Starforce Warriors

Chapter 305: It Was For You

"Teacher." For the first time, Goddess Ye Liuying showed genuine emotion, breaking from her usual cold demeanor.

"Master." The fox demon, A-Li, also stepped forward, unable to hide her reluctance as tears streamed down her face.

But Tan Zhenwei didn’t stop walking.

Li Xiaofei, realizing something was wrong, hurriedly followed. "Uncle Tan, what are you going to do?"

Tan Zhenwei paused and turned to look back. "Kid, don’t let Little Ying down."

A small smile appeared on his face as he continued, "Until we meet again."

He flickered, transforming into a streak of light as he darted into the Cave Beast's spatial rift in front of him. Li Xiaofei wanted to chase after him. But a powerful and irresistible force surged from the passage, throwing him back.

In the next instant, brilliant golden light erupted from Tan Zhenwei as he transformed into a blazing golden sun that unleashed boundless energy. The energy slammed into the spatial passage, triggering a strange chain reaction. The passage began to shake violently. The entire underground space trembled, starting to collapse. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Boom!

Tan Zhenwei's body suddenly exploded. Every piece of his flesh, every bone, and every drop of blood transformed into terrifying nuclear energy that blasted against the spatial barrier of the Cave Beast's ring-shaped spatial passage.

Before Li Xiaofei could even react, the seemingly indestructible spatial passage shattered like glass. The shimmering light gate collapsed like a chain of dominoes, one ring after another crumbling away. The light gate shrank, faded, and then vanished entirely.

A surge of terrifying energy erupted from the spot where the spatial passage had disappeared.

"Not good, we need to leave now!" Goddess Ye Liuying shouted sharply.

The underground space was collapsing. Dust filled the air as the Jiepeng underground base started to twist and warp. Some of its structures started catching fire and exploding.

Li Xiaofei stood there, dumbfounded.

Wha... what did Uncle Tan just do?

The fox demon transformed into a streak of light and darted toward the exit.

Goddess Ye Liuying grabbed Li Xiaofei by the shoulder and said, "Teacher destroyed his Golden Body to trigger the explosion of the Cave Beast's spatial passage... If you don’t want to die, we have to get out of here, now!"

Li Xiaofei’s mind was blank.

Self-destruction of the Golden Body? Wasn't that just... self-detonation?

It meant that Tan Zhenwei had released all his cultivation as a Golden Body Realm expert in an instant, burning his life force and primal energy to trigger a devastating nuclear explosion.

Which means... Uncle Tan is... gone?!

"No!" Li Xiaofei broke free from Goddess Ye Liuying's grip and charged toward the collapsing light gate. "I’ll pull him back!"

But in the next instant...

Boom!

An even more terrifying explosion erupted from the spot where the light gate had vanished.

Li Xiaofei was flung violently back. He felt like his brain was about to explode. In that moment, his consciousness was engulfed in chaos.

The underground space of the Jiepeng base completely collapsed. The earth, soil, and boulders above were blasted away by the shockwave. The terrifying energy surged upward, turning the underground facility into a massive crater.

It only took an instant for the Jiepeng base to be completely annihilated. The only evidence of its existence was a gigantic basin that spanned tens of miles.

Li Xiaofei crashed heavily into the ground, sliding dozens of meters. A massive boulder fell from the sky, landing squarely on his head, shattering upon impact.

Li Xiaofei shook his head and slowly got to his feet. As he brushed away the dust and rubble, his expression was one of confusion.

This is big. Really big. How am I going to explain this to Little Ying? Am I supposed to tell her that I stood by and watched as her father blew himself up? Tan Zhenwei's final move was too ruthless.

Li Xiaofei clenched his fists tightly. He felt terrible. Tan Zhenwei had sacrificed himself to utterly shatter Jiepeng's ambitions of using the Eye of the Northwest to infiltrate and invade Great Xia's northwest. How ironic.

