Starforce Warriors-Chapter 888: The Secret Of Immortal Dao (1)

Li Yiyun's face flushed red with rage. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly snarled, “If it comes down to it, I’ll take full responsibility for my actions. I’ll defy your damn Myriad Saints Immortal Sect today! Death means nothing to me. What’s there to fear?”

With that, he reached for the sword sheathed on his back.

Whoosh!

A sword light burst into the sky like a blazing streak. Li Yiyun's figure shot after it like lightning, closely tailing the soaring blade as he charged toward the young Daoist floating in midair.

“Foolish, ” the young Daoist sneered in disdain as he formed a hand seal. A pale yellow light shield materialized in front of him.

Ding!

His body and sword fully united, Li Yiyun’s strongest strike slammed into the shield. It was like crashing into a divine mountain; not even the tip of his sword could pierce through it.

He was known across the Song Yun Realm as the Great Hero of Yun Prefecture, one of the foremost experts in swordsmanship. A natural-born warrior with a passion for justice, he had roamed the martial world righting wrongs. His sword skills were unmatched, and he had immense confidence in his martial prowess. Yet even his most powerful strike had failed to crack the enemy’s defense.

“Kill!” Li Yiyun's expression remained unchanged, though his eyes blazed with unrelenting fire.

Sword light flared once more. His body followed the sword’s rhythm. In an instant, the sky above was filled with layered sword shadows that constantly shifted positions and struck at the young Daoist from all directions.

This was none other than the ultimate technique of the Great Hero of Yun Prefecture, Li Yiyun’s Cloudlight Sword Shadows. When fully unleashed, he would shift between ten positions in the air, his sword light flooding every angle like an inescapable celestial net.

He had defeated countless formidable foes with this move. But the young Daoist merely let out another light chuckle, and spat out a streak of white light from his mouth. It sliced through the air like a phantom and, with a sharp crack, struck Li Yiyun’s treasured sword dead-on, sending both man and blade crashing down from midair.

Bang!

Li Yiyun crashed heavily to the ground. The treasured sword in his hand had shattered completely, leaving only a broken hilt. Blood poured from his mouth and nose like an unending and violent river.

His cultivation had been utterly destroyed. The once-renowned Great Hero of Yun Prefecture, feared and respected throughout the martial world, had become a cripple in that single moment.

“Second Brother!” Yang Zhao, the Invincible Golden Blade, cried out in alarm and rushed forward to support him.

Kou Zhengyang quickly raised his voice and pleaded, “Immortal envoy, please show mercy! My second brother spoke out of turn, he meant no insult to the Immortal Sect... it was just a moment of confusion!”

“A moment of confusion?” The young Daoist looked at the prefect with a mocking expression and said coldly, “Heh. I think it’s you who are confused. He just openly declared rebellion against the Immortal Sect... and anyone who dares raise a hand against me is already doomed.”

“Hahaha!” Though covered in blood, Li Yiyun remained utterly unafraid. He threw his head back and laughed loudly. “Go on, kill me! Even if I die, I’ll never bow to you bastards. Immortals? You’re nothing but blood-drinking, flesh-eating demons. I’ll defy you even if it means death!”

“Death?” The young Daoist sneered from above, riding the wind as he hovered high in the air. “Killing you with one sword would be letting you off too easily.”

He grinned coldly as he said, “I’ll let you taste the Soul-Seeking Immortal Needle. You’ll scream for forty-nine days and nights before you die.”

Whoosh!

A streak of green light shot out from his palm. It was a long needle, glowing with a poisonous jade hue. Both Kou Zhengyang and Yang Zhao paled in horror and moved to intercept.

But the young Daoist unleashed a wave of spiritual pressure that instantly paralyzed them in place. Despair filled their eyes.

But just then—

A slender, fair hand appeared before Li Yiyun. Fingers as graceful as a flower opening casually reached out and caught the jade needle mid-air, effortlessly pinching it between two fingertips.

“Such overwhelming immortal might,” Li Xiaofei let out a cold chuckle.

The young Daoist’s expression changed sharply. “You dare interfere? Who are you?”

