Starforce Warriors
Chapter 640: Second Time

Chapter 640: Second Time

Chu Yuncheng had not died. He had merely fallen into a deep coma. Fortunately, his injuries were not too serious. With time and proper treatment, he would regain consciousness and gradually recover.

The great battle had ended. After a brief period of celebration, Xiajing City began its post-war recovery efforts. Excitement and joy filled the air, spreading throughout the city and beyond.

For the first time in history, Xiajing City fully opened all thirty-six city gates, allowing citizens to leave without prior authorization. Outside the city, the star beasts had long been wiped out by the Governor Army. It was their first time many elderly citizens who lacked the strength to fight were stepping beyond the towering walls.

They stood in the open fields, gazing at the green vegetation and the blood-stained earth where humans and beasts had fought to the death. The air, now free of radiation, carried the natural scent of the land. Many trembled with emotion, tears streaming down their faces. A new era in history had begun.

High above, Liu Xisheng sat on the shoulder of a Commander-class Governor as she overlooked the mountains and rivers. Despite the scars of war, this planet remained relatively untouched and its natural beauty was still intact. Tears shimmered in Liu Xisheng’s eyes. She had visited many versions of Earth before.

Each one had been on the brink of destruction. She had seen shattered Earths drifting through the black void of space. She had witnessed molten lava swallowing the land as the planet’s crust collapsed.

She had breathed air thick with toxic black smoke. She had walked through cities swallowed by endless deserts. Those Earths were beyond saving and ruined beyond recognition. The remnants of humanity had screamed and struggled, their final days spent in the collapse of civilization. Yet, this Earth remained whole.

This was a great planet. Despite the relentless devastation caused by the star beasts, the world had not been destroyed. It was still recovering, slowly but surely.

How beautiful. Earth.

Liu Xisheng’s mind raced, frantically recording everything she saw. Meanwhile, Li Xiaofei had already taken Tan Zhenwei back to the Corpse Emperor’s Abyssal Tower. The young lady remained unconscious. In fact, her condition had slightly worsened. Old Tan, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly, as if lost in a blissful dream.

Li Xiaofei set him down to rest and quietly sat beside the young lady’s bed. He held her cold, delicate hand and accompanied her in silence for a long time.

He stayed that way until Old Tan suddenly yawned, stretched lazily, and slowly sat up. He opened his eyes and took a careful look at his surroundings.

“Where am I?” Tan Zhenwei abruptly leaped to his feet, his body tensing like a coiled spring.

When he spotted Li Xiaofei, he froze momentarily before asking, “Who are you?”

Li Xiaofei was dumbfounded.

“Come and see your daughter,” Li Xiaofei said calmly.

“My daughter?”

Tan Zhenwei followed Li Xiaofei’s gaze and glanced at the unconscious figure on the bed.

He let out a cold laugh. “You’re telling me this big black rat lying on the bed is my daughter? Hahaha! Sir, your deception is far too clumsy.”

Li Xiaofei was shocked. Judging from Old Tan’s expression, this wasn’t some kind of performance.

Could it be...

A troubling thought surfaced in Li Xiaofei’s mind.

"Look again, carefully," said Li Xiaofei, stepping aside. "She really is your daughter, Tan Qingying."

Tan Zhenwei’s eyes were filled with deep suspicion and wariness. Still, he took a closer look at the girl lying on the bed. Her skin had turned pitch black, like ink-drenched charcoal, making her look more like a monster than a human.

As he stared, his expression began to shift. He rushed to Tan Qingying’s bedside and examined her closely once again. After a long silence, he let out an enraged roar.

"I’ll kill you!" shouted Old Tan as he lunged at Li Xiaofei in fury.

Li Xiaofei already figured something like this was going to happen. He had more or less guessed what was going on. Ten minutes later, his suspicions were verified. Old Tan had lost his memory. Again. More precisely, his memory had been reset. He had completely forgotten everything that had happened since his time in Liuhe Base City.

