Chapter 590: Does Not Want To See You

Sword light flickered as a sword appeared like a plucked feather.

Clang!

A sound as fine as a strand of hair snapping echoed through the air.

Li Xiaofei swiftly retreated as a blinding light, as dazzling as the helium flash of the sun, burst forth in an instant. Hewmos and the other Subspace creatures around him were vaporized in a flash.

Li Xiaofei had grabbed Richard Tyssen, but he had been reduced to a piece of steaming charcoal. He smelled of burnt and roasted flesh.

This sudden change caught everyone completely off guard. Any living being within a kilometer of the battlefield had been obliterated. A charred crater that was a hundred meters in diameter scarred the earth.

Incandescent white flames danced at the crater's edges, while a cluster of white firelight flickered in the sky. A faint, humanoid figure could be seen encased within the flames. Li Xiaofei remained on high alert.

This figure had been the one who had struck. Li Xiaofei could feel the horrifying depth of the energy waves emanating from his opponent’s body. Even though the energy had been deliberately restrained, the terrifying heat distorted the very space around them, causing the air to shimmer.

"Are you Morentes?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Just before his death, Richard Tyssen had mentioned a figure named Morentes, who claimed to be a great deity from Eden. This deity had supposedly purified his bloodline and taught him the art of summoning.

But he had been silenced before he could say any further. Thus, the mysterious and terrifying entity before him might very well be the so-called Messenger of Eden.

The lambs within the fence should not resist the will of their god.

An ancient thought wave burst out of the white flames. It did not speak aloud, yet the words appeared seemingly out of nowhere in Li Xiaofei's mind. After a moment of surprise, Li Xiaofei realized this was a form of mental communication.

The thought wave carried an icy, disdainful aloofness, as if it was looking down upon him from a higher plane of existence. Perhaps this being truly belonged to a higher dimensional realm. After all, the ability to instantly obliterate Subspace creatures like Hewmos was beyond the capabilities of a Great Saint. Only entities akin to the new No. 88 Barush, an avatar of the King of Terror, could achieve such feats.

"So, you consider yourself a god?" Li Xiaofei asked. "And the people of Great Xia are lambs?"

"All humans are lambs." The blurry figure within the glowing orb replied, "There is no distinction. Some obey and submit, while others foolishly try to butt their shepherd with their horns."

Li Xiaofei's mind stirred.

Earth is the fence. Humans are the lambs. Then this being, who calls itself a god and a master, must be the shepherd?

"Was all of this your doing?" Li Xiaofei shouted loudly. "The invasion of the Yiggs... was that also orchestrated by you?"

"You are unworthy of knowing such things," the blurry figure within the glowing orb replied.

In that instant, Li Xiaofei faintly sensed the entity's gaze shift past him and toward the distant city of Xiajing.

It hesitated. It seemed to be itching to act, but in the end, it restrained the faint impulse that had stirred within.

"Eden shall open, and angels shall descend. You corpses buried in the sands of time cannot hold onto Site 89876. The Ten Thousand Great Worlds have nearly perished. You abominations are fated to be swept into the dust of history, never to reincarnate. Everything has only just begun."

A vast and overwhelming thought wave emanated from the blurry figure, sweeping across the entire city. Then, it slowly vanished.

Li Xiaofei let out a long sigh of relief. Cold sweat had drenched his forehead. He had encountered countless powerful beings ever since he had taken his first steps to battle heaven and earth. But the aura emanating from this so-called Messenger of Eden, Morentes, was uniquely dangerous. It was almost comparable to the two great powerhouses of the Beichen Legion: the Golden Lizard King and Guang-chan.

Yet, that lizard and rodent could not descend upon Earth. Why, then, could the Messenger of Eden?

Countless thoughts surged through Li Xiaofei's mind. Vaguely, he began to piece together why Morentes had hesitated to launch an assault on Xiajing. With its strength, there would have been no need for the Yiggs coalition or their star beasts to besiege the city. Morentes alone could have flattened Xiajing.

The great battle had come to an end. Both armies slowly withdrew their forces. The Yiggs coalition, having suffered the loss of two Great Saints and one Demon God summoner, found their morale plummeting. They no longer dared to launch another assault.

However, on the Great Xia side, though Li Xiaofei had slain three peak experts, the sudden appearance of the Messenger of Eden, Morentes, left everyone wary and deeply unsettled.

For now, the fighting had subsided. The Yiggs coalition even ceased sending beast tides at the city. Xiajing City finally welcomed a rare period of reprieve.

But as Li Donglou, Chu Yuncheng, Hua Qinglian, and Hua Zhongyue gazed at the charred crater outside the city, they all felt a cold chill in their hearts.

When night fell in the central district of Xiajing City, the decision-makers of Great Xia gathered in the Grand Commander’s office.

"What? Qingying isn’t in Xiajing City?" Li Xiaofei was visibly disappointed as he pressed further, "Then where did she go?"

There were four Grand Commanders in the Grand Commander’s office along with Li Xiaofei.

The elderly General Hua Zhongyue exchanged glances with the other three Grand Commanders before replying to Li Xiaofei, "Outside the city."

Outside the city?

Li Xiaofei was even more astonished. The area outside the city was currently under the control of the Yiggs forces. Though the young lady possessed remarkable strength and had awakened the Saint Emperor Bloodline, she was still young. Being outside the city in such perilous circumstances was far too dangerous.

"She is safe; you don’t need to worry," General Hua Zhongyue sighed. "She chose to leave the city of her own accord. We old bones couldn’t persuade her to stay."

Li Xiaofei suppressed the storm of questions in his heart and remained silent.

General Hua Zhongyue continued, "Xiajing City has held out for this long largely thanks to Mistress Tan. Without her, it would have become a dead city long ago."

"I heard from a classmate that someone extraordinary had emerged within the city to turn the tide of battle... Could it be?" Li Xiaofei recalled what Ding Rong had mentioned before.

"Yes, it was Mistress Tan," Hua Qinglian, the First Grand Commander, replied. "You should already have an idea of which bloodline she awakened."

Li Xiaofei nodded.

The Saint Emperor Bloodline. Capable of controlling corpses. Wait... could it be?

A sudden suspicion flashed through Li Xiaofei's mind.

"Mistress Tan is now in the former lair of the Corpse Emperor," Hua Qinglian explained further. "The Four Divine Corpse Generals and thousands of zombies are under her command. It was her control of the zombie army that alleviated the pressure on Xiajing City's defenders. This allows our soldiers and experts to rotate shifts, rest, and obtain supplies."

Li Xiaofei's thoughts crystallized.

So, that’s the truth.

"I’m going to find her," he said abruptly, standing up in determination.

"No, you cannot go now," General Hua Zhongyue quickly intervened.

"Why not?" Li Xiaofei demanded.

"Because... she said she does not want to see you right now," the old general replied with a wry smile.