Chapter 350: Complexity

In a bamboo house not far from Yuan Zhenchuan and the others, Fu Qingtian was quietly bathing beneath the starlight, recovering the astral energy he had consumed in his battle against the Yellow Spring Bishop.

At that moment, he sensed a disturbance and withdrew the fluctuating astral energy.

After finishing his cultivation session, he calmly said, "Come in."

The door soon opened, and two figures entered the room. They were Mo Wangqing and Fu Yixue, Fu Qingtian's adopted daughter.

"Master, Yuan Zhenchuan has already spoken on behalf of Tianyuan..." Mo Wangqing said cautiously.

"That's a good thing," Fu Qingtian responded.

"Good news?" Fu Yixue was taken aback, then quickly added, "Father, on a smaller scale, Yuan Zhenchuan acted disrespectfully by making that announcement without consulting you. On a larger scale, he's already secured his position as commander of the Special United Squad. He no longer values your opinion...."

"What opinion?" Fu Qingtian glanced at her. "Yuan Zhenchuan knew I would have agreed with him even if he had consulted me. Not bringing it up to me was his way of being considerate."

Fu Yixue, fully on her father's side, continued, "Considerate of your feelings? Then he must be ignoring the conflict between you and Li Pin!

"It's true that Li Pin is quite capable. His Martial God system has its merits. But haven't we already proven that it holds no real value for most people? Unless someone is an extraordinary genius, following the Martial God path only delays their future.

"So, Godfather, your decisions were not wrong! Yet, because of the uproar Li Pin caused, it now looks as though you're the one who made the mistake. What sense does that make?"

She sneered. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right? Have they forgotten that without you, Tianyuan wouldn't be what it is today?

"Without you, how many families would have been torn apart? Over the decades, you've killed tens of thousands—no, hundreds of thousands of ferocious beasts and demonic creatures! And now, to appease Li Pin, they're trying to deny all your contributions—"

"Enough," Fu Qingtian said, interrupting her. "With great power comes great responsibility. As Tianyuan's strongest expert, it's my duty to protect Tianyuan, crush perilous regions, and hunt down ferocious beasts and demonic creatures."

Fu Yixue complained, "This is a case of the virtuous being taken advantage of. Li Pin enjoys endless glory, but what has he really contributed? Has he killed even one lord-level beast or creature?

"He lives in Jiang Province! If you hadn't led the fight against the Degenerate Temple back then, Jiang Province would have been gone. With Jiang Province wiped off the map, would he even have what he does today? You're practically his savior—"

"That's enough." Fu Qingtian raised his hand, unwilling to argue further. "I don't want to hear about this again from either of you. Yuan Zhenchuan will handle the relationship between Tianyuan and Li Pin. Just follow his orders."

At this point, Mo Wangqing spoke up. "Master, I think you made a good point; with great power comes great responsibility. Since Li Pin is enjoying all this glory and the people's high expectations, he should bear the burden that comes with it!

"It can't be that you're fighting ferocious beasts and demonic creatures at the front, while he enjoys the adulation of the masses and plays the victim, leaving people to criticize you."

"What are you trying to say?" Fu Qingtian asked.

"The truth is that these ferocious beasts and demonic creatures are much harder to deal with than we expected. Our second failure at the Degenerate Temple and the hard-fought victory at the Burial Ground proved we underestimated their intelligence.

"Under these circumstances, if we want our cleanup operations to succeed, we need more intelligence, more data on these creatures! When it comes to reconnaissance, who could compare to Li Pin, a Martial God as powerful as a Master Astral Cultivator?"

Mo Wangqing's tone was heavy as he continued, "I suggest we enlist Li Pin and make him a member of the Special United Squad. He can scout all the perilous regions and provide us with the detailed information we need for the next phase of our operations."

Hearing Mo Wangqing's suggestion, Fu Yixue was hooked, and she chimed in, "Exactly! The world has no idea how much effort and sweat you've poured into conquering these perilous regions. Instead, they praise someone like Li Pin, who does nothing but stir up trouble.

"This is the perfect chance to send him to scout those perilous regions and see if he truly lives up to the rumors that his contributions to humanity are on par with Legends. If he can map out all those perilous regions, we'll acknowledge his contribution and status. But if he fails to do so...."

She gave a cold laugh. "Then it's nothing but empty bluster, a show to deceive the public for his own selfish interests."

"This matter is up to Yuan Zhenchuan to assess," said Fu Qingtian. "There's no need for more discussion."

"But isn't progress on Dark Moon Island moving too slowly?" Mo Wangqing asked. "We suffered defeat at the Degenerate Temple. Though we have tried to gloss over it, people are still on edge. Now, the expedition on Dark Moon Island is full of setbacks too.

"It took us this long just to secure the Burial Ground, yet there are still two perilous regions on the island, the Ox Demon Temple in particular. The Martial Saints' intelligence shows it's just as dangerous as the Degenerate Temple!"

