Starforce Warriors-Chapter 962: Heart Of Guardianship (3)

At last, a colossal figure formed entirely from weapon fragments took shape in the sky. It was an image of Li Xiaofei himself. Towering and majestic, it shimmered with a kaleidoscope of light.

Liu Shaji and the others stared with eyes wide open, utterly shaken to their cores. Every fragment of weapon represented the soul of a mighty warrior who had once fallen while protecting humanity.

Thousands upon thousands of fragments, each one a testament to a fallen hero. Their will to protect had been awakened by Li Xiaofei’s Dao of guardianship. They gathered together, uniting to form a complete embodiment of that sacred path.

"It’s done... Sixth of the Human Race," Liu Shaji said, voice trembling with emotion.

To become an Immortal Emperor was never a matter of instant enlightenment. It required enduring countless tribulations and dangers. Along that journey, there were a few steps so daunting, so nearly impassable, that even those with peerless talent and unmatched Fate Qi might never make it across. But to pass such a trial was to truly step onto the path of the Emperor.

Though one had yet to ascend, they would have earned the right to compete for the title of Immortal Emperor. Now, in this very moment, with the recognition of countless heroic souls of the human race, Li Xiaofei had gained that qualification.

The Fate Qi of the human race had converged, and had been bestowed upon Li Xiaofei.

This was a fundamental transformation. How could Liu Shaji not be overwhelmed with excitement? Although the five young warriors didn’t fully understand what had just taken place, seeing Liu Shaji’s emotional reaction, they could easily guess that it was something extraordinary.

One by one, they all began to feel genuine joy for Li Xiaofei. No one knew how much time had passed.

Boom.

A silent explosion erupted across the heavens and earth. The golden and silver radiance in the sky suddenly surged with immense brilliance. The light was so intense that it forced everyone to shut their eyes. They instinctively raised their hands to shield themselves, fearing they’d be scorched by the blinding, unexpected flare.

Moments later, the golden and silver light quickly began to fade. When they looked up again, they saw that the blade, sword, and spear formed by ten thousand weapon fragments, along with the towering figure, had all vanished.

Zhu Zhixun glanced at his companions, then turned to Liu Shaji.

“Liu Shaji... where’s Senior Li?”

Xiong Gang echoed the thought instinctively, “Yeah, where did he go?”

Even Liu Shaji’s eyes were filled with uncertainty.

That’s right... Where is he? The Dao had been forged. The Dao had been cast. So where did Li Xiaofei go?

"I’m guessing you’re all looking for one incredibly handsome bastard." A familiar voice came from behind the group of six.

Liu Shaji spun around. There stood Li Xiaofei, still looking exactly the same but grinning smugly, his expression as flamboyant as ever.

"Senior!" The five young warriors cried out in delight.

"This time, you came up empty again," Li Xiaofei said casually. "Senior Lin Beichen’s true body isn’t in Mount Ten Thousand Blades. There were only a few clues and resources he left behind. Unfortunately, I accidentally absorbed everything, and didn’t leave even a scrap for you."

"No worries at all!"

"Yeah, Liu Shaji already said this was a fated opportunity meant for you, Senior."

"Senior, you caused such a huge commotion just now. Did you gain something massive this time?"

Rather than feeling disappointed, the five young warriors were instead full of excitement and curiosity.

Li Xiaofei nodded. "Yes, the gains were tremendous. For me, it was nothing short of a rebirth. Not only did I find my own Dao, I also obtained the prototype of my future Emperor weapon."

The Blood-Drinking Sword was excellent, but it was not something he had forged himself. For any Martial Arts Immortal Emperor to truly rise, they needed to possess their own personal Emperor weapon, one that would be nurtured along their path to becoming an Emperor. Only such a weapon, cultivated alongside the cultivator’s own Dao, could be considered a true Emperor weapon.

As Li Xiaofei spoke, he slowly opened his palm. A faint, chaotic-looking light began to rise. Looking closely, one could see a sphere of intertwined gold, silver, and black light. The gold and silver shimmered brightly and fiercely, while the black was more subdued.

It was almost easy to overlook, but that faint streak of black still persisted, stubborn and unwavering. With a mere thought from Li Xiaofei, the glowing orb rapidly expanded, transforming into countless densely packed metallic scales that resembled the sharp edges of blades. They spread across his entire body.

It was like a sealed suit of metallic armor. At the same time, a golden saber, a silver sword, and a black spear materialized before him. Saber, spear, sword. The Dao of the Three Ultimates.

"Go." Li Xiaofei sent the weapons flying with a soft word.

