Chapter 1023: The Arrival Of The War Between Emperors

The Ancestor of Wisdom had been defeated. The two Progenitors were eternal and indestructible gods in the eyes of the Reapers. Yet now, one of them had actually been defeated.

When the news spread, the very heavens collapsed for the Wisdom Faction of the Reaper race. Many of the top King-ranked clans refused to believe it and went to verify it themselves.

In the end, however, it was confirmed that the Ancestor of Wisdom had indeed been defeated. However, no one knew where the Ancestor of Wisdom had gone.

Rumors circulated that some Human Immortal Emperors had ambushed the Ancestor of Wisdom during the fierce battle with the new Ancestor of Strength, severely wounding him and forcing him to flee. He had supposedly gone into hiding within the Realm of Ruins.

Such rumors reignited the war between the humans and the Reapers, pushing the conflict to a new climax. But the Reapers’ former glory had already dimmed. The scales of war continued to tilt toward the humans.

Many Reaper Kings were defeated, and their ancestral lands fell under human control. The once lofty Reaper nobles were now forced to lower their heads and beg for survival from the very human slaves they had once oppressed.

A sweeping humanization movement had shattered the backbone of the Reaper race. The Reapers of today were no longer the brutal and savage beings of their ancestors’ time. To Li Xiaofei, it felt as if the once world-dominating banner riders had degenerated into bird-walkers of the late Qing era. The contrast stirred deep emotion in his heart.

The Reaper-occupied territories continued to shrink as many King-ranked Reaper clans had no choice but to abandon their ancestral homes and migrate toward the Realm of Ruins.

Meanwhile, the human resistance forces kept growing stronger. Li Xiaofei’s name was repeatedly brought up throughout this process. This was especially true of the experimental continents, where he had long been worshipped as a divine being, Li Xiaofei had become the most revered true god in the hearts of countless people.

With Zhu Zhixun and others continuing to spread his story, even the humans in the Ancestor Court star system came to know what Li Xiaofei had done for them. They learned that it was because he had ventured deep into the Realm of Ruins and uncovered the inheritance of the Sword Immortal that the nearly extinguished flames of resistance had reignited, allowing them to shed their status as slaves.

Even Liu Shaji, now hailed as the number one war god of the resistance, had publicly acknowledged Li Xiaofei countless times, calling him the Restoration Father of the human resistance in the Ancestor Court star system.

Li Xiaofei frequently appeared and intervened in the battles that followed. Whenever he acted, the outcome of the battle would be decided in an instant. Thousands of level twelve and thirteen Reapers fell. Countless King-ranked clans were defeated.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The resistance army remained utterly unstoppable wherever they advanced. The human race was flourishing. Many leaders of the resistance openly proposed the formation of a Human Empire. The leading candidate for the first Emperor of this empire was none other than the newly ascended Immortal Emperor, Li Xiaofei.

This Human Immortal Emperor, known as the Guardian Emperor, had earned the reverence of countless human forces and experts due to his frequent appearances on the battlefield in the war. The long absence of the other five Immortal Emperors during the dark years of the past had made Li Xiaofei the most respected among all Human Emperors.

The news spread rapidly. The Reaper race was already in decline. Yet, as the saying went, even a dying camel was still bigger than a horse. The Reapers still possessed formidable strength. In particular, the emergence of the new Ancestor of Strength had propped up their collapsing world.

"Let there be peace," a voice echoed across the Ancestor Court star system.

It was the voice of the new Ancestor of Strength. When he spoke, his words became law. Every living being heard those words.

"Denied," Li Xiaofei’s voice immediately rang out across the universe.

The Human Immortal Emperor had rejected the call for a ceasefire. Wind and thunder surged through the cosmos, as if the universe stood at the brink of annihilation.

The universe had always been filled with war and destruction throughout its long ages. This was especially true for the Reapers, for whom endless slaughter had long become the rhythm of life. However, true wars between Emperors had remained exceedingly rare.

The recently concluded battle between the twin Ancestors of the Reapers had been, after all, an internal conflict. Since it had erupted within the Realm of Ruins, it had caused little disturbance to the greater galaxy.

But this time... It was a war between the Immortal Emperors of two long-standing rival races. It was a war between two newly ascended beings at the Emperor level. Perhaps, it was also a war that would decide the fates of their entire species.

The entire universe turned its gaze on this looming clash. For a brief period, the broader conflict between the two races came to a halt.