Mo Wangqing looked grimly at Fu Qingtian. "If we keep failing on Dark Moon Island, it will crush the morale of our people! At that point, ambitious groups like the Divine Adoration Sect will start questioning the Special United Squad and the Human Alliance.

"This could lead to internal strife. If we're not careful, this could affect the restructuring of the Human Alliance. The hard-won unity of our race could break apart into multiple factions again."

Fu Qingtian frowned.

The battle on Dark Moon Island couldn't drag on any longer. Besides, they still had the Demon-Sealing Fortress, the Tenfold Heavenly Domain, the Degenerate Temple, and the most fearsome Bloodmoon Gorge to deal with.

Under such circumstances, if they could recruit Li Pin and use his Martial God abilities to scout the two perilous regions on Dark Moon Island, they could accurately assess both their own strengths and the threats posed by their adversaries.

It would indeed speed up the cleanup of the many demonic creatures on the island.

After a long silence, Fu Qingtian finally spoke.

"Alright, enough. I've already taken on the role of the villain. In that case, for the sake of humanity's unification, for the swift clearing of these perilous regions, and for humanity to reclaim its seat upon Gaia's throne, free from the threat of these beasts and creatures—what harm is there in me continuing to do so?"

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

***

The international community was in turmoil. Countless people cheered in joy at Li Pin's resurrection, especially those from Taibai.

When Yuan Zhenchuan confirmed the news and Su Dongfeng set out to personally invite Li Pin back, all of Taibai erupted in celebration.

Everyone shouted his name.

Never had there been a moment when the people of Taibai could hold their heads so high within the Tianyuan Federation.

As for those who had previously crossed paths with him, be it Ye Chengyuan, Zhao Yunlong, the Great Sun Chosen One, Zhao Yushi, Song Wuya, or the rest of the people at the Dragon Gate Hall—they all shared a sense of pride and honor at this moment.

Even Cheng Yufeng, once bitter over his defeat at Li Pin's hand, fully accepted his loss after hearing news of Li Pin's victory over even Master Astral Cultivators.

All thoughts of revenge vanished, replaced with endless pride at having once fought Li Pin.

On the other hand, Li Pin's close friends—Lian Hongchen, Cao Tianyou, Fang Lingjue, and Xiang Xiaoyue—and his relatives, Qin Youran and Lin Xiaolu, were overwhelmed with joy.

Everyone was swept up in this sudden wave of happiness.

If it weren't for the fact that Great Moon was so far from Tianyuan, they would have rushed to the Dragonfist Sect by now.

***

While the world outside buzzed with excitement, none of it disturbed Li Pin, who was atop the peak of Hualong Mountain.

When the master had matters to handle, the disciples would take care of the work!

Li Pin had not accepted Shi Shihu, Liu Shaolong, Xing Ying, Xing Hui, Yue Ying, Yue Ya, and Ri Chi as his direct disciples, but they had nonetheless inherited his teachings. With their deep understanding of the Martial God's path, they easily handled the Martial Saints from around the world who came to visit and pay homage to Li Pin.

This left Li Pin at peace amidst the chaos, enjoying a rare moment of calm on Hualong Mountain.

Given his current status, even if he ignored all visitors, no one could say a word against him.

***

In the reception hall at the summit of Hualong Mountain, Li Pin once again came face to face with the Great Moon remnants—or rather, the Lin Clan who had now accepted their true identity.

Li Pin looked at Lin Langya, Lin Baichi, and the others accompanying them, then turned his attention toward Lin Yusheng. "I've said it before—within the Dragonfist Sect's domain, I will provide you with protection. But if you still plan to revive Great Moon, your lives will be your own responsibility."

"Great Moon has long fallen. We have no intention of restoring it," Lin Langya quickly responded. "It's just that... Martial God Li, you haven't left the mountain in a while, have you?"

Li Pin calmly looked at him. "

Hmm?

"

Lin Langya's tone was grim. "Fearing your reputation, the Molong royal family fled in panic. Without them keeping things under control, Molong Country has descended into a chaotic, lawless state. Violence, murder, and looting are rampant.

"According to our preliminary estimates, over a hundred thousand people have already died within just this month amid the ongoing unrest since the royal family's escape.

"When order collapses, unrestrained human nature takes over. Without limits, humans can become true monsters..."

Li Pin said nothing, his gaze shifting to Xing Ying.

Xing Ying nodded and quickly handed over a report.

It was because of this issue that she had informed Li Pin about Lin Langya and the others requesting a meeting.

Ever since the fall of the royal family, Molong Country had indeed plunged into chaos. If nothing was done to stop it, the disorder would continue, and before a new order could be established, millions might perish in the turmoil.

"This chaotic land... The people living here are suffering. They need order," said Lin Langya solemnly.

He knelt down and earnestly bowed his head. "We do not wish to revive Great Moon. All we want is for the Lin Clan to atone for its past mistakes, to bring peace back to this land, and for us to ease the burden of our guilt. Martial God Li, if, at any moment, you find fault in our actions, we are willing to accept any punishment."