He had noticed Li Xiaofei earlier, but he hadn’t paid him any mind. In his eyes, Li Xiaofei's aura had seemed weak, and his appearance far too young. He thought that he was at most a promising mortal martial artist. How could someone like that possibly compare to a disciple of the Immortal Sect?

Yet against all expectations, the Soul-Seeking Immortal Needle he had launched with a secret technique had been neutralized as if it were nothing. Only now did the young Daoist realize that Li Xiaofei was anything but ordinary.

“Me?” Li Xiaofei spoke with a calm smile. “Just a passerby. A mere mortal. But... heh, still a tiny bit stronger than you, a so-called ‘Immortal’.”

“Insolence! How dare you show such disrespect to an envoy of the Immortal Sect?” The young Daoist roared in fury, “Die!”

He opened his mouth and spat out a streak of silver-white light. A chilling sword intent surged through the air in an instant, sharp enough to cut flesh and bone.

Kou Zhengyang and Yang Zhao felt as though ten thousand blades were bearing down on them, the pressure so intense it seemed their hearts would be pierced through in the very next moment.

Yet Li Xiaofei, who stood at the center of it all, remained perfectly composed. He didn’t even flinch. Calmly, he reached out once again and pinched his fingers together.

He caught the streak of silver sword light between two fingertips. The silver glow slowly faded, revealing its true form. It was a small silver short sword, no larger than a child’s palm. It twisted and writhed in Li Xiaofei’s grasp like a living silver serpent, trying to break free.

“What?!” The young Daoist was utterly stunned. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

That is my life-bound sword pill, and this white-robed young man just caught it with his fingers? Impossible. Even a martial powerhouse in the Dao Union Realm shouldn’t be able to pull that off. Who is this man?

“Surprised?” Li Xiaofei said mildly, “Your little tricks might frighten martial artists who know nothing of immortal arts, but to me, they're pathetically crude.”

As he finished speaking, he flexed his fingers.

Crack.

The silver short sword shattered instantly, dissolving into a glittering cloud of silver dust.

“Ahhh—!” The young Daoist let out a miserable scream. That sword pill had been his life-bound spiritual weapon, fused with his very essence. Now that it was destroyed, it was as if half of his cultivation had been torn from him.

The backlash struck instantly, leaving him grievously wounded. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell from the sky, crashing to the ground with a sickening thud. He landed face-first, sprawled like a dog eating dirt. Half his face was swollen and bloodied, resembling an overripe, bruised peach.

“Ah! You’re dead! You’re dead!” Enraged and humiliated, the young Daoist shrieked like a madman. “Do you know who I am? Do you know who my master is?!”

Li Xiaofei shook his head slowly and thought to himself, This guy calls himself an immortal? He seemed no different from some street thug back on Earth. Not even the slightest composure or grace.

“And who are you?” Li Xiaofei asked, feigning curiosity. “And who exactly is your master?”

The young Daoist roared, “My master is An Wanshan, the Hall Master of the Discipline Hall in the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect. He’s known as the Ten Thousand Swords Venerable! My name is Xue Qing, and I’m his most favored disciple! Offending me is the same as offending the entire Myriad Saints Immortal Sect!”

“Oh? An Wanshan? Sounds impressive,” Li Xiaofei replied casually. “Never heard of him.”

Whoosh.

A sword light flashed. It pierced straight through Xue Qing’s dantian, shattering his qi sea. In a single instant, all of his immortal cultivation was destroyed.

Xue Qing's shouts died in his throat. He stared blankly at the void where his dantian had once been, the light slowly fading from his eyes. Meanwhile, Li Xiaofei stepped calmly toward Li Yiyun.

“How are you feeling?” Li Xiaofei studied the wound and asked calmly.

“Won’t live much longer,” Li Yiyun replied with a serene expression.

But there was now a flicker of respect in his eyes as he looked at Li Xiaofei. “So be it. Death is just death. Hahaha... but to see these so-called immortals brought down to the dirt in such pathetic disgrace right before I go, that’s worth it. No matter who you are, Li Yiyun admits defeat before you.”

Li Xiaofei reached out and gently patted his shoulder.