Back then, Li Xiaofei didn’t even exist in his memory. So, when he realized the big black rat lying on the bed was his daughter, Old Tan instinctively assumed that Li Xiaofei had kidnapped her.

He thought that Li Xiaofei was using her as leverage to force him, the city leader, into a decision. In his mind, he was still the city leader, locked in conflict with the martial arts families led by the Ye Clan and the Jiepeng forces.

So, as Li Xiaofei endured Old Tan’s furious blows, he patiently explained the situation over and over again. In the end, Tan Zhenwei was only half-convinced. He had always been a genius, both in intellect and martial arts. He had already noticed the unusual state of his body, and the energy beyond the Five Spirits Realm.

Yet, this damn brat in front of him dared to claim that he was his daughter’s boyfriend, that they were deeply in love, and that... well, the more he looked at him, the more he wanted to punch him. Even though he had mostly accepted the truth, he still felt an overwhelming urge to beat the kid up.

Imagine a devoted father waking up one day to find that not only had he changed, but his beloved daughter suddenly had a boyfriend. Who could understand this feeling?

Tan Zhenwei glared at Li Xiaofei, examining him from every angle with undisguised hostility. Even the mighty Li Xiaofei, the man who had slain a God General with a single sword strike, shivered under the oppressive eyes of his future father-in-law.

Fortunately, Tan Zhenwei didn’t glare at Li Xiaofei for long. He turned to the bed, and gazed at his precious daughter. When he saw her tormented by the corpse aura, her body disfigured beyond recognition, his heroic spirit wavered, and unshed tears glistened in his eyes.

"You’re saying that to save Little Ying, we have to travel beyond the heavens, find divine energy, and purge the corpse aura from her body?" Old Tan asked.

Li Xiaofei nodded. That was the plan he had discussed with Little Aunt. She had concluded that this method was the safest and most reliable option.

"If that’s the case..." Tan Zhenwei gazed at his daughter with deep affection.

His eyes held an overwhelming tenderness, like thick, golden honey that refused to dissolve. Unconsciously, a gentle smile curved the corners of his lips. Countless memories surged through his mind.

Scenes of his daughter, from infancy to adulthood, running behind him, calling out— Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy...

He chuckled softly as he thrust his hand into his own chest without hesitation. His fingers pierced through his ribcage as he tore out his own heart. Before Li Xiaofei could react, Tan Zhenwei pressed the still-beating heart into Tan Qingying’s chest.

It all happened too fast for Li Xiaofei to stop him.

"Since you claim that I am the only Primal God born on Earth, that even the God Kings beyond the heavens covet my heart—then surely, it holds divine energy that can cure Little Ying, right?"

Tan Zhenwei turned to Li Xiaofei, his gaze calm and unwavering. Li Xiaofei was utterly shaken, overwhelmed by sheer, indescribable shock.

"Old Tan, you... you didn't have to go this far. There might have been another way, and besides—" Li Xiaofei’s lips trembled.

For the first time, he struggled to find the right words.

"What the hell do you know?" Tan Zhenwei spat blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice firm. "There isn't a father in this world who could just stand by and watch his daughter suffer in silence. Her blood flows in my veins. I can feel every bit of the agony she’s going through."

His gaze dropped to the most precious person in his life.

"Maybe there is another way. Maybe you will find divine energy beyond the heavens someday. But for me—" He looked at her, his expression filled with infinite love. "I can't wait another moment. I have to save her now, no matter the cost."

As he spoke, he turned back to Li Xiaofei. His face had turned ghostly pale, but his gaze only grew sharper.

"Boy, never hurt her." His voice was low but commanding. "Even if you really are the one she loves most, you must never betray her love. Take care of her well. Because from this moment on, you are the only family she has left."

He didn’t speak any more threats or warnings. Instead, he quietly lay beside his daughter, closed his eyes, and let his breathing slow until it finally stopped. Beside him, Tan Qingying’s eyes slowly fluttered open.