Chapter 1021: The Fall Of The Ancestor Of Strength

"I’m not sure," Wei Xiaotian said, “Oblivion’s existence is incredibly mysterious. It’s like the Heavenly Dao itself. It's an endless will of laws and rules, an illusory force that seems unreal, yet it can condense and manifest itself as a living being. You’ve been to the Realm of Ruins. You’ve seen those Oblivions. You should understand that they too are a form of life.”

Li Xiaofei nodded as he recalled the time he had spent in the Realm of Ruins. Those Reapers that guarded the ruins of ancient clans would lie dormant until they were violently awakened by lightning. Indeed, they could be considered lifeforms in their own right.

It was clear now that Wei Xiaotian had spent a long time either researching or waiting for something. He had traveled to the human territory, joined Eden, returned to the Ancestor Court star system, and finally entered the Realm of Ruins... Everything he did was part of a grand scheme.

Li Xiaofei suddenly remembered that during the long history of the human race, only Wei Xiaotian had ever managed to infiltrate the Reaper King-ranked clans. At the time, everyone thought he had mastered some secret technique. In retrospect, that had seemed plausible enough.

But now, it appeared that the true reason might have been far simpler. Wei Xiaotian had always been a Reaper. That was why he had been able to accomplish things no ordinary human had.

"Then why have you returned this time?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Wei Xiaotian turned to glance at the entrance behind them, the Eye of Sealing, and replied, "To retrieve what is mine."

"Your possession?" Li Xiaofei frowned. He had a vague sense of what Wei Xiaotian meant.

"You’d better not go through with this," Li Xiaofei said. "Perhaps you should leave, and disappear from my sight."

If Wei Xiaotian intended to merge with the Ancestor of Strength and strengthen it even further, then Li Xiaofei would have no choice but to strike, regardless of any bond they once shared. Although, to be honest, that bond had never been particularly genuine in the first place.

"I think you’ve misunderstood," Wei Xiaotian said with a light smile. "I didn’t come here to rescue the Ancestor of Strength. I came to help you kill it."

Li Xiaofei’s brows furrowed again. "Sorry, but I find that hard to believe."

"I can prove it," Wei Xiaotian replied.

"And how exactly will you prove that?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Wei Xiaotian’s answer was a masterclass in logic and humor. "With actions."

Li Xiaofei almost cursed under his breath,

Prove it with actions, my ass. Who knows what’ll happen once he gets in?

Just as he was about to reject him outright and drive him away, Lin Beichen casually tossed aside his sunflower seed shells and said, "I think we should let him."

Li Xiaofei turned to him in surprise.

Lin Beichen had a kind and benevolent expression on his face as he said, "Don’t worry. We’ll go in together. If he tries anything shady, we’ll just take him out first."

Li Xiaofei nodded with sudden clarity and replied, "That makes sense."

Wei Xiaotian was speechless. But the plan was set. The three of them stepped into the sealed space together. The Ancestor of Strength had endured relentless beatings from Li Xiaofei for dozens of days now. It was fully awake, and beyond furious.

It was now in the form of a colossal octopus-like monstrosity. Countless scarlet tentacles spread through the endless void, resembling a primordial demon-beast that devoured all at the dawn of the universe.

Without a word, Li Xiaofei summoned the Heart of Guardianship, which transformed into a massive cleaving blade. He swung it down without hesitation.

After battling the Ancestor of Strength for so many days, he had grown thoroughly familiar with its combat capabilities. What made the beast truly terrifying wasn’t just its brute strength, it was its ever-evolving combat instincts and nearly indestructible body. It adapted too quickly in battle. Once it figured out an opponent’s techniques, it would strike without mercy.

Lin Beichen, meanwhile, showed no intention of joining the fight. He kept his eyes fixed on Wei Xiaotian with an expression that clearly said,

Your move.

Wei Xiaotian didn’t act rashly. He could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from the human Emperor standing beside him. He understood very well that even the slightest suspicious move would likely lead to his death in an instant.

He watched as Li Xiaofei and the Ancestor of Strength clashed in a ferocious battle. He found himself marveling at Li Xiaofei’s terrifying strength.

As someone who had once been a close ‘old friend’, Wei Xiaotian had long known how formidable Li Xiaofei could be in combat. Yet witnessing the scene unfolding before his eyes still left him astonished all over again.

He had to admit that the human race truly was a perfect species at the pinnacle of evolution. Though they had frail bodies, they had shattered the shackles of their innate limitations, ascending step by step to the very peak. They were filled with infinite potential.

They were entirely unlike the Reapers, who were born with overwhelming strength but whose potential was ultimately capped. No matter how potent their bloodlines, they could never surpass the progenitor. Their so-called evolution was nothing more than pushing their strength to the limit within the bounds of their bloodline.

Wei Xiaotian nodded to Lin Beichen, then suddenly made his move. He opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of faint yellow light. At first, it resembled nothing more than flickering, mottled flames that lacked any energy fluctuations. But when that stream of light crossed the space between them and struck the Ancestor of Strength, a strange transformation occurred in an instant.

The moment the yellow glow washed over it, the frenzied body of the Ancestor of Strength froze for a brief moment. It was as though it had been nailed in place. It was only for a second, but that single second was all Li Xiaofei needed. It was an absolutely perfect opportunity to inflict a devastating blow.

A burst of blood mist exploded outward. The massive form of the Ancestor of Strength, vaster than any star, was instantly torn into countless fragments of blood and dust.

At that moment, Wei Xiaotian inhaled. The massive clouds of blood and dust surged toward him like rivers returning to the sea, sucked into his body with the force of a whale drawing in water. Then, the aura of pressure emanating from Wei Xiaotian’s body began to surge wildly.

A furious roar echoed in the distance as the Ancestor of Strength began to reconstitute its body of flesh and blood, emerging again with even greater rage and madness.

But Li Xiaofei clearly sense that the Ancestor of Strength had become....weaker after reforming. It was obvious that Wei Xiaotian had absorbed some of its energy.

As a being that had once coexisted with the beast, the yellow light Wei Xiaotian exhaled was capable of interfering with the Ancestor of Strength’s combat instincts and cognitive reflexes. It caused a momentary halt in its functions, just like a computer crashing.

That brief moment was all Li Xiaofei needed. Each time it happened, he struck. Time and again, he shattered the Ancestor of Strength. And time and again, it reformed itself.

Throughout this relentless cycle, Wei Xiaotian continued to siphon away its energy. No, it wasn’t just energy. It was everything. He was taking everything that belonged to the Ancestor of Strength and was turning it into a part of himself.

This entire process resembled a battle over the ownership of a body. Bit by bit, the physical form of the Ancestor of Strength was being transformed into Wei Xiaotian’s own. And Wei Xiaotian was growing stronger at a speed visible to the naked eye. But Lin Beichen made no move to stop any of it.

About five days later, a strange, ancient, and desolate tide of law began to surge, rippling outward like nuclear radiation as it swept across the void in all directions. The Ancestor of Strength’s cycle of resurrection was finally broken.

The chaotic current of laws surged out like a tidal wave, bursting forth from the sealed domain and engulfing the entire Ancestor Court star system. At that very moment, countless Reapers across the galaxy suddenly froze in place, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of grief and sorrow. It was as if they had just lost their closest blood relative.

Meanwhile, on the ancestral star, a young and handsome fisherman suddenly rose to his feet.

"The day has finally arrived."

Even though he usually sported a calm demeanor, he could not conceal the excitement blazing in his heart.