They turned into streaks of light and shot toward Zhu Zhixun, Jin Ye, and Xiong Gang. The three were startled and didn’t even have time to react before the weapons struck them. Yet they weren’t harmed.

The moment the weapons made contact, they dissolved into countless fine metallic scales, wrapping around each of them like armor. With a gesture from Li Xiaofei, the scales flew back, condensing into shimmering light and circling his fingertips.

He looked smugly at Liu Shaji and asked, "So? How does this compare to your White Lotus Killing Sword?"

At that, a distorted black # symbol twitched on Liu Shaji’s forehead. He wasn’t envious of Li Xiaofei’s newly gained weapon. He was just... exasperated.

No matter what happens, this bastard’s first instinct is always to show off. Seriously, what kind of grudge does he hold?

"The Dao is different for everyone. There's no point in comparing," Liu Shaji replied coolly, still proud of his White Lotus Killing Sword.

Li Xiaofei nodded and replied, "Fair point."

Liu Shaji said, “Now that you’ve taken this step, you’re definitely the Sixth Human Emperor... With ten thousand blades merged into one, recognized by the souls of countless fallen heroes, and the prototype of your future Emperor weapon in hand, have you thought of a name for it?”

Li Xiaofei’s heart stirred at the question, Yes. What name should it bear?

He flexed his fingers slightly, and the countless weapon fragments transformed into three-colored light and returned to his palm, where they shimmered with a gentle radiance.

It was like a lone star gleaming defiantly in the dark expanse of the universe. Many domineering, awe-inspiring names flashed through Li Xiaofei’s mind but he dismissed them all. In the end, inspiration struck.

He spoke softly, “Let’s call it Heart of Guardianship.”

Liu Shaji was taken aback. It wasn’t a conventional name but it was clear, and to the point.

Heart of Guardianship.

“Not bad at all,” Liu Shaji said, for once not finding anything to argue about.

The five young warriors clapped enthusiastically. They knew they didn’t have much say in this moment. So instead, they threw themselves fully into the role of hype crew.

“Let’s go,” Li Xiaofei said as he put away the Heart of Guardianship. “We need to hurry to the next illusionary seal. The Reapers’ Ancestor Court won’t give us much time.”

Everyone’s expression turned serious.

Indeed. There was no time to waste.

Zhu Zhixun quickly said, “The fourth illusionary seal is also located within the Blade Ruins.”

With a flick of his finger, Li Xiaofei summoned a silver boat in midair. It was a transformation formed from the Heart of Guardianship. Everyone leaped aboard the flying vessel.

Whoosh.

The flying boat sent a single ripple through the air and vanished from sight in an instant.

The Heart of Guardianship was composed of ninety-nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine weapon fragments. These fragments could be freely rearranged into countless forms. Their configuration was by no means limited to just saber, spear, or sword.

Li Xiaofei was still adjusting to this new weapon as he channeled his Immortal Force. He had only completed the preliminary refinement on Mount Ten Thousand Blades, bringing life back into the dormant fragments and fusing them into a single whole.

But the true potential and myriad transformations of the weapon still needed to be explored through real battle. Moreover, since the weapon fragments varied in level, power, and material, Li Xiaofei would have to refine each one individually to unify their properties.

Only then could he gradually elevate their overall tier and push the weapon to its next evolution. In short, unlike single-body weapons like the White Lotus Killing Sword, Heart of Guardianship was a collective-type weapon. It required far more effort to nurture. But once successfully cultivated, its potential would far exceed that of ordinary weapons.

As the five young warriors sat aboard the flying boat, the wind howled past their ears, and they were overcome with a thrill as if they had upgraded from an old rifle to heavy artillery. They had never traveled this fast when they first entered the Blade Ruins.

"The next formation site lies within a forbidden zone in the Blade Ruins known as the Burial Sea. According to legend, it’s filled with funereal miasma that gathers the dead and breeds countless terrifying yin-spawn creatures. It’s a place of death, and those who enter rarely return. Even the Reapers themselves risk having their evolutionary essence corrupted if they’re tainted by that miasma," Zhu Zhixun explained to the group.

"Those corpses we saw earlier, like the War God Ling, those who had self-contaminated using some dark technique, it likely has something to do with the Burial Sea’s miasma.

“We must be extremely cautious when we approach the Burial Sea. If possible, we should use puppets or avatars to enter instead of our true bodies. If our foundation is corrupted, it’ll be devastating.”

It was clear Zhu Zhixun had done his homework. He knew these classified secrets about the Holy Ruins, knowledge that most humans would never have access to, by heart.