Starforce Warriors-Chapter 956: White Lotus Killing Sword (2)

Li Xiaofei sat down cross-legged. His body began to levitate slowly. He activated his cultivation method and began refining the Immortal Force within him. The power infusions he had received in the Fire Domain secret realm, as well as the Immortal Force feedback from the Blood-Drinking Sword, had filled his body to the brim with potent energy.

Now that he had drunk a mouthful of aged Enlightenment Tea, his cultivation now flowed as smoothly as water. Li Xiaofei began to circulate the Great Furnace Technique for Tempering Immortal Force of the Galaxy once more, forging the Immortal Force within his body.

There were seven transformation stages, Mortal, Essence, Celestial, Spirit, Void, Profound, and Yellow. Li Xiaofei had already reached the fourth stage, the Spirit. Now, with the boost from the Enlightenment Tea, he quickly advanced to the fifth stage, Void.

Time passed.

Li Xiaofei sat with a solemn and dignified aura, Immortal Force coursing through his entire body. Behind him, the third pair of blade-and-sword wings was quickly taking shape.

The sound of hammering could be heard faintly in the air, like an invisible Great Dao hammer forging Li Xiaofei’s very body. New feathers of blade and sword light emerged, gradually completing the wings on his back.

Before long, he possessed a full set of three pairs of wings. Li Xiaofei suddenly opened his eyes. In that instant, the space around him filled with flashing blades and shimmering swords.

“Fifth stage, the Void achieved.” A look of satisfied joy appeared on Li Xiaofei’s face.

His cultivation speed had already been abnormally fast with the support of all his enhancements and advantages. The effects of the Enlightenment Tea were even more astounding.

Li Xiaofei estimated that his speed of advancing realms had more than doubled after drinking the Enlightenment Tea. That increase might seem small to some, but for many martial artists, it could mean the difference of several hundred years of cultivation effort.

If just the tea water is this miraculous, then sitting under the Enlightenment Tree itself must accelerate cultivation at an unimaginable rate, a thought stirred in Li Xiaofei’s heart.

He summoned the already-planted Enlightenment Tree from the Secret Time Pavilion. The tree had been grown within a massive stone altar, making it easy to move.

Li Xiaofei observed it carefully. To his surprise, he found that the leaf at the top of the Enlightenment Tree had grown even more vibrant during this short span of time. Its deep green hue now radiated vitality.

“It’s truly alive,” Li Xiaofei murmured, a wave of joy rising in his heart.

Following Liu Shaji’s instructions, he placed his hand gently on the trunk and began to channel his Immortal Force into the tree’s cracked bark. He proceeded with utmost care, fearing he might do something wrong.

Rustle, rustle...

The Enlightenment Tree swayed gently. A soft rustling sound, like leaves dancing in the wind, echoed through the air. Li Xiaofei could clearly see faint green light gliding across the cracked bark of the tree, resembling the formation lines of a circuit array. It seemed his method was correct.

After a short while, the Enlightenment Tree stopped absorbing Immortal Force. Li Xiaofei then sat cross-legged beneath it and began his cultivation.

Rustle, rustle...

The sound of swaying leaves continued. There was something unusual about that sound; it pulled Li Xiaofei instantly into a perfect meditative state. All distractions vanished.

Time slipped away. Li Xiaofei was fully immersed in his cultivation. During that time, Liu Shaji returned several times. When he saw Li Xiaofei sitting beneath the Enlightenment Tree, he simply chuckled, rested for a moment, and then turned to leave again.

Time flew by.

Rustle, rustle...

The leaves continued to sway.

Clang, clang, clang...

The sound of the Great Dao hammering echoed around him. Sparks of fire burst and scattered. Feathers formed from golden blades and silver swords emerged one after another around Li Xiaofei, gradually shaping new wings behind him.

His golden and silver wings expanded and multiplied. At last, when the final feather took form and embedded itself into place, the sword and blade wings on his back had completed their full transformation. Now, there were seven full pairs, a total of fourteen wings.

Li Xiaofei brought his cultivation to a stop. The wings of sword and saber flared open. He transformed into a streak of golden and silver light, flashing through the endless volcanic space of the Flame Domain with a speed that had already surpassed all mortal limits.

