Chapter 830: Eight Trigrams Furnace

In the distance, a towering crimson Ruo, over a hundred meters tall, was rapidly approaching from the burning ruins. It was clearly an evolved version of the Ruo. Perhaps it wasn’t just third stage evolution, but fifth, or even sixth stage.

Its massive form radiated a terrifying aura of oppression. Li Xiaofei felt the gusts of wind rushing toward him like tidal waves. The flames around the tall building were all swept backward at once, while debris flew wildly through the air.

This entrance scene was absolutely overwhelming. It even stirred a slight pang of jealousy in Li Xiaofei’s heart. Moreover, the crimson giant Ruo’s target was obvious. It was charging straight toward the small courtyard. It was clear that it had already discovered them. At that instant, a question flashed through Li Xiaofei’s mind—

How did it find us so quickly?

How exactly are these Ruo transmitting information among themselves?

Whoosh!

A silvery spear shot through the air, heading straight for the crimson Ruo. Luo Ge had made her move. She had found the pale silver spear among the ruins. In earlier battles, it had easily pierced the defenses of second-stage evolved Ruo.

However—

A puff of smoke exploded in the air. The spear detonated soundlessly and shattered into fine powder just ten meters away from the crimson giant Ruo.

Luo Ge’s expression changed drastically. She knew very well that the spear’s hardness far exceeded that of her own body, but the spear had disintegrated. The conclusion was painfully clear.

If she had personally launched an attack, she might have been reduced to a cloud of blood and flesh before even reaching twenty meters. How were they supposed to fight this?

"Fall back," Li Xiaofei growled.

"Be careful," Luo Ge responded without hesitation. She immediately turned and fled toward the distant streets.

Meanwhile, a burning fighting spirit lit up in Li Xiaofei’s eyes.

"Come on." Li Xiaofei drew the Golden-Patterned Soaring Dragon Spear. "Kill."

He leaped into the air and struck with a single thrust. Man like a dragon, spear like a rainbow. From the very start, Li Xiaofei unleashed his full strength.

Fifty meters...

Thirty meters...

Twenty meters...

He could feel the spear tip sinking, as if into a swamp. Yet it did nothing to slow down the momentum of the Golden-Patterned Soaring Dragon Spear.

He pushed forward.

Ten meters...

Five meters...

Three meters...

The sinking force grew even heavier. A strange kind of field took hold, causing Li Xiaofei, who had merged completely with his spear, to slow down. Gradually, his speed dropped to a crawl.

At the same time, the crimson giant Ruo opened its eyes and stared at him. Its vertical pupils, cold as ice, seemed like two bolts of lightning locking onto Li Xiaofei.

In that instant, Li Xiaofei wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he thought he saw a glint of cold, mocking amusement flicker within those massive slit-like pupils.

The Ruo’s upper right arm lifted, its five fingers reaching for him as if to crush him. Though the movement looked slow, it carried an agility far beyond what its massive size should have allowed.

Li Xiaofei didn’t dare hesitate. He immediately performed Cloud Step, leaping away from the grasp. The butt of his spear struck the crimson Ruo’s wrist, borrowing the force to propel himself upward, and with a fierce thrust, he aimed straight for its giant vertical eye.

Laugh, would you? Let’s see you keep laughing after this, you bastard.

Li Xiaofei growled low in his throat. However, the crimson giant Ruo did not evade. Instead, it opened its massive maw and let out a deafening roar.

"Ahhhh..." An almost human-like sound burst forth from the creature’s mouth.

Li Xiaofei felt an indescribable, overwhelming strength slam into him. Caught completely off guard, he and his spear were blasted backward.

Sonic wave attack! Damn it, it’s like a lion's roar technique combined with a giant loudspeaker!

He was sent flying several hundred meters before he managed to stabilize himself mid-air. His suit of armor had been shattered, leaving him as bare as a plucked chicken.

"Shameless bastard, ripping clothes during a fight," Li Xiaofei muttered.

With a thought, he wrapped his body in flames from the Flame Saber technique to avoid an indecent spectacle. He pressed the attack again and again, constantly probing the enemy. But he was violently repelled each time.

