Chapter 292: Accountable

Fu Qingtian had outpaced the other Legendary and Master Astral Cultivators due to his Void Ring and was the first to arrive.

Li Pin had fully harnessed the Astral Magnetic Field, disrupting the planet's normal rotation and altering the coordinates. This had caused the teleportation to fail. Despite this, Fu Qingtian swiftly corrected the error within moments.

Moreover, the disturbance in the Astral Magnetic Field was brief. By the time he finished adjusting the coordinates, Li Pin's interference had already ended. With a single thought, he appeared in the area and conducted multiple searches of the surrounding sea.

He had found nothing.

The power of the celestial movement not only shattered Cang Shengdao's Astral Energy Shield but also crushed his body, which was equivalent to that of a High-Class Astral Cultivator. In a similar backlash, Li Pin's body, having triggered this power, collapsed as well.

Just as he had previously annihilated Martial Saints using the Astral Magnetic Field, Li Pin's body transformed into a mist of blood, dissipating on the spot.

When Fu Qingtian teleported in, he still sensed the lingering scent of blood in the air—a faint trace that spanned over a thousand meters. He focused on a wisp of it to perform a calculation....

It was Li Pin’s!

A flash of pain crossed Fu Qingtian's eyes. "Why did it come to this...."

He could not understand why things had escalated to this point. He had indeed arranged for Cang Shengdao to descend upon the island group, intending to use him as a means to discipline Li Pin.

However... Li Pin... he never asked for his help! All he needed to do was to ask for help, and Fu Qingtian would have rushed to his aid!

Why did he have to take things this far?! He’d rather die alongside Cang Shengdao than reach out and ask for assistance?

Fu Qingtian stood in the air and gazed at the billowing smoke rising from the distant volcano and turbulent sea beneath him, remaining silent for a long time.

Soon, the other Master and Legendary Astral Cultivators arrived one after another. They quickly searched the area, hoping to find Li Pin, the martial path’s trailblazer and humanity’s hero who had discovered the Martial God realm, a path no lesser than that of the Astral Cultivators.

They combed the area again and again... yet they found nothing.

After some time, Yuan Zhenchuan approached Fu Qingtian. Seeing him in his silence, Yuan Zhenchuan sighed. "No one wanted things to end this way."

Fu Qingtian finally broke his silence. "We've often called Li Pin arrogant and unruly, but in reality... aren't we the same? Looking back, perhaps from the beginning, we never treated Li Pin as an equal. We always saw him as a junior, casually giving orders and reprimanding him whenever he acted against our wishes, labeling him reckless and prideful...."

When Fu Qingtian reflected on his actions, he discovered it was as if he had been... possessed.

This made him realize he needed to calm his mind and rethink the Astral Cultivation system.

"It's also partly Li Pin's fault for not explaining things to us earlier..." Yuan Zhenchuan commented.

Fu Qingtian shook his head.

Would they have listened if he had explained?

It was as if any random person walked up to you and claimed that he had created a new path that had the potential to surpass the path of Legends. How would you react?

You’d obviously think they were a fraud and a bluff.

Some of the more short-tempered Master Astral Cultivators would have slapped him on the spot.

At that moment, Fu Qingtian suddenly understood the true meaning behind Li Pin's words, "Time will prove everything."

***

Zhao Kunwu appeared in the sky along with several other Legends.

Yuan Zhenchuan's gaze swept over them.

Zhao Kunwu of the Great Shang aside, the other four were Venerable Bai Yang of Solar Radiance, the Sword Immortal; Zhang Zixiao of Royal Empire, the Grand Marshal of the Three Armies; Ma Long of the Star Alliance; and the Canaan King of the East Sea's Thirty-Six Countries.[1]

Seeing the five together, Yuan Zhenchuan quickly realized something.

His gaze grew cold as it landed on Zhao Kunwu and Bai Yang. Unlike the others, these two... were Supremes!

What was a Supreme? There were two interpretations to it!

It was either that, in their respective nations, they were the highest and most revered. Or, they were people recognized worldwide as one of the strongest Legendary Astral Cultivators.

Yuan Zhenchuan belonged to the first category. As for Fu Qingtian... he was of the second kind—a true Supreme of the current era.

That was why, despite Yuan Zhenchuan and Fu Qingtian being both Legends, Yuan Zhenchuan followed Fu Qingtian's lead.

Zhao Kunwu and Bai Yang were on par with Fu Qingtian! They had reached the pinnacle of the Legendary Astral Cultivator path and were universally recognized as the strongest, with no further room for growth.

In Martial Saint terms, each of them was the equivalent of an Extreme Martial Saint.

Astral Cultivators didn't have "physique" or "talent" distinctions, so the concept of "peerless legends" didn't exist.

As Supremes, Fu Qingtian, Bai Yang, and Zhao Kunwu stood at the pinnacle of the Legendary path.

"Li Pin has paved the way for the Martial God realm, a path that isn’t limited by talent, unlike the Astral Cultivation System. This path can grow to rival, and even surpass, the Legends. His achievement is unparalleled," Venerable Bai Yang said.

Neither Fu Qingtian nor Yuan Zhenchuan refuted his words.

Fu Qingtian’s opinion didn’t matter anymore.

Whether he agreed or not, when Li Pin demonstrated the ultimate form of the Martial God and unleashed the power of the planet, crushing Cang Shengdao, everyone had to acknowledge that this wasn’t inferior to a Legend.