Suddenly, his figure came to a halt and hundreds of copies of Li Xiaofei appeared. They were afterimages, yet so realistic they could easily be mistaken for the real him. Then, the hundreds of afterimages converged into one to reveal Li Xiaofei’s true body.

“Conviction forms order. A domain is born of conviction,” muttered Li Xiaofei. He radiated brilliance, as if all the dust on his body had been swept away, leaving him completely spotless. His flesh and spirit had both undergone deep refinement.

He had reached the peak of the Seven Transformation Realm. He had reached complete and utter great perfection. Just one more step forward, and he would enter the realm of immortals.

The very first step, the Golden Immortal Realm. Immortal. What an enchanting word. To enter the Dao through martial arts, and from there ascend to immortality. It was the lifelong pursuit of countless human prodigies. A perfect fusion of body and power, utterly flawless—that was an immortal.

Li Xiaofei could feel that mysterious and indescribable sensation, as if he could touch another world entirely if he just reached out. Just one more step, and he would become an immortal. But Li Xiaofei paused. He did not attempt to break through to the Golden Immortal Realm right away.

His strength had grown at an astonishing rate since entering the Holy Ruins. Now that he had reached the peak of a major realm, what he needed most was to settle down, adjust to his new level, and stabilize his strength. Once he did that, the next breakthrough would come even more smoothly.

After all the blade mountains, sea of fire, and asura bloodbaths he had endured along the way, now that the immortal realm was within reach, there was no need to rush it. He retracted his wings of sword and saber and sat cross-legged beneath the Enlightenment Tree. This time, he no longer cultivated his strength. Instead, he began to cultivate his heart.

At the same time, inside the Secret Time Pavilion. Zhu Zhixun slowly opened his eyes. A burning heat surged through his entire body, accompanied by an indescribable discomfort. Without sparing a thought for anything else, he leaped to his feet and began running wildly within the grand hall.

Not long after, Xiong Gang and the others also awakened. Their reactions were much the same as Zhu Zhixun’s. However, Xiong Gang didn’t run.

Instead, he leaned against one of the dome's pillars like an old bear and began slamming his chest and back against it, creating loud pa-pa-pa sounds. The lone woman among the five began doing yoga-like movements.

The square-faced man started practicing martial forms in place, every motion precise and disciplined. As for Lord Jin, he curled up into a ball, hugging his legs and rolling across the hall behind Zhu Zhixun like a wheel.

Each of them felt an overwhelming heat in their bodies, caused by the torrent of energy surging through their bodies and smashing against their former cultivation realms. The unprecedented clarity granted by the Enlightenment Tea made breaking through seem almost effortless.

Their cultivation realms surged forward. They completed all six revolutions of the Six Gods Realm in quick succession. As they continued their seemingly absurd methods of training, they broke through the early stages of the Seven Transformation Realm, first, second, third, and even the fourth transformations, without encountering the slightest resistance.

The effect of the Enlightenment Tea on them was even more dramatic than it had been for Li Xiaofei. This was because they were far below Li Xiaofei in terms of physique, potential, and foundational strength. As such, their bodies were easier to transform and refine.

But the tea’s effect would no longer be as obvious for the higher stages of major realms yet to come. In contrast, though Li Xiaofei’s progress had been slightly slower, each breakthrough he achieved brought a combat power boost that far surpassed anything the others could match.

Even within the same Seven Transformation Realm, there existed vast differences in actual strength. It wasn’t until several dozen days later that the five finally began to settle down.

They glanced at each other and the joy in their expressions was impossible to hide. For martial cultivators, the immense growth in power was as intoxicating as the strongest aphrodisiac. It was utterly irresistible.

“Where... are we?” Zhu Zhixun finally turned his attention to his surroundings.

The other four shook their heads in unison. Xiong Gang, Zhang Chang, Luo Ying, and Lord Jin studied the Secret Time Pavilion around them. At that moment, none of them had yet realized that time flowed differently here. They only felt that the place was sacred and boundless, its vastness so overwhelming they couldn’t even find an exit.

Just then, there was a flash of light and Li Xiaofei appeared.