Chapter 839: Soul-Infused Voice

Li Xiaofei did not intend to kill Song Yu outright. Since he still didn’t know the whereabouts of his wife and daughter, he had to act cautiously.

"Li Xiaofei, you are a rare talent. I truly admire you, so I am willing to give you a chance. Join Eden, and I will spare your life," Song Yu said, confident in her upper hand.

Moreover, her words were not meant to humiliate Li Xiaofei. She genuinely admired this young junior. If he could join Eden, it would be a tremendous boost to their organization. In time, he could grow into a pillar among their ranks.

Li Xiaofei thrust his spear forward several times in rapid succession.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen black Ruos wielding longswords fell to the ground. These black Ruos, who fought with swords as their weapons, possessed considerable strength, each at the Three Origin Realm. However, in front of Li Xiaofei, who was at the same cultivation realm, they were like grass before a scythe. They were completely powerless.

Standing at the edge of the light prison, Li Xiaofei wielded his spear like a swimming dragon, striking mercilessly while also protecting Little Aunt, Luo Ge, and the Black Emperor.

Little Aunt was temporarily trapped inside the light prison. If any of the longsword-wielding black Ruo managed to get close, she would surely die.

As for Luo Ge, she had no ability to intervene in a battle of this level. And the Black Emperor? The cunning creature hid behind Li Xiaofei, continuously sneaking bites to nourish himself.

"You can't kill them all," Song Yu said with a faint smile. "Even if you burn through every ounce of strength in your body, you still won't be able to stop these mutated Ruo."

Mutated Ruo!

Li Xiaofei caught those two words. By rights, the Ruo belonged to the Reapers' Primal Faction. They should be relying solely on their physical bodies and claws to fight, and should never use weapons. Yet these Ruo wielded longswords... They seemed to lean more toward human traits.

A hybrid species?

In that case, it meant that the Ruo collaborating with Song Yu, or rather, with Eden, might also be outcasts even within the Primal Faction of the Reapers.

His mind raced, trying to come up with a solution to break out of the current predicament. He tapped the tip of his spear against the surface of the light prison.

Buzz.

The light pillar trembled slightly as the tap rippled outward. Yet it remained completely intact. Li Xiaofei realized that he could not break the light prison right now.

At the same time, he noticed that Song Yu seemed to be harboring a cat-and-mouse mentality. She was watching with great satisfaction as he struggled to protect Little Aunt from the siege of the longsword-wielding black Ruo.

Li Xiaofei could feel the energy within his body surging like boiling water. The energy core at his heart began to churn even faster, releasing energy unlike anything he had experienced before.

He understood that this was a sign of his Three Origin Realm cultivation advancing. Once the energy cores in his heart and brain fully condensed and released energy similar to a dantian, he would achieve mastery in the Three Origin Realm.

He had eaten the Immortal Peach, and his body still harbored immense latent potential. This intense battle environment was exactly what could stimulate and help him evolve that potential.

However, he first needed to find a way to ensure Little Aunt and Luo Ge were safe. Dozens of ideas flashed through his mind in an instant, and Li Xiaofei decided on a plan.

He leaped up and, with a flurry of spear strikes, began attacking the ceiling of Lingxiao Hall. It was already scarred by claw marks, and he could glimpse sunlight pouring in through the gaps.

The claw wounds widened under his furious assault. But the rate of damage was not fast enough. The black Ruos surged toward him like a tide. Without hesitation, Li Xiaofei summoned the Eight Trigrams Furnace and smashed it upward, finally breaking open a hole.

Sunlight streamed through the dome of Lingxiao Hall, flooding the ground below. Based on past experience, no matter the type, the Ruos were terrified of sunlight and could not act in daylight.

This fact had been confirmed time and time again by Huang Dinggou, a veteran resident of the septic pits. As sunlight poured down, a ten-meter radius around the light prison turned brilliantly white. Little Aunt and Luo Ge were both bathed in the sunlight. However—

The longsword-wielding black Ruos were not greatly affected. They showed little fear of the sunlight. Though wisps of smoke rose from their black exoskeletons, they did not ignite and turn to ash like their kin. Instead, the sunlight merely slowed their movements slightly and lowered their energy levels.

Li Xiaofei wielded his spear like a dragon, struggling with all his might to resist the onslaught. A few hours later, he had slain more than ten thousand black Ruos. Yet more continued to pour in crazily from behind the colossal pillars surrounding the grand hall, as if there would never be an end to their numbers. The sight was enough to drive one to despair.

Meanwhile, high atop the Jade Emperor’s throne, Song Yu remained seated, tirelessly bombarding Li Xiaofei with a stream of noisy and provocative words.

"You know far too little about Eden," she said, her voice echoing throughout the hall. "That is why you harbor such deep hostility.

"Perhaps you believe that the small groups of insurgents constantly fighting and sabotaging within Chongque City’s dominion are the true face of Eden. But you are wrong. Gravely wrong.

"Eden was not born within Chongque City or among the hundreds of thousands of Earth-based colonies. Its true origin lies in the Star Battlefield, at the very heart of the universe.

"It was born not only among humans, but also within the Reapers’ camp. Its creation was never meant for destruction and slaughter. On the contrary, it was meant to save a universe fated for ruin, to save both humanity and the Reapers.

"All species born in the universe are gifts from the Mother of All Spirits. We are her children. We should not wage war and destroy one another, we should unite and return her blessings.

"Any being blessed with outstanding talent and perfect Fate Qi has received great favor from the Mother. And thus, should repay her a hundredfold.

"Li Xiaofei, you who have received more of Mother's love than most among the countless beings of the universe, why do you refuse the hand she extends? Why do you cling to narrow racial conflicts, instead of embracing the great unity of the cosmos?"

Song Yu’s voice was filled with a sacred, solemn aura. It sounded as if she were reciting a doctrine or sacred scripture.

The voice echoed throughout Lingxiao Hall, carrying a deafening, soul-shaking power. Lin Yi, who stood beside the throne, had long since fallen to her knees. Her face showed a fanatical expression, like that of the most devout believer, willing to do anything for the so-called Mother.

Even someone as mentally steadfast as Li Xiaofei felt turmoil surge within his heart, as if continuing to thrust his spear and slaughter the longsword-wielding black Ruos was an act of extreme sin and ignorance.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the energy currents within his body surged wildly. His heart pounded furiously, giving him the sudden, dreadful sensation of a looming heart attack, only to explode in an instant with a thunderous boom, as though countless new realizations flooded into his mind.

The Middle Core! The world within his heart had opened! The intense sensation of his minor realm ascending shattered the solemn and sacred aura that Song Yu had crafted with her soul-infused voice. It was completely driven out of Li Xiaofei’s thoughts.

In the next instant, Li Xiaofei felt fully recharged as his combat strength soared. He unleashed a violent storm of strikes, like a shower of pear blossom petals, blasting away every longsword black Ruos under the pillar of sunlight with a sweeping spear move. He turned his head to look—

Damn it.

Luo Ge was lying flat on the ground, her face filled with the same fanatical devotion. Even the way she looked at Li Xiaofei now carried a trace of confusion and hostility.

This is bad!

Li Xiaofei’s heart tightened. He immediately looked toward Little Aunt. Thankfully, it seemed the light prison was shielding her from the sound, and she showed no abnormal signs. She was still working hard to break through the light prison.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden sharp pain shot through his calf. It felt as though he had been bitten by a dog.