The blue planet was the capital planet of the human resistance in the Ancestor Court star system. It also served as the provisional capital of the nascent Human Empire. Countless human experts and high-ranking members of the resistance had gathered when the Guardian Emperor, Li Xiaofei, appeared on this very planet.

War God Liu Shaji, resistance leader Zhu Zhixun, and others arrived one after another. Everyone expressed optimism about the upcoming Emperor-level battle. Li Xiaofei also made a rare public appearance, standing before hundreds of millions of human martial artists. He waved, and the resulting cheers roared like a tidal wave crashing through the starry sea.

The sunset was breathtaking as Li Xiaofei sat atop a high tower, gazing out at the starry river above. Liu Shaji sat beside him, wine gourd in hand. Behind them, the current resistance leader Zhu Zhixun and the others were busy preparing food using a black pot and a makeshift grill.

"How about I go with you?" Liu Shaji took a sip of wine and asked.

Li Xiaofei smiled in reply. "Didn’t you say something similar to Emperor Ye back then?"

Liu Shaji’s closest friend in the past had been Immortal Emperor Ye Qingyu. When Ye Qingyu had set out for the Land of Annihilation, Liu Shaji had most certainly said something like this.

And yet, Liu Shaji was still here. Which meant that Emperor Ye had probably rejected his offer back then.

Liu Shaji huffed with frustration. "I’m not the same man I used to be."

He had died and come back to life. His strength had also grown immensely. He was now only a breath away from stepping onto the path of Emperors.

"Oh? So you’ve already become an Emperor?" Li Xiaofei asked casually.

"I..." Liu Shaji began.

Damn it, so what if someone became an Emperor? Did that give them the right to act so smug?

But he couldn’t bring himself to argue back. He really didn’t have a say in this without becoming an Emperor.

Li Xiaofei patted Liu Shaji on the shoulder. "Stay. There’s still something more important for you to do."

"What important thing?" Liu Shaji asked.

Li Xiaofei didn’t answer. Liu Shaji fell silent.

Another riddle. Ye Qingyu had said the same thing before leaving. Liu Shaji had waited all this time and still had no idea what that more important matter had been. He always suspected it was just a kind lie, something Ye Qingyu had said to avoid bringing along a burden.

Could it be that after becoming an Emperor, one truly gained sight into things others could not? Even their lies... were all so consistent

, thought Liu Shaji.

"You’re leaving tomorrow?" Liu Shaji asked again.

Li Xiaofei nodded.

"From where?" Liu Shaji asked.

"Heaven," Li Xiaofei replied.

Liu Shaji froze. "Alone?"

"I was supposed to go with Sword Immortal Lin Beichen, but he left ahead of me," Li Xiaofei said.

Liu Shaji paused for a moment, then asked, "What about the matter of establishing the Human Empire?"

As soon as that question was raised, Zhu Zhixun and the others nearby immediately pricked their ears.

Up until now, the idea of founding a Human Empire had only been a passionate topic among many resistance leaders. Li Xiaofei, the man tacitly accepted as the founding Emperor, had never publicly commented on it in any setting.

Liu Shaji had always felt the whole thing was like children playing house, so he never took it seriously. But if Li Xiaofei was really going to leave, then it was worth asking his thoughts.

Li Xiaofei said, "Let them play however they want. It’s a small matter, not worth interfering in."

Liu Shaji was left speechless.

A small matter? Fine.

Perhaps it truly was a small matter in the eyes of an Immortal Emperor. But with the decisive battle on the horizon, Liu Shaji felt the human side shouldn’t be distracted by such things. Unfortunately, some people were already acting like victory was guaranteed. They were getting carried away and eager to divide the spoils.

Liu Shaji had thought Li Xiaofei would stop them. But now it seemed like it was nothing more than an insignificant farce in Li Xiaofei’s eyes.

Zhu Zhixun and the others, upon hearing those words, all let out a breath of relief. If the peak of martial cultivation was too distant to pursue, perhaps it was time to set a different goal in life?

Li Xiaofei took note of their expressions, but he said nothing more. That night, he drank with his friends. He saw Huang Dinggou again, and the Black Emperor too. They drank wine and ate meat all the way until dawn.

When the morning breeze arrived, everyone was still there. Everyone, except for Li Xiaofei. The Human Immortal Emperor... had departed.