Chapter 578: Killing Ancestors

The mysterious figure was none other than Li Xiaofei. Once he arrived in Lanfu Base City, he had immediately thrown the city into pandemonium. After all, no matter how powerful he was, he was still just one person. Searching for someone in such a vast world was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The thought that every passing second increased the danger for the Goddess, left Li Xiaofei with no choice but to resort to such an overwhelming and forceful approach. After all, a beautiful woman falling into the hands of this despicable group would undoubtedly face a tragic fate. Anyone could imagine the consequences.

"Where is Ye Liuying?" Li Xiaofei had no intention of wasting words with the head of the Xie family. "You have seven minutes and eleven seconds left to hand her over. If not, I will destroy your Xie family."

The Xie family patriarch frowned. He was well aware of the plan to present Ye Liuying to Andrew. In fact, he had supported it. Sacrificing one or two women in exchange for the Yiggs’ backing was far too lucrative a deal to refuse. He couldn’t see any reason to oppose it. But he couldn’t possibly admit to it at this moment.

Ye Liuying held immense prestige in the northwest region and commanded a vast following on the light-network. The Xie family was on the brink of declaring independence and founding its own nation. Maintaining their public image was crucial at this critical juncture.

Moreover, if he bowed his head and handed Ye Liuying over, where would the Xie family's dignity go? They would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of every faction. He could clearly sense that this incident wasn’t just drawing the attention of local forces. Representatives from other major nations and administrative regions were covertly or openly observing the situation unfold. More precisely, they were watching how the Xie family would handle the crisis.

"Big brother... save... save me..." Xie Yunfeng pleaded desperately, his voice weak and trembling.

The eyes of the patriarch of the Xie family, Xie Yunlong, narrowed. It was only at this moment that his peripheral vision caught sight of Andrew's lifeless body inside the golden command pod.

What?!

Xie Yunlong’s heart tightened violently.

The ambassador of the Yiggs delegation is dead? This is bad. Terribly bad.

A major incident had just unfolded, and there was no way to settle it peacefully anymore. But Xie Yunlong was a shrewd and calculating man. Knowing that his own strength was insufficient, he refrained from immediately turning hostile.

He decided to stall for time before the family elder arrived. Once the situation was under control, he could eliminate this man with overwhelming force.

"Your Excellency, perhaps there’s been some misunderstanding," Xie Yunlong said with a polite smile, his tone full of feigned goodwill. "I truly don’t know the whereabouts of the Goddess, Ye Liuying. If she were here with the Xie family, we would certainly hand her over."

"That’s not the answer I wanted," Li Xiaofei replied coldly.

He sharply twisted his wrist.

Crack.

Xie Yunfeng’s neck broke. Golden flames erupted from Li Xiaofei’s palm and enveloped Xie Yunfeng’s body. In the next instant, the senior elder of the Xie family was nothing more than ashes drifting in the wind. He had come in haste and left with nothing.

"You!" Xie Yunlong was furious.

He had never expected the other party to be so utterly ruthless that he would kill at the slightest disagreement.

"I don’t want to hear any of your nonsense," Li Xiaofei said coldly.

"Whether or not the Goddess, Ye Liuying, is currently with your Xie family doesn’t matter to me. The only thing that matters is this. If you don’t hand her over, your Xie family will be erased from the face of the Earth."

"You have five minutes and fifty-seven seconds."

Li Xiaofei’s tone left no room for negotiation.

"You..."

Rage burned in Xie Yunlong’s eyes. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm, struggling to suppress his fury.

Taking a deep breath, he retorted with feigned bravado, "Your Excellency, aren’t you being unreasonable?"

Li Xiaofei said nothing. He was counting down. Meanwhile, aboard the spaceship, the Yiggs warriors finally began to react. Their commander had been killed. A Yiggs noble had been killed.

This foolish Great Xia man—how dare he? Revenge! Make this lowly Great Xia man understand the terrifying wrath of the Yiggs.

Orders were issued rapidly. The Star Armors warriors previously dispatched instantly swarmed back like an enraged hive of bees as they converged on Li Xiaofei from all directions.

"Yiggs dogs... All of them deserve to die." Li Xiaofei’s eyes burned with intense killing intent.

He didn’t hesitate as he struck first. He unleashed the Immortal Seal Technique and blurred forward. His rapid movements left countless phantom images until the air seemed to be filled with hundreds of clones of Li Xiaofei.

Their figures shifted between illusion and reality. They all seemed to attack simultaneously as blinding explosions erupted. One by one, the Yiggs warriors clad in Star Armors were obliterated before they could react.

They resembled dazzling fireworks as they exploded into brilliant patterns that illuminated the twilight sky. Shattered armor fragments and dismembered remains rained down on the street like a storm of debris.

In just a matter of seconds, it was over. All three hundred Star Armors warriors had been completely annihilated. Not a single one remained. Even the Yiggs commanders aboard the spaceship were stunned into silence.

For a brief moment, they failed to react. Xie Yunlong, however, was utterly shaken. His face twisted in horror as his heart pounded with fear.

What kind of strength is this? This is no mere man. This is like the might of a Demon God.

He instinctively tried to retreat. But his movements were completely frozen under the overwhelming mental lock of Li Xiaofei.

"You have four minutes and thirty seconds," said Li Xiaofei. He was like a ferocious beast on the verge of losing control, radiating an aura of unparalleled menace and terror. "Are you simply trying to stall for time?"

Xie Yunlong’s mind raced with panic.

Why hasn’t the elder emerged from seclusion yet?

Forcing a smile, he stammered, "Your Excellency, please don’t be impatient—I am currently investigating..."

"Then die," said Li Xiaofei before he could finish his sentence.

Li Xiaofei struck decisively. The rusted sword vibrated, transforming into a streak of radiant light.

