Starforce Warriors

Chapter 253: Naked

This unexpected change took Li Xiaofei completely by surprise. He hadn't even had time to react. Initially, he just wanted to be drenched in blood to make a grand display in front of the warriors on the city walls. After all, a blood-soaked victory was something that people would remember more vividly. But who could have guessed that this blood was so peculiar? And who would have thought that he would actually absorb it? Could there be any side effects?

Li Xiaofei quickly began to search for any changes within himself. To his relief, there seemed to be nothing unusual. Meanwhile, the warriors on the city walls had already erupted into a frenzy of celebration. They had won! This time, they had truly won. There was no more chance for the tide to turn.

To be honest, this battle had frayed everyone’s nerves to the breaking point. No one could help but worry about Li Xiaofei. Fortunately, in the end, they really did win. When Li Xiaofei drove the unihorn into the Bull Demon’s heart, every heart that had been suspended in fear finally settled back into place. Now they could celebrate without restraint.

Ding Longao's normally stern face couldn’t hide the joy he felt. This was a huge relief. He had borne the brunt of the pressure during the siege by the beast horde. As the commanding officer responsible for defending the base city, he carried the weight of that responsibility. The star beasts’ endless attrition tactics and their relentless assaults had been wearing down the military forces and pushing them to the brink of collapse.

If things had continued this way, Ding Longao wasn’t sure how much longer they could have held out. He had even prepared himself for the worst...

But now, with Li Xiaofei's extraordinary performance and the death of the Bull Demon, the situation had turned around in an instant. Killing one of the two fifth grade star beasts in a head-on battle amidst countless enemies wasn’t just a boost to morale. Li Xiaofei’s sudden rise in strength had effectively doubled the strength of Liuhe Base City. The once-shaky city walls, thanks to Li Xiaofei’s presence, now seemed impregnable.

***

Outside the city. In the midst of the ravaged battlefield.

A figure flickered into view and a subtle fragrance filled the air. The Goddess, Ye Liuying, appeared beside Li Xiaofei. This time, she wasn't clad in her power armor; she only carried a slender silver sword in her hand.

Li Xiaofei guessed that the reason she wasn’t armored was likely to better conceal herself, deceiving the Yinji Moon Fox and allowing her to deliver that decisive strike earlier.

"A waste." The Goddess spoke. Her voice was as cold and clear as a mountain spring in a secluded valley.

"Huh?" Li Xiaofei didn’t quite understand.

"The blood of a fifth grade star beast is a potent tonic and not to be wasted." The Goddess explained.

Li Xiaofei realized what she meant and immediately looked anxious. He didn’t have any containers with him to collect the blood. The Goddess acted swiftly, her sword lightly tapping several points around the Bull Demon’s wounds. The bleeding stopped instantly.

Acupoint sealing?

Li Xiaofei was stunned.

The Goddess explained, "I've sealed its blood vessels with sword energy. The blood will remain contained for the next four hours. Make sure to take the body back and extract the blood for storage. You can either sell it or use it yourself."

"Thank you," said Li Xiaofei, overjoyed.

Then, he suddenly realized that the Goddess had said quite a lot this time. This was unusual for her. She rarely uttered more than ten words in a single sentence.

"Does this surprise you?" The Goddess seemed to read his thoughts. "Through your actions, you've proven that you now have the right to converse with me."

Li Xiaofei suddenly understood. He had just demonstrated the combat ability of someone at the Five Spirits Realm, and the Goddess had acknowledged him. No longer did she look down on him as if he were just a child.

This principle was universal across any world, any era, and any field. This phenomenon could be described as connections, social circles, or the like. Only when one was strong enough could they earn the opportunity to converse with those even stronger.

"The Bull Demon’s body must contain an Inscribed Treasure Bone." The Goddess added. "A fifth grade star beast’s Inscribed Treasure Bone can fetch an astronomical price anywhere in the country. If you don’t plan to use it yourself and decide to sell it, you can contact me. I can guarantee the highest price."

