Starforce Warriors-Chapter 478:The Fourth Saint (3)

A cold autumn alone, the Xiang River flows northward, to Orange Isle's head.

The magical sight of Lu Xufeng’s fingertip carving words into the air was astonishing. Each stroke left visible impressions that lingered in the sky. He was inscribing lines from the poem of a great figure who had lived more than 500 years ago.

As the verse took shape, a phenomenon arose. An invisible force field spread out, enveloping the space. The approaching storm of blade light slowed as if caught in a mire, their advance grinding to a halt twenty meters away, unable to move further.

Tsukiha Tensō sneered and raised his right arm. A colossal qi blade, nearly a hundred meters long, coalesced before him. As his arm lifted, the blade rose high into the air, gathering the essence of countless smaller blade auras. It resembled a deity wielding an immense weapon.

The mountains aflame with crimson, the forests dyed with vibrant hues... In frost-touched heavens, myriad beings vie for freedom. Facing the vast expanse, who controls the fate of this boundless land?

Lu Xufeng continued to write. His strokes became faster, more fluid, and the characters more vivid and lifelike with every movement.

Just then, Tsukiha Tensō swung his arm in a decisive strike. The massive qi blade descended, slicing through the air.

Wherever the blade passed, the atmosphere itself seemed to transform into a tangible substance, splitting apart like ocean waves under a ship’s keel. The shockwaves surged outward, carving the sky into two distinct halves.

Lu Xufeng, calm as ever, pressed his right palm against the half-finished poem. With a gentle push, forty-four words soared into the air. The letters burst with radiant brilliance. It was as if they had become tangible, living entities.

The radiant words collided with the colossal qi blade in a symphony of metallic chimes that echoed across the battlefield. For a moment, it seemed like the words were overpowered as their formations were thrown into chaos and they shattered.

A cold smile crept across Tsukiha Tensō’s face.

Fourth place is, after all, only fourth. What could Lu Xufeng possibly bring to challenge me, the third-ranked Saint?

Yet, in the very next instant, the shattered words transformed. The fragments disassembled into countless individual strokes, dots, slashes, hooks, bends, horizontal lines, and vertical lines.

Each stroke flowed and clashed like chaotic yet synchronized tools of war. They resembled blades, axes, and spears as they swirled together, striking the qi blade in rhythmic harmony. It was as if countless woodpeckers were relentlessly chiseling away at an ancient tree.

In mere moments, the giant qi blade began to crack. It disintegrated piece by piece, until it finally shattered completely. The strokes, too, dimmed and dissolved into the air.

The clash ended in a stalemate. Li Xiaofei quietly marveled as he watched the scene unfold. This was the strength that Saints possessed. Whether it was Tsukiha Tensō’s raw, overwhelming ferocity or Principal Lu’s intricate, almost divine technique, these were feats no warrior below the level of a Saint could ever hope to comprehend or replicate.

When he reflected on how he had leveraged Liu Shaji’s power to annihilate several Saints in one decisive blow, denying them any chance to display their true capabilities, he couldn’t help but feel...

Satisfying!

Li Xiaofei felt a surge of exhilaration, but it also deepened his curiosity about the Cemetery of the Ancestors behind White Deer Academy. There were hundreds of tombstones in that solemn place. Each name carved into the stone belonged to someone as strong or stronger than Liu Shaji.

How could such terrifying figures have met their end to be buried in the same cemetery? And with a cemetery housing such legends, how could White Deer Academy itself be anything but extraordinary?

Shaking his head, Li Xiaofei pushed those thoughts out of his mind.

“Senior, let me handle this,” Li Xiaofei said as he stepped forward. “This is my mess, so I should clean it up myself.”

After all, this was the perfect opportunity he’d painstakingly set up to show off.

Don’t steal my thunder, old man!

Lu Xufeng smiled faintly.

“An adult’s problem should be solved by the adult himself,” He said, patting Li Xiaofei’s shoulder with an approving nod. “Don’t worry. With me here, I’ll ensure nothing happens to you.”

Li Xiaofei couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. The situation was still...

"Great Xia has finally produced another prodigy. If we old-timers can't protect him, we’d truly be failing our ancestors," Lu Xufeng murmured.

Li Xiaofei felt a warm current rise in his chest. At last, a Saint had stepped forward. Not all of Great Xia's Saints in Haijing City were cowards hiding in their shells. Through Lu Xufeng, he could sense the dedication of the older generation to safeguarding their successors, as well as the love the ancestors of Great Xia had for their country and its people.

In the sky, Tsukiha Tensō’s expression burned with determination. The evenly matched outcome of their first exchange meant little. Battles between Saints were rarely resolved in an instant.

Yet, he was confident about his ability to kill Lu Xufeng. This was not merely because he was ranked third, but because he had fully fused with the Inscribed Treasure Bone of the emperor-grade star beast, the Ocean-Walking White Ape, during his recent seclusion. He had mastered water manipulation and gained the divine strength of the White Ape.

His strength had climbed to new heights. He even felt an impulsive desire to challenge Song Huaiyuan, the first-ranked of Great Xia’s Saints. Of course, he had no intention of challenging the second-ranked Aztas; the infamous black gorilla from the Yiggs Union. The Jiepeng Empire, even at its peak, still didn’t dare provoke the Yiggs Union.