Pa.

A soft sound rang out, like metal striking metal.

“You’re not going to die. Living is better.” Li Xiaofei’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he said, “A man with your backbone ought to live a while longer.”

Li Yiyun froze. In the next instant, a look of utter disbelief spread across his face. The pain that had racked his body vanished completely. The countless threads of sword qi that had been tormenting him from within, cutting through his meridians and gnawing at his bones, were gone as if they had never existed.

But that wasn’t all. His inner qi, which had been completely wiped out, suddenly began to regenerate. In just a breath’s time, his body returned to its peak condition. It was as if he had never been injured at all.

“This...” Li Yiyun was stunned. He scrambled to his feet and dropped to one knee with a loud thud. He said solemnly, “I can never repay you for this life-saving grace. From this day on, whether it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, as long as you give the word, I, Li Yiyun, will follow without hesitation!”

Li Xiaofei helped him up and said, “What’s with the ‘senior’ talk? I’m younger than you. I don’t deserve that title. Just treat me as an equal.”

Meanwhile, Kou Zhengyang and Yang Zhao stood to the side in utter shock. Just a light tap on the shoulder, yet it had completely healed Li Yiyun. Such a display of power was nothing short of divine.

“Senior, what should we do next?” Kou Zhengyang’s tone was cautious, yet sincere. He knew that they had completely offended the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect now. There was no longer any room for compromise. Their only choice was to cling tightly to Li Xiaofei for protection and guidance.

In his eyes, someone like Li Xiaofei, who could effortlessly defeat the young Daoist Xue Qing and remain completely unbothered by the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect, must surely belong to a far more powerful immortal sect.

If Li Xiaofei was willing to lend a hand, perhaps this disaster could be averted, or at the very least, the common folk might be spared from catastrophe.

Li Xiaofei glanced at Kou Zhengyang. Earlier, outside the city, he had sensed a balanced, righteous, and vast aura of the Five Spirits Realm. It had emanated from this very prefect. Combined with what he had observed within the city, Li Xiaofei had formed a favorable impression of Kou Zhengyang.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.” Li Xiaofei’s tone was calm, as though the threat of the Myriad Saints Immortal Sect meant nothing to him.

That kind of composure gave the three men before him some peace of mind. Especially Li Yiyun, who by now held nothing but admiration and deep respect for Li Xiaofei. He had already begun to consider seeking him as a master, hoping to gain the kind of strength that could stand against the so-called immortals.

Once everyone had settled again, Kou Zhengyang personally prepared tea. Li Xiaofei sipped and then asked, “That jade leaf you mentioned earlier, what exactly is it?”

Kou Zhengyang froze for a second, then quickly pulled out a piece of bright green jade from his sleeve. It was shaped like a leaf and the size of a child’s palm. He respectfully handed it over with both hands. “This is a jade leaf. It’s said to be a staple sustenance for immortals. Every sect, when collecting tributes, specifically demands large quantities of this item.”

Li Xiaofei took it and examined it carefully. The jade leaf appeared to be carved from some kind of high-grade mineral, yet it wasn’t artificial. He could sense a dense, pure energy within it, something that could be absorbed by cultivators to enhance their cultivation.

If one had a large supply of these jade leaves, their speed of cultivation would far surpass that of traditional techniques relying solely on ambient spiritual energy.

“Where does this come from?” Li Xiaofei asked, intrigued.

“It grows on trees,” Kou Zhengyang replied.

“Grows on trees?” That surprised Li Xiaofei even more.

Trees that could produce jade?

Kou Zhengyang explained, “It comes from a kind of stone tree called the Jade Mother. They grow in many underground caverns, sinkholes, valleys, and forests where spiritual energy is dense. It withers and revives once a year, and bears leaves every ten years. The leaves of the Jade Mother are what we call jade leaves.”

Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of nature. Such living things that could produce spiritual jade actually existed.

However, a thought crossed Li Xiaofei’s mind, is this tree truly a natural creation? Or had it been artificially cultivated or even deliberately planted?

After all, this place is a Reaper testing ground. What if this so-called Jade Tree was actually a product of the Reapers?