Starforce Warriors-Chapter 949: Increasing In Strength (1)

Just like last time, the team was once again streamlined as they advanced. Some experts, lacking the strength to endure the dangerously volatile areas, had no choice but to withdraw. Otherwise, they would become a burden.

Only a few level seven experts, along with the trusted subordinates from the various King-ranked clans who had obtained advanced heat-resistant equipment, were allowed to proceed.

Those who were 'laid off' revealed looks of disappointment. For them, being allowed to enter the high-stage area meant there was a chance to be chosen by the stage seven secret realm.

Although the realm was extremely dangerous, it also meant a greater potential for evolution. Evolution was a Reapers’ lifelong pursuit. Their thirst for power was so intense that they were willing to pay any price, even death.

After the streamlining, only thirty-two people remained in the team. Half of them were from the Grand Princess’s clan. The rest were made up of the leaders from the five major King-ranked clans and their carefully selected clansmen. Some strong individuals, though not quite at level seven, were still deemed useful and had already equipped themselves with gear to resist the scorching heat.

The Reapers had established fortresses within the Fire Domain. As long as the equipment’s durability remained intact and undamaged, even level six experts could survive in this place for a short time.

The team entered the Fire Domain. The temperature gradually rose until it exceeded one hundred degrees Celsius. For martial arts cultivators, such heat was not a major concern. However, the temperature continued to rise rapidly.

Li Xiaofei was draped in a jade-green cloak. The cloak emitted a gentle green glow that enveloped him, bathing him in waves of coolness that dispelled the intense heat.

The Cold-Embrace Cloak had been given to him by the Grand Princess. It was a piece of equipment designed to resist extreme heat.

In the distance, Wei Xiaotian and Liu Shaji stared at Li Xiaofei with dark, resentful eyes, gritting their teeth in frustration. Why him? They were all human. They all had handsome faces.

One was the most beautiful man in the realm, while the other was a charming libertine. Yet it was Li Xiaofei, of all people, who received the Grand Princess’s almost doting favoritism. She defended him in everything and gave him all the benefits. Was this the disparity of life?

Li Xiaofei paid no attention to the two jealous 'sour dogs.' He was curiously observing the surrounding environment. The ground was a dry, cracked orange-yellow. This was the outer edge of the Fire Domain. The terrain was relatively flat and resembled an arid desert.

Yet, there were still signs of life even in such a scorching environment. One of the most noticeable were the plant-like organisms that resembled flickering flames. Their soft tendrils swayed with the wind and seemed like dancing fire.

There were animals as well. Li Xiaofei spotted dozens of small cat-like creatures occasionally poking their heads out from the sand. They were exceptionally cute creatures. Their dopey, adorable expressions stirred a sudden urge in Li Xiaofei to pet them.

“That’s a Flame-Pawed Void Cat.” The Grand Princess said, following Li Xiaofei’s gaze. “They’re the most numerous void beasts in the Fire Domain. They feed on flame energy and are incredibly vicious. Even a level seven expert would lose a layer of skin if they angered one. These little beasts hold grudges like no other. They’re either taking revenge or on their way to take it.”

What? Li Xiaofei was stunned.

These void beasts truly couldn’t be judged by common sense.

Such a dopey and adorable little creature is that vicious? Isn’t this just the Holy Ruins’ version of the fearless honey badger?

“In the Holy Ruins, most void beasts cannot leave their native habitats. Once they do, they won’t last long before dying, as the outside world lacks the energy they require to sustain their life systems,” the Grand Princess explained. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was a subtle way of reminding Li Xiaofei not to think about raising another pet. The two Void Foxes he previously owned had already been handed over to others and left behind in the Frost Plains. They hadn’t been brought into the Fire Domain.

If Li Xiaofei still wanted to catch a Flame-Pawed Void Cat to play with, that was one thing, but keeping one long-term was nearly impossible.

“I know,” Li Xiaofei replied calmly. He withdrew his gaze, his thoughts already falling into place.

After entering the Fire Domain, the team had been cut down even further. Of the seven members in the 'Rescue Lin Beichen Task Force,' two had been left behind in the Frost Plains. They were now preparing to exit the Holy Ruins.

These two happened to be the ones who hadn’t gone to the Burial Ice Cliff before. On the other hand, Zhu Zhixun, Xiong Gang, and the other three who had gained opportunities at the Burial Ice Cliff were all allowed to remain.

This had to be attributed to the strength of their pretty boy strategy. Under normal circumstances, based on the strength they had shown on the surface, it should have been nearly impossible for them to enter a danger zone of the seventh level.

