Chapter 1011: Returning to Heaven

Li Xiaofei actually understood the Star Battlefield quite well. Officially, it was a region of space consumed by endless war. The ceaseless conflict between the Reapers and humanity, waged over countless years, had drenched the entire starfield in blood and death.

Many star systems that were peaceful and serene at one moment could transform into brutal meat grinders in another. A thriving, mature planet could be reduced to ruin in the blink of an eye.

Li Xiaofei saw that the star system before him had already been completely ravaged by war. Shattered stars drifted through the void, accompanied by dense fields of meteorites and cosmic debris, forming what looked like a vast, galactic graveyard.

He saw broken starship wrecks and the hulks of war fortresses... War had only left behind destruction. Li Xiaofei could almost smell the stench of death lingering in the vacuum.

When he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could almost hear the frenzied howls, the battle cries, and the slaughter of countless beings echoing through the void. Fortunately, the human race now held the upper hand on the battlefield.

The region he had arrived at was currently considered secure. No traces of Reapers could be seen. Instead, he saw human sanitation fleets methodically 'patching' the devastated reaches of space.

He did not reveal himself. He simply acted as a silent observer. Along the way, he saw no sign of the little black dog. Nor did he see Huang Dinggou.

Supply ships passed by one by one. Countless repair power armors, along with human cultivators, moved like tireless ants, systematically clearing the shattered system. They defused potential threats as though removing landmines, and patiently waited for the universe to heal itself.

Li Xiaofei soon arrived at the true war zone. The human race had launched an all-out offensive against the Reapers. This was a grand and apocalyptic war between cosmic species, resembling the very extinction of civilizations.

The destructive power of high-level cultivators was overwhelming. They were capable of obliterating entire stars with a single strike.

An unremarkable-looking man wielding a long blade stood on the front line. Behind him loomed the illusory forms of ten Emperors. Wherever he passed, no enemy could stand for even a breath.

His plain-looking blade, much like its owner, looked deceptively ordinary. Yet it moved like the sharpest divine weapon in existence, capable of cleaving even the Reapers’ most formidable war fortresses cleanly in two.

Who is this?

Li Xiaofei was deeply shocked.

This was a quasi-Emperor-level cultivator. But he was not the only human quasi-Emperor. He soon saw another figure, an elegant swordsman in blue robes, whose sword followed his every movement. The man effortlessly slew a level thirteen Reaper, a Six Pearl King-ranked, with a single strike.

Another quasi-Emperor,

Li Xiaofei was stunned.

When did the human race produce so many quasi-Emperors? It might have had something to do with the resurrection project within Heaven.

Li Xiaofei raised his spear and joined the battle. At that moment, he was merely posing as an ordinary human cultivator, blending into the ranks of the army and fighting alongside them. But it was clear that the true experts could see through his disguise.

The plain-faced saber wielder and the blue-robed swordsman both noticed him at almost the same time, their gazes sweeping briefly in his direction. After three days and nights of fierce combat, the human forces successfully reclaimed the Mela Star System, located on the trailing edge of the Star Battlefield’s right spiral arm. A forward outpost was established, and efforts began to secure the sixteen habitable planets within the system.

Li Xiaofei finally found Huang Dinggou and the Black Emperor on one of those planets, Krassu.

Decades had passed. Huang Dinggou had grown into a resolute and competent special operations commander. Thanks to his distinguished performance in battle, he had received numerous commendations and gained a solid reputation within the expeditionary army.

As for the Black Emperor, its massive size and formidable combat prowess had earned it even more credit than Huang Dinggou, along with a greater reputation. It was said that a commander of one of the human legions had tried to requisition the Black Emperor into his own ranks, but had been refused by Huang Dinggou every time.

When Li Xiaofei appeared before Huang Dinggou, the latter’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He immediately rushed forward and embraced him in a massive bear hug.

“Hall Master!” Huang Dinggou was ecstatic. “I heard you were dead!”

Li Xiaofei stared at him speechless,

Damn it. Which bastard is out there spreading that nonsense?

The Black Emperor, meanwhile, charged straight at him, licking and barking with wild enthusiasm, its tail wagging furiously. Its thick black mane shimmered as it moved.