No, perhaps its power was more terrifying than even a Legend!

Li Pin had used the blood of a Legendary Mage to declare to the world the Martial God path’s formidable strength.

Venerable Bai Yang spoke slowly. "Cang Shengdao of Great Shang refused orders and killed one of our race's heroes. This is an unforgivable crime. Fortunately, he's dead. Otherwise, even a thousand cuts wouldn't be enough to punish him.

"However, though Cang Shengdao acted on his own personal motives, Lord Zhao, as his master, you must bear secondary responsibility.

"The tragedy of Martial God Li isn't just his alone—it's a loss for all of human civilization. At a time when our greatest threat looms over us, internal strife led to the fall of a supreme genius who opened a new path. I deeply regret this.

"To make amends, Great Shang will contribute the entire Legendary Mage promotion system and the complete collection of Legendary Astral Technique formations to bolster the foundation of the human race."

Zhao Kunwu continued, "Great Shang will make every effort to compensate Li Pin's family and relatives. If any of them are Astral Cultivators, we will devote all resources to help them achieve the realm of the Masters. If they follow the Martial Path, we will assist them in becoming Martial Saints, or even Martial Gods."

His expression was filled with sincerity, and his promises were exceptionally generous.

After all, Li Pin was already dead. Anyone could put on a show.

However, he found the loss of Cang Shengdao and that divine relic rather a pity.

Of course, Zhao Kunwu had no intention of paying lip service to his offer to compensate Li Pin's family. After all, he wasn't certain of the divine relic's true power. What if... it had preserved Li Pin’s life?

In that case, taking care of Li Pin’s family might offer them a way to smooth things out if Li Pin really did survive.

"Lord Zhao's compensations seem sincere," Bai Yang remarked with a mix of emotions.

After that, he turned to Fu Qingtian. After a moment's thought, he said, "Lord Fu, regarding how you handled the conflict with Martial God Li, we find it hard to believe that the Special United Squad under your command could—"

"The supreme commander position will be taken over by Yuan Zhenchuan!" Fu Qingtian interrupted.

Venerable Bai Yang and the others glanced at Yuan Zhenchuan. "Lord Yuan Zhenchuan?"

He held immense influence in Tianyuan, but globally...

"Must this escalate further? What is the proper course of action?" Fu Qingtian's gaze turned cold. "A Great Shang Legend killed the pioneer of Tianyuan's Martial God Path! What a vile act! It's no less grievous than if a Legend assassinated the Emperor of Tianyuan! Great Shang! Is this a declaration of war against us!?"

His gaze swept across Bai Yang, Zhao Kunwu, Zhang Zixiao, and Ma Long.

"If we follow the normal course, Tianyuan must retaliate with force. At the very least, we would need to kill one of Great Shang's Legends to demonstrate our strength! At this point, do you really want us to engage in an all-out war with Great Shang's Legends!?"

His words sent chills through the Legends.

Fu Qingtian's willingness to relinquish the supreme commander position was already the best possible outcome.

As he said, a Legendary Mage from Great Shang had killed Tianyuan's Martial God pioneer...

How was that not a declaration of war?

The fact that Tianyuan was willing to endure it showed how much they valued the bigger picture.

Who dared press them to surrender the supreme commander's position?

Moreover, with Yuan Zhenchuan as supreme commander, his actions would naturally be less firm than Fu Qingtian's, leaving more room to navigate many perilous tasks.

At this, Venerable Bai Yang and the others exchanged glances and nodded, "Then, as Lord Fu suggested, Yuan Zhenchuan will assume the position of supreme commander."

After some brief discussions about minor details, the group bid their farewells and left.

Once they were gone, Yuan Zhenchuan sighed. "This matter—"

"Let it be," Fu Qingtian cut him off.

"The truth about Li Pin can't be concealed. Even if we wanted to hide it, the other five nations wouldn't cooperate. Worse, they could use this to weaken you and diminish Tianyuan's standing in the international stage. They might even fan the flames. All we can do now is shift all the blame onto Great Shang and Cang Shengdao," Yuan Zhenchuan.

"It was my oversight. This could directly affect Tianyuan's chances of securing the chairman position after the Human Alliance undergoes its restructuring ..." Fu Qingtian couldn't help but feel deep remorse as he said this.

One wrong move, and the whole game is lost.

Tianyuan's bright prospects had been jeopardized by this incident. Furthermore...

Fu Qingtian watched Zhao Kunwu's departing figure... both were supreme experts! Each part of the bigger picture! Yet Zhao Kunwu's scheming had stifled the possibility of Tianyuan's rise in the short term...

A deep enmity had formed.

Yuan Zhenchuan hadn't noticed the change in Fu Qingtian's expression. He followed along and sighed.

He wanted to blame Fu Qingtian for being too harsh with Li Pin...

But after careful thought, it wasn't entirely accurate to say Fu Qingtian was too harsh.

Besides, what was done, was done.

"The reformation of the Human Alliance could take three to five years, maybe even drag on for a decade or more. During this time, there might still be a chance to turn things around," Fu Qingtian said.

Yuan Zhenchuan was taken aback, but quickly realized what Fu Qingtian meant. "You mean..."

"Li Pin pioneered the Martial God path. We... might still find a way beyond the Legendary realm!" Fu Qingtian took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination. "From now on, I will devote all my efforts to this goal. I will... make Astral Cultivators great again!"

1. Canaan is an ancient region in the Middle East in the real world. ☜