Yet, by relying on their charm, they had successfully convinced their respective masters to let them stay, and even received top-tier fire-resistant gear. Li Xiaofei glanced at the Grand Princess beside him, who responded with a sweet smile.

There was no saving them. These Reaper nobles, in their pursuit to become more human, hadn’t absorbed the best of humanity. Instead, they had become just as addicted to power, wealth, and beauty. They became utterly degenerates.

One day later.

The temperature had already reached two thousand degrees. Even level seven experts dared not resist such extreme heat head-on. Everyone brought out the equipment they had prepared. It ranged from cloaks, armor, beast hides to ice pearls and other items.

Along the way, the group endured frequent harassment and attacks from various Void Beasts but they were all repelled. However, hunting these void beasts allowed the group to obtain a considerable amount of high-grade materials.

The good news was that the Flame-Pawed Void Cats had little appetite for flesh and made no attempt to attack the team. The Grand Princess also made sure no one dared attack the seemingly 'weak' void beasts either.

Li Xiaofei took the opportunity to begin nurturing the power of his Flame Saber. His Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword was neither innate nor enhanced by heavenly treasures like Ding Hao’s physique. It was forged entirely through cultivation using techniques founded by Ding Hao himself.

In other words, it was acquired through postnatal effort. How arduous was turning a natural body into a sacred one through acquired means?

Why did martial artists value opportunities so highly? Because fate was subtle, profound beyond words. It could not be forced. Yet cultivating a sacred body through martial techniques was, in itself, an act of forcing fate.

Ding Hao, a peerless figure across the heavens and universe, had created a technique capable of cultivating the Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword. That alone defied the natural order. Only someone like Ding Hao could have achieved such a feat.

Even though the technique had been passed down, only a handful of the human successors, such as Li Xiaofei, had managed to succeed. Why? Because without enough opportunity, a proper physique, unwavering willpower, a righteous mindset, and focused intent, it simply could not be done.

For Li Xiaofei, this journey into the Holy Ruins was his destined opportunity. He had nurtured his Ice Sword in the Frost Plains under absolute zero conditions. Now, within the Fire Domain, he was tempering his Flame Saber in searing heat.

This was what one called a fated opportunity. Li Xiaofei had come to this realization back in the Frost Plains. So, upon entering the Fire Domain, he began cultivating the power of the Flame Saber without hesitation.

Ice Sword and Flame Saber. Silver Sword and Golden Saber. That was the essence of the Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword. Li Xiaofei had already succeeded in forming this sacred body.

But he still needed to cultivate more to truly unleash its power. He needed to slowly nurture and refine the forces of the Ice Sword and the Flame Saber. Harnessing the flame power of the Fire Domain was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As he tempered his blade, Li Xiaofei pondered a question, Where did the Holy Ruins actually come from?

It exists outside the universe. It resembles a replica or simulation. Yet why is it so vast and so boundless in scale?

According to the Reaper realm, the Holy Ruins were even greater than the universe itself. Compared to the Holy Ruins, the universe was nothing more than a speck of dust.

Of course, Li Xiaofei did not agree with that view. The Reaper race had been born from the Holy Ruins. After the Second Ancestor left the Holy Ruins, he had created the Reapers.

That was why the Reaper race went to such lengths to exalt the significance of the Holy Ruins. It was much like how humanity, born of the universe, ascribed unmatched divinity to the cosmos.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed. The ambient temperature in the space had already exceeded five thousand degrees.

Just as many people were reaching their limits and the durability of their heat-resistant gear was rapidly deteriorating, the team finally reached the first Safe Fortress within the Fire Domain.

This location belonged to the Flameflow clan, one of the hundred King-ranked clans of the Reapers. The fortress itself occupied no more than a thousand square meters and was built atop a small hill.

Due to the Fire Domain’s extreme danger and harsh environment, constructing safe fortresses was much more difficult and far more costly. As a result, these strongholds were deliberately kept compact.

The materials used to build the fortress came from the bones of void beasts native to the Fire Domain. According to legend, the Flameflow clan's patriarch had led a group to slay ten stage eight high-ranking void beasts. Their skins and bones were stripped, combined with all kinds of flame-resistant materials and reinforced by powerful formations. It had taken centuries to complete.

That was why the interior of the fortress was absolutely secure. Crucially, the temperature had also dropped to around one hundred degrees Celsius. To the crowd, it felt almost refreshing.

Many of the warriors’ fireproof gear had seen their durability plummet, nearly to the point of failure. It was essential to conduct repairs and purchase replacements within this fortress.