Chapter 856: Chapter 856

When he left, Li Xiaofei brought one more person with him, Lin Yi. Although the battle in Heaven had ended in a great victory, the situation remained dangerous. Song Yu had been killed, and Si Kongxue, along with his daughter, were still missing.

At this point, the only person in the world who might possess some clues about their whereabouts was Lin Yi. She had always stayed by Song Yu's side and likely knew a few things. Even the slightest lead would at least give Li Xiaofei a trail to follow in his search.

Moreover, Eden continued to pose a grave threat to humanity. It had to be rooted out completely. Li Xiaofei's departure from Heaven was driven by many considerations.

The Youming Ferryman slowly approached the banks of the Heavenly River, rocking a small bone boat as it drifted along. At some point, the waters of the Heavenly River had become clear and bright; they were no longer the chaotic, crashing waves they once were. The river’s surface was tranquil. It looked like a mirror reflecting the light of the sky.

"You again?" The Youming Ferryman immediately spotted Huang Dinggou and his expression turned hostile.

Chu Xiang, unaware of the grudge between the two, quickly stepped forward and said, "Senior, we are willing to pay for the ride. Please, ferry us across."

"Hmph." The Youming Ferryman snorted coldly and said, "Ferrying you across is out of the—"

Before he could finish, he saw Li Xiaofei silently pull out the Blood-Drinking Sword and flick it lightly.

"...out of the question if it's not done... out of this world if it is," he corrected himself with a sudden solemn tone.

His expression transformed into one of sacred reverence as he said, "Young lady, what nonsense are you speaking? As a humble ferryman, it is my duty to carry every traveler across the river. How could I accept payment?"

He steered the bone boat to the shore, laid down the plank, bent over, and extended a hand.

"Honored guests, please board the boat."

Chu Xiang stared. "???"

Huang Dinggou blinked. "???"

And so, the group crossed the river smoothly. No water beasts stirred within the river this time. Once they reached the other side and disembarked, it wasn’t long before they entered a chaotic and hazy realm. After passing through it, they finally saw the violet nebula.

They were back. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. It felt as though a lifetime had passed. To avoid detection, they moved with utmost caution, carefully concealing their presence as they exited the violet nebula region. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥

After all, anyone who walked out alive from such a perilous realm would immediately attract attention from all sides. Li Xiaofei wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he did dislike unnecessary complications.

One day later, they arrived at Shang Yu. In a rented apartment in Starblossom City, Li Xiaofei met with Shin Koharu.

The young girl broke into tears the moment she learned of her master Ishihara Masami’s death. Her sobs came in waves, and she nearly fainted from grief more than once. Li Xiaofei felt a deep sense of guilt and hurried to comfort her.

To Ishihara Masami, Shin Koharu had been like another version of herself, a daughter in everything but blood. So Li Xiaofei swore silently to himself that he would take care of the girl no matter what.

“Brother Li, I have a few minor matters to handle. I’ll need to stay in Starblossom City for two more days. You can rest here too. After that, we’ll head to Chu Planet together,” Chu Xiang spoke warmly.

The Chu family was a powerful clan. Their strength ranked among the top five in the entire Xiao Kuang Legion region. Naturally, they had their own family planet, named after their clan, Chu Planet.

“All right,” Li Xiaofei replied.

He also wanted to stay in Starblossom City for a few days, since he had his own plans. After assigning Huang Dinggou and Black Emperor a few minor tasks, Li Xiaofei rented a mid-grade cultivation chamber within Starblossom City, spending a decent sum in the process.

These cultivation chambers were specifically designed for adventurers. He also stocked up on several cultivation resources. Then, he entered secluded cultivation, planning to use the gains from the recent great battle to enhance his combat strength.

Once everything was in place, Li Xiaofei entered the Secret Time Pavilion from within the chamber. To him, the battle in Heaven had been a once-in-a-lifetime, groundbreaking event. It was an entirely new chapter that yielded immense rewards.