As the city leader of Liuhe Base City, Tan Zhenwei had poured his heart and soul into protecting the region but couldn’t accomplish it. Yet, as the leader of the Wilderness Free Sect in the northwest, he had achieved it through his own death.

The powerful families had monopolized the nation’s resources and their members held high positions. Yet, it wasn’t enough for them. Driven by greed, they had united like scavenging dogs and conspired with the Jiepeng, who sought to seize Great Xia’s lands, to sell out the country's interests.

“One day, if I ever ascend to the realm of Saints, I will slaughter every one of those treacherous, heartless bastards,” Li Xiaofei swore fiercely.

The air stirred gently as Goddess Ye Liuying landed silently behind him.

“If you ever run into trouble, you can come find me,” Goddess Ye Liuying said softly.

Li Xiaofei took a deep breath and replied without turning around, “That’s what I should be saying to you.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of the Goddess's lips. Then she added, “Teacher isn’t dead.”

Li Xiaofei’s heart leaped with hope as he quickly turned to look at her.

Could it be that she knew something?

The Goddess's expression was resolute, and she tilted her chin upward at a 45-degree angle.

In the sunlight, she looked almost like a devout pilgrim, faithful in her conviction. “Teacher is as wise as the depths of the ocean and sees far ahead. He had planned to destroy the Eye of the Northwest for a long time and made careful preparations. He wouldn’t choose self-destruction unless it was absolutely necessary... No matter what, I believe that Teacher is still alive.”

Li Xiaofei sighed inwardly. Tan Zhenwei’s methods were indeed inscrutable. But he had clearly seen him self-destruct...

The Goddess’s words were likely just her holding on to hope. Li Xiaofei, understanding this, wisely chose not to say anything further. Goddess Ye Liuying glanced down at the bark mask in her hand. No one knew that the reason Ye Liuying had risen so rapidly wasn’t solely due to her cultivation at school, but because she had a mysterious teacher guiding her in secret.

How could a concubine-born daughter, abandoned by her family, rise to shine with such dazzling martial prowess? There was, of course, someone providing direction for her talent to blossom. Without guidance, resources, and cultivation techniques, it would be impossible to succeed even with natural talent. That guide had been none other than Tan Zhenwei.

To Ye Liuying, Tan Zhenwei was both a teacher and a father figure. Having grown up without a father, she had long viewed Tan Zhenwei as her father, treating him with deep respect and filial love. But this relationship was something no one else ever knew about.

Now, the person who was so important to her was gone forever. And the ones who drove him to his death were the powerful noble families. Her anger started to burn even hotter. She would carry on her teacher’s will.

Revitalize Great Xia. Glorify ancient martial arts! And, of course, she would protect those whom her teacher cared about.

“Teacher destroyed the Eye of the Northwest to protect you.” She suddenly said.

Li Xiaofei was taken aback.

Goddess Ye Liuying calmly explained, “With the Eye of the Northwest gone, Jiepeng’s schemes are completely thwarted. The noble Saint families no longer have a reason to focus on the northwest. Your eradication of the Ye family won’t matter anymore. Otherwise, how long could you, a small boat, float in stormy waters without sinking if all the families united against you?”

Li Xiaofei stood there, stunned.

So, this was how Uncle Tan cleaned up the mess.

“Don’t do anything to dishonor Teacher. Otherwise, I will personally kill you,” she warned.

Then she gave him her personal contact information. “Someone will come to investigate the commotion soon. You’d better leave quickly.”

With that, she transformed into a streak of sword light and disappeared into the sky.

Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. The Five Spirits Realm truly lived up to its name. Being able to fly through the skies must be incredibly satisfying. He could only rely on Spatial Point Theft to cheat the system and teleport in an instant. But that cheat had a cooldown so he couldn’t use it so easily. It looked like he was fated to walk back this time.

However, before leaving, Li Xiaofei knelt down at the edge of the massive basin and bowed three times with the utmost respect. It was almost like he was preemptively paying respects to his parents.

After standing up and walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said, “Why are you following me?”