender little face full of confusion.
Li Xiaofei kissed her cheek and said, “Because big sister is playing a game of hide-and-seek with us.”
He looked at Song Yu and said, “I’ll notify you when it’s time to depart.”
With that, he turned and walked away, holding Li Anxin in his arms. Eden was far stronger than he had imagined. For the time being, it was impossible to rescue Si Kongxue and Li Anyi as well. He could only proceed gradually and with care.
Fortunately, the other side had something they wanted, and their goals were clear. So for now, his wife and daughter wouldn’t be in immediate danger.
Once he returned to Chongque City, Li Xiaofei began laying out his plans. First, he needed to promote those he truly trusted into key positions.
Second, he had to gather like-minded individuals who agreed with his vision for managing the base planets. Only then could his policies continue to be implemented after his departure. This process required time.
In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed. Everything had been arranged properly.
Li Xiaofei had promoted many Evolvers from Earth 89876 and 1818. People like Li Junjie and Li Guorui had risen to become mid- and high-ranking officials within Chongque City, gradually gaining authority.
Once he had all the groundwork in place, Li Xiaofei embarked on his journey to search for Heaven. A fully armed spaceship with top-level clearance departed from Chongque City. It passed through the outer stargate and headed toward the Star Battlefield.
The ship contained Lin Yi, Song Yu, the High Chancellor, Luo Ge, and others. They were all aware of each other's identities, yet maintained a strange and delicate balance. The ship sailed into the boundless sea of stars, disappearing into the lonely darkness of space. Not a ripple was stirred.
Li Xiaofei stood in the command chamber, gazing into the black vacuum outside. Voyaging through space was even lonelier and duller than sailing across an ocean. The stars were always distant, and the view always shrouded in darkness.
Previously, travel from Chongque City to the Star Battlefield had been via troop transport ships. Those ships used a single-direction stargate to perform spatial jumps and enter the Star Battlefield. But this time, it was the High Chancellor who led the way.
He chose an extraordinarily long route. This path had been reconstructed from fragments of ancient memory and analyzed from data stored within the troop ships. It would pass through countless star systems. It was remote and time-consuming.
The reason for choosing such a route was because clues about Heaven could appear at any time, in any place. But that probability was tied to a certain ‘corpse’ aboard the ship.