Xie Yunlong was horrified. He was a Saint-level cultivator and a figure of significant strength. Under normal circumstances, he could dominate anyone in the northwest region with either his own strength or his authority.

But for the first time, he felt the chilling closeness of death. The icy gleam of the rusted sword seemed to slice through the air and into his soul. Xie Yunlong realized, to his despair, that he was utterly powerless to resist.

It seemed inevitable that this newly crowned King of the Northwest would perish beneath the rusted sword. Suddenly, an unexpected twist occurred.

"Stop!"

A thunderous roar echoed from the direction of the Xie family ancestral residence. The voice was filled with fury. Just as the roar rang out, a hunched and frail silhouette appeared in front of Xie Yunlong.

Clang!

A blade was drawn and a counter-slash followed. The clash of blade and sword erupted, scattering sparks like a brilliant cascade of stars. The rusted sword was knocked back, flying into the air before halting and hovering above Li Xiaofei’s head.

Meanwhile, the hunched and frail figure was forced to retreat step by step in mid-air. His grip on the blade nearly caused his arm to shatter from the impact.

The weathered, leathery face revealed a look of astonishment. He had remained secluded from the world for a century. Yet now, the world boasted a young generation of such overwhelming strength?

"Ancestor!" shouted Xie Yunlong. He quickly bowed his head in reverence. Having narrowly escaped certain death, cold sweat poured down his body.

"What exactly is going on here?" The Xie family ancestor spoke in a low, commanding voice.

Xie Yunlong dared not delay, hurriedly summarizing the sequence of events. When the ancestor finished listening, his gaze shifted toward Li Xiaofei and scrutinized him intently.

"Young man, you’re being far too domineering," the ancestor said.

Li Xiaofei replied coldly, "One minute and fifty-nine seconds left..."

A flicker of anger flashed in the Xie family ancestor’s murky, aged eyes.

"Heh, the audacity of the young who fear nothing," he sneered, his tone sharp and mocking. "No one has dared behave so arrogantly at the gates of my Xie family in over four hundred years. It seems you won’t understand the limits of heaven and earth until you’re taught a harsh lesson."

He took a deep breath in, and it was as if he inhaled all the clouds and air in the sky. The Xie family ancestor’s figure began to swell rapidly. The deeply wrinkled, furrowed skin stretched taut until it became pale and flawless. His hunched body straightened, growing tall and robust. The once-cloudy eyes now burned with fiery intensity.

In a matter of moments, the frail, hunched old man transformed into a towering, muscular youth who was over two meters tall. His black hair flowed like a waterfall, cascading down his broad shoulders.

A tremendous surge of vitality and vigor emanated from his body, rolling off him in waves. It was nothing short of a miracle of life. Rejuvenation! But it wasn’t just his appearance that changed. His strength had also soared to new heights.

If the Xie family ancestor had previously been a fading Saint on the brink of decline, he was now a roaring furnace of vitality and an ocean of life force. This was the power of a true Great Saint.

"Young one, do you realize your mistake?" The Xie family ancestor laughed heartily, his voice echoing with arrogance and confidence.

Li Xiaofei glanced at his wrist, checking the portable light core. Twenty-one seconds remained. He said nothing. He simply waited, letting the seconds tick away. Below, countless onlookers were left in awe at the sight of the Xie family ancestor’s miraculous rejuvenation.

Is such a mystical technique truly possible?

Even many of the foreign powerhouses were deeply shaken. No wonder the Xie family had stood unchallenged in the northwest of Great Xia for over four hundred years. They possessed such otherworldly techniques and even had a Great Saint guarding their legacy.

The hearts of everyone in the restaurant sank. Yan Chiyu instinctively glanced at Ye Liuying. She felt a tinge of envy. Li Xiaofei had risked everything to save Ye Liuying, charging into Lanfu Base City alone with just a sword in hand. He must love her deeply.

Yan Chiyu looked back at herself.

Would there ever be a man in her life willing to go to such lengths for me?

The silent yet domineering young man in the sky... would there ever come a day when he, too, would draw his sword in fury for me?

Would he ever spare me a second glance after we brushed past each other?

Yan Chiyu reached up to touch her shoulder-length hair. She used to wear her hair in a short crop. Perhaps only she knew about those subtle, hidden feelings she harbored.

Meanwhile, Ye Liuying lightly tapped her fingers on the table. She didn’t step forward or speak. At this point, no matter what she did, she couldn’t prevent the battle from unfolding. In fact, if she revealed herself now, she might only become a burden to Li Xiaofei.

In a clash at the Great Saint level, even the slightest moment of distraction could lead to a fatal outcome. Ye Liuying took a deep breath. Her thoughts were in turmoil. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do. She forced herself to remain calm, her mind racing to devise a way to break the deadlock.

At that moment, the battle in the sky erupted in an instant. Li Xiaofei unleashed the Realm of Eternal Samsara without hesitation. From the perspective of the onlookers, the two powerful figures almost instantly vanished from the sky.

Is this the true nature of a battle between Great Saints?

Did they enter a state of luminescent flow?

To the naked eye of ordinary people, the combat, and even the battlefield, was completely indiscernible.

Time seemed to pass in an instant. Before anyone could react, Li Xiaofei suddenly reappeared in his original position. He seemed calm as though nothing had occurred. But there was one striking difference. He had a bloodied head in his hand.

Drip... drip...

Blood dripped from the severed neck onto the ground below.

"Ancestor?!!" Xie Yunlong let out a horrified and despairing cry.

That head, twisted in a grimace of terror and frozen in shock, was unmistakably the head of his own family’s revered ancestor.

What just happened?

How could the ancestor, who had ascended to his peak state of power, have died so inexplicably in less than five seconds?