This monster has a massive body and strength that completely crushes mine. Its speed is frighteningly fast.

Its exoskeleton is so tough that even my Golden-Patterned Soaring Dragon Spear can only leave a faint mark on the surface... wait, it can even heal itself!

The results of his probing left Li Xiaofei deeply shocked. This thing was practically a perfect giant war machine. It was easy to imagine the devastation a creature like this could bring to a battlefield in the galactic wars.

Now, Li Xiaofei finally understood why the Reapers posed such a terrifying threat to the human race and even to the peerless Emperors like Li Mu, Ye Qingyu, Ding Hao, and Lin Beichen.

After completing his tests, Li Xiaofei immediately switched weapons. He replaced the Golden-Patterned Soaring Dragon Spear with the alchemy furnace.

"Bigger, bigger, bigger!" Controlling it with his mind, the alchemy furnace expanded to a height of over a hundred meters and came crashing down toward the crimson giant Ruo from above.

Boom!

The explosion of sound waves and energy roared outward, forming a visible shockwave that violently spread in all directions.

Li Xiaofei was blasted away once again. His hands, gripping the alchemy furnace, were torn and bloodied as they split open from the force. His strength was still not enough to match the crimson giant Ruo.

"Eight Trigrams Furnace?!" The crimson giant Ruo suddenly spoke in human language, "So it’s in your hands? Are you the Golden Horn Boy who escaped from Doushuai Palace?"

Li Xiaofei froze in shock.

The monster can actually speak human language?

But thinking about it, it wasn’t too surprising. If a creature could evolve to such a degree, mimicking human speech with its tongue and vocal cords would be a trivial matter. However, the information revealed in its words was even more astonishing.

Eight Trigrams Furnace?

Li Xiaofei quickly came to a realization.

No wonder the patterns on the furnace are all eight trigrams.

According to legend, Heaven had a Doushuai Palace, guarded by a Pill Emperor. The Eight Trigrams Furnace in the palace refined immortal pills, each one a divine medicine envied by countless immortals.

It turned out the alchemy furnace he had obtained was none other than the legendary treasure, the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Without hesitation, Li Xiaofei grabbed the furnace and bolted. There was no way he could win this fight. Now that he knew a Mother of All Beasts likely lurked within the ruins of Heaven, Li Xiaofei abandoned the idea of summoning any ancient saints to deal with the crimson giant Ruo. The strongest trump card must be saved for the final battle.

"Catch him! Bring back the Eight Trigrams Furnace!" The voice rang out from the crimson giant Ruo’s mouth.

It began to give chase. The scene was somewhat strange. The voice that had spoken did not actually belong to the crimson giant Ruo. But Li Xiaofei hadn’t caught that detail. He carried Black Emperor and pulled Luo Ge along as they fled desperately. This time, however, escaping was far more difficult than before.

The crimson giant Ruo’s roars summoned more and more lesser Ruo and second-stage evolved Ruo from all directions. They closed in like sticky glue, tightly entangling Li Xiaofei and constantly broadcasting his position.

In the end, Li Xiaofei found himself carrying Black Emperor on his left shoulder and holding Luo Ge in his right arm, accelerating into a full-on sprint.

Fortunately, his secret art, the Immortal Seal Technique, worked wonders under such siege. It could continuously replenish his consumed energy and stamina, allowing him to maintain maximum speed.

“Huff, huff, huff...” He panted heavily.

No, this won’t do. I need to come up with a solution. If I keep running like this, it will solve nothing. Do I really have to summon the ancient saints from the cemetery?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a faint fragrance wafted from ahead, carrying the sweet scent of ripe peaches. He lifted his head. In the distance, a vast stretch of lush, verdant forest came into view, so vibrant it refreshed the soul.

The sudden appearance of a vivid green forest amidst the ruins engulfed in fire, blood, and death took him aback. Was it an illusion?

But Li Xiaofei didn’t have time to question it. He pushed forward, accelerating toward the forest. Behind him, the chasing hordes of Ruo abruptly came to a halt. Even the crimson giant Ruo stopped at the forest’s edge. Its expression turned hesitant. Though it made several attempts to step forward, it ultimately dared not enter.