The Black Emperor now looked like a towering black lion, its appearance both majestic and fearsome. However, its strength had become even more impressive.

After countless battles and tempered trials, it had now grown far beyond Huang Dinggou’s level. In fact, the two were no longer even in the same category. At present, the energy hidden within the Black Emperor's body was so intense that even Li Xiaofei felt some pressure from it.

They caught up for a while but Li Xiaofei never spoke about his travels over the years, nor did Huang Dinggou ask.

“Hall Master, I met the former Hall Master,” Huang Dinggou whispered mysteriously.

“Who?” Li Xiaofei asked, pausing in confusion.

“Chen Fei, Hall Master Chen,” Huang Dinggou clarified.

Li Xiaofei's eyes widened in sudden realization as he asked, “Are you serious?”

Huang Dinggou nodded repeatedly. A wave of uncontainable joy surged through Li Xiaofei. It was true. Old Chen was still alive. That fox-eyed troublemaker had somehow survived.

“Tell me everything,” Li Xiaofei urged.

Lowering his voice even further, Huang Dinggou said, “He was sneaking around at the time, so I have no idea what he was up to. After I exposed his identity, he begged me to keep quiet. He made me swear I couldn’t tell anyone where he was. Honestly, I started thinking he might be a spy from Eden.”

Li Xiaofei fell silent,

Your instincts were spot-on. Please don’t trust your instincts again.

“Because we go way back, I asked him directly if he was with Eden,” Huang Dinggou continued.

“What did he say?” Li Xiaofei asked.

“He shamelessly admitted it,” Huang Dinggou replied. “Even worse, he asked me to keep it a secret.”

Li Xiaofei narrowed his eyes and asked, “And did you agree?”

“Of course I did. I had to,” Huang Dinggou said.

Li Xiaofei raised an eyebrow and said, “I didn’t expect you to be so loyal. But you’re a soldier now. Isn’t that a breach of military conduct?”

Huang Dinggou looked at him and said, “Hall Master, is that what you really think?”

“Uh... yeah?” Li Xiaofei answered, a little thrown off.

“That’s why,” Huang Dinggou said, “as soon as I turned around, I reported him.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” Huang Dinggou said proudly. “We set up a net to catch him, but the old bastard was too slippery. We searched for ten days and nights, but we still couldn’t catch that mangy thing.”

Li Xiaofei was totally speechless.

Classic Huang Dinggou. He truly lived up to the name. There was never a more fitting nickname. As for Chen Fei being a member of Eden, Li Xiaofei didn’t believe that for a second.

Later, Huang Dinggou generously treated Li Xiaofei to the best military-grade meal available. The war, however, was far from over, so Huang Dinggou’s unit couldn’t linger for long. But just as they were about to part ways, something rather unexpected happened.

Black Emperor refused to leave. It wanted to stay by Li Xiaofei’s side, leaving Huang Dinggou stunned. He and Black Emperor had fought side by side for years, building a deep bond through countless battles.

Now, out of nowhere, it wanted to leave like a girlfriend suddenly walking out of a long relationship. Still, he understood. Black Emperor had originally followed Li Xiaofei. It had only joined him on the battlefield to temper itself.

Now it simply wanted to return to its rightful place. There was no reason to object. Even so, Huang Dinggou had to report this to the corps leadership. He expected complications. After all, Black Emperor was one of the army’s peak combatants. But to his surprise, approval came quickly, the Black Emperor could leave at any time.

In the end, Huang Dinggou reluctantly watched Li Xiaofei and Black Emperor disappear into the skies above Krassu.

***

Li Xiaofei continued to roam the Star Battlefield with the Black Emperor at his side. He was akin to a firefighter, showing up to offer aid wherever the human army faced fierce resistance.

He was tempering his martial path and honing his weapon, the Heart of Guardianship. The path of protection remained forever rooted in his heart. The Black Emperor never left his side, faithfully accompanying him through every battle.

Time flowed onward. Even though humanity had gained a decisive advantage across the Star Battlefield, truly defeating the Reapers as a species would still require immense time and effort. One could never underestimate a race that had nearly dominated the entire universe.

Three years passed. Eventually, Li Xiaofei withdrew from the battlefield. With the Black Emperor by his side, he made his way to the Heavenly Court.