This was especially true in the final moments, when, under the guidance of the Blood-Drinking Sword, he had slain the Mother of All Beasts. That feat could only be described as an unprecedented, legendary achievement.

The Blood-Drinking Sword, having feasted on vast amounts of life energy, had in turn nourished Li Xiaofei. Now, his physical body had been completely transformed. He now had an immense reservoir of refined life essence. All of it had been purified by the Blood-Drinking Sword. It was pure and natural, with no side effects whatsoever.

Li Xiaofei sat cross-legged, hovering within the Secret Time Pavilion. A radiant gold and silver glow shimmered across the surface of his body. He activated his cultivation technique to refine and absorb the life energy. At the same time, he was swiftly adapting to this reborn body.

On the fifth day, a pinprick of golden light emerged between Li Xiaofei’s brows. The final secret realm of the Three Origin Realm, the Mind Sea World, had finally been opened.

The speed of this breakthrough was utterly shocking. But in truth, given the current state of Li Xiaofei’s body, it was completely reasonable. His body, reforged by the Blood-Drinking Sword, had shattered every physical limitation. As long as he had enough energy, Li Xiaofei could continue advancing without end.

He had become a true prodigy, a once-in-a-billion peerless genius in the martial path.

By the tenth day, Li Xiaofei had already reached the peak of the Three Origin Realm. And yet, the refined life essence within his body had only been consumed by less than a tenth.

The Four Extremes Realm lay beyond the Three Origin Realm. Li Xiaofei had studied the theoretical framework of this realm before. What was meant by extremes? It referred to the ultimate limit.

According to the theories of the Immortal-Martial Path, the human body possessed four major limits that had to be broken through after forming the Three Origin World. Only then could one be considered to have fully entered the Four Extremes Realm.

These four extremes were Essence, Qi, Spirit, and Will. Essence referred to one’s physical flesh and blood. Qi was the energy of the Immortal-Martial Path. Spirit referred to the mind and mental power. Together, Essence, Qi, and Spirit were known as the Three Radiances of the human body. They were also called the Three Flowers.

Mainstream martial arts theory held that the convergence of the Three Flowers at the crown of the head was the key to unlocking the body's hidden potential. Once the body's treasure vault was opened, one could ascend toward the heavens and become a Grandmaster of Heaven.

However, after Heaven reformed and promoted new martial theories, a fourth extreme was added to the Four Extremes Realm, Will.

Will referred to intent, thought, and ambition. Why practice martial arts? Where did one’s martial heart originate from? After achieving the convergence of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, one had to establish a core intention, a firm and far-reaching Martial Vow, to determine the ultimate purpose of their path.

At first, many believed this fourth extreme was unnecessary. After all, anyone capable of cultivating to the Four Extremes Realm would surely already be a person of outstanding talent and firm resolve. How could they possibly not know why they cultivated?

But later, after countless martial practitioners tested it in their cultivation journeys, it became clear that this fourth extreme, Will, was extraordinarily profound. Though it sounded mysterious and intangible,almost impractical, its effects in the later stages of cultivation were indescribably powerful, especially in battles against the Reaper faction.

In fact, this fourth extreme, Will, had proven to be even more important to the survival and development of the human race across the galaxy than the convergence of the Three Flowers.

There was no fixed method as to how one should cultivate the Four Extremes Realm. It was a matter of analyzing individual circumstances and making strategic combinations.

Every person’s physique, technique, and talent were different. Thus, once they entered the Four Extremes Realm, the order in which they chose to cultivate the four extremes would vary accordingly.

After a moment of thought, Li Xiaofei decided on his personal cultivation route for the Four Extremes Realm. He would begin with the Extreme of Essence.

Why? After the battle in Heaven, his physical body had already reached the peak of what was possible within his current realm. It was a naturally forged advantage. But how could one determine whether the body had reached its limit?

There was a very clear standard within the martial theories of the human race—Qi Restraining