Li Xiaofei, surprised, asked, "Does elder sister really need the Bull Demon’s Inscribed Treasure Bone?"

The term elder sister made the Goddess's expression shift slightly. It was hard to tell whether the change was good or bad.

"It is indeed useful to me," she replied.

Li Xiaofei immediately said, "Then I’ll give it to you, Sister."

The Goddess was momentarily stunned. She thought she might have misheard.

But when she saw that Li Xiaofei was serious and not joking, her expression remained cold as she asked, "Why?"

Li Xiaofei replied calmly, "Please don’t misunderstand, Sister. I’m not trying to pursue you. In fact, I already have a girlfriend. Giving you the Inscribed Treasure Bone is my way of repaying the favor for saving my life. If you hadn’t driven off the Yinji Moon Fox at that critical moment, I might have been seriously injured by now."

"Oh."

Ye Liuying seemed thoughtful, but she said, "There's no need. I don’t have the habit of accepting things for free. Wait for others to give you their offers first. Once you understand its value, I’ll make my own offer."

With that, she moved. Sword light flashed as she vanished from the spot. Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but admire the Goddess’s integrity.

Wait a minute? Am I forgetting something?

A cold breeze blew by and Li Xiaofei suddenly felt a chill in a rather sensitive area.

“Crap!”

Was I just walking around naked in front of the Goddess? But why didn’t she react at all? Was she just used to such things? Or was she holding back?

Luckily, he was still covered in a layer of Bull Demon blood, and the Bull Demon's corpse was between him and the city walls. Otherwise, his reputation would have been ruined. He quickly tore off a few patches of the Bull Demon’s fur and tied them around his waist to cover the essential areas. Then, he tried lifting the Bull Demon’s body with one hand.

It’s not heavy.

And so, with one hand holding the unihorn and the other supporting the Bull Demon’s corpse, Li Xiaofei began walking toward the city walls. Not a single star beast dared to stand in his way as he passed. The massive beast horde had lost all courage to continue the siege and was now frantically fleeing into the depths of the wilderness.

Li Xiaofei was greeted by the thunderous cheers of the Great Xia warriors. The warriors on the walls shouted with all their might, expressing their admiration for the hero in their hearts.

Ding Longao ordered the gates to be opened and personally led the military officers to greet him.

"Good job, kid!" Ding Longao happily clapped Li Xiaofei on the shoulder. "You're the lucky star of Liuhe! I'll personally request a commendation for you. Haha, so tell me, what reward do you want?"

Li Xiaofei sheepishly replied, "Could I get a pair of pants first?"

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. Li Xiaofei was welcomed into the city as the cheers echoed to the heavens. Ding Longao ordered that the recordings of today's battle be strictly sealed. He also issued a command that Li Xiaofei's name should not be widely spread within the city.

The official story was simply that a Five Spirits Realm expert had emerged, slain the Bull Demon, and saved Liuhe Base City from its dire predicament.

Li Xiaofei didn’t mind this at all. Those who needed to know would know. It couldn't be kept secret for long. As long as Old Ding got him that commendation, that was good enough for him.

The Bull Demon’s corpse, after signing the necessary contracts, was handed over to professional disassemblers in the city for processing. Li Xiaofei returned to the slums and began investigating the mysterious absorption of the Bull Demon’s blood by his body.

The atmosphere in Liuhe Base City was filled with joy. Countless people were setting off fireworks in the streets. By evening, from the southeastern sky, the roar of an aircraft suddenly broke the calm.

A massive hundred meter long bird-shaped airship cut through the sky, casting a large shadow on the ground as it descended into Liuhe Base City.

At first, the residents thought reinforcements had arrived, and their excitement grew even more. But Li Xiaofei received a message immediately. The Gu family, a branch of the Southern Saint lineage, had come for revenge.