But killing Lu Xufeng would significantly elevate his influence in the southern territories of Great Xia and bolster his prestige within Jiepeng Empire. Such a victory would pave the way for him to secure greater authority and more resources.

With that thought in mind, Tsukiha Tensō attacked again. This time, there were no words. For him, battle was the only language needed to resolve everything.

***

The Grand Commander’s Residence.

“Please, follow me,” said the beautiful female steward, her grace and charm still evident despite the passing of years. She led Xue Xuanqi, Huang Fulai, and Zhu Kunyu through a classically designed courtyard that displayed the essence of ancient elegance.

Soon, the three of them stood before the most formidable figure on Haijing City’s ranking of powerful individuals: Song Huaiyuan, the Grand Commander.

The Great Xia had seven Grand Commanders in total. Each one was a figure of unparalleled strength and supreme authority. Song Huaiyuan, who was stationed in Haijing City, hailed from the once-glorious but now fallen Song family, a lineage of Saints from the southern regions of Great Xia. By the time Song Huaiyuan rose to fame, the Song family had already been reduced to ruins.

But even after ascending to the position of Grand Commander, Song Huaiyuan made no efforts to restore his family’s former glory. Instead, he chose to remain secluded within this courtyard to live a quiet and solitary life.

Each day, he devoted himself to a single task: sharpening his blade. He honed the weapon day and night. Rarely did he ever unsheath it.

In the past sixty years, Song Huaiyuan had only acted once. He unleashed a single, distant slash from within his residence that had effortlessly killed a massive Beast Emperor attempting to make landfall. The feat of killing a creature known globally as the Atomic Godzilla had shocked the entire world.

This single strike cemented Song Huaiyuan’s position as the most powerful individual in Haijing City. For a full sixty years, no one had dared to challenge him.

As Xue Xuanqi, Huang Fulai, and Zhu Kunyu entered the inner courtyard, the clear, rhythmic sound of a blade being sharpened reached their ears.

Sunlight streamed through the skylight into the sharpening hall. A man in a long robe, with his hair tied neatly in a bun, sat facing away from them. He cradled a large chopping blade in his arms, grinding it against the whetstone in motions that alternated between swift and deliberate.

His figure was not imposing. Standing at only 1.73 meters tall, he was slightly thin, with streaks of white in his hair. Yet his movements were precise and methodical.

“What do you want from me?” He asked, his voice as sharp and cold as the blade being honed.

In this imposing atmosphere, neither Huang Fulai nor Zhu Kunyu dared to speak. Instead, Xue Xuanqi, the seventh city leader of Haijing, stepped forward, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. “I humbly request the Grand Commander to act and save a rare martial prodigy of Great Xia.”

“No,” Song Huaiyuan replied flatly, his focus unwavering as he continued sharpening his blade.

Xue Xuanqi froze in shock. He hadn’t even had the chance to fully explain before receiving a curt and icy refusal.

The Grand Commander’s reputation for never involving himself in matters outside the war against star beasts was something Xue Xuanqi had heard before. However, this time, the situation was extraordinary.

Li Xiaofei, a Dragon Group envoy, had displayed unparalleled prowess within Haijing City. His actions were not only astonishing but also brought great honor to the nation. It was this exceptional case and the ardent persuasion of his two students that had compelled Xue Xuanqi to seek out the Grand Commander.

If anyone in all of Haijing City could save Li Xiaofei, it was the man sharpening his blade before them.

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“But Li Xiaofei is a martial arts prodigy, brimming with passion and loyalty...” Xue Xuanqi tried to continue to persuade him.

He recounted Li Xiaofei’s deeds in detail. Song Huaiyuan did not interrupt, as though he was listening patiently. However, the seasoned female steward standing nearby knew better; he was simply sharpening his blade.

As expected, when Xue Xuanqi finished, the response was one cold, simple word.

“No.”

It was direct and unyielding. At this point, Huang Fulai could no longer hold back.

“Grand Commander, the situation has deteriorated to such a degree! Most officials in the city are incompetent and dishonorable; they do nothing but occupy their positions. It’s rare to see someone like Li Xiaofei, a young man of Great Xia with such passion and courage, step forward...”

His voice was filled with urgency as he laid bare the severity of the situation. But it was futile.

“No.” Song Huaiyuan’s answer was carved in stone.

Huang Fulai’s expression darkened. His frustration and anger boiled over, and he couldn’t help but sneer. “No wonder Haijing City has fallen into such disarray, and the entire southern region is steeped in despair. Grand Commander, you preside here, doing nothing but occupying your position. It’s truly—”

Before he could finish, Xue Xuanqi lunged forward and slapped a hand over his student’s mouth. Saints could not be insulted. To utter such words here was nothing short of courting death.

"See them out." Finally, Song Huaiyuan’s words changed, but only to a single command.

Xue Xuanqi sighed softly, cupped his hands in farewell, and turned to leave. The three were escorted out of the estate by the graceful female steward.

Once outside, standing on the empty street, the trio exchanged glances with bitter smiles.

In the distance, the overwhelming aura of a Saint continued to grow more intense, pressing heavily upon them.

Huang Fulai gritted his teeth suddenly and declared, “If reinforcements cannot be obtained, then I shall go to my death. I would have no regrets sacrificing my life for the nation alongside my friend Li Xiaofei.”

He shot into the air, flying straight toward the Jiepeng Consulate without hesitation.