Chapter 535: Circumstances

The ripples dispersed.

As Si Xing stepped out of the Astral Gate with Li Pin, he was startled by the scene before him.

Two Tier Four Legends, along with hundreds of Tier Three Legends, densely filled his vision. Further back, an even larger group of Tier One and Two Legends had been assembled, their numbers reaching thousands.

It seemed as though the entire White Dove Federation had mobilized its forces, forming an imposing military array outside the Astral Gate, resembling an army ready for war.

The scene sent a chill running down Si Xing's spine.

The Homo Sapien Alliance closely monitored events and prohibited wars between civilizations before the successor of the Astral God Yin Luo was chosen. With the White Dove Federation mobilizing such a massive force, it almost seemed they were on the brink of war.

Si Xing thought,

Is this a direct challenge to the authority of the Homo Sapien Alliance?

Just as Si Xing considered turning back and pretending he had seen nothing, two Tier Four Legends and several Tier Three Legends stepped forward, clasping their hands to Li Pin.

Lan Chi was the first to speak. "Councilor Li, you've arrived."

He spoke with righteous indignation. "The Ashen Council has abused its power, imposing sanctions and suppression against Gaia civilization on all fronts—economy, transportation, military, and influence.

"These actions blatantly violate the rules set by the Homo Sapien Alliance to promote mutual support and fair competition during the Astral God succession.

"The White Dove Federation is outraged by such injustice and is willing to assist Councilor Li and the Gaia Civilization in upholding justice, breaking the Ashen Council's oppression, and restoring fairness to the Candle Light Alliance and Star Ring."

Li Pin nodded. "Much appreciated."

His gaze swept over the dozens of Tier Three Legends behind Lan Chi and the thousands of Tier One and Two Legends farther away.

"There wasn't enough time to gather everyone," Lan Chi hurriedly added. "If you are willing to wait a little longer, we could assemble even more people."

"This is more than sufficient," Li Pin replied calmly.

He had a faint sense that the White Dove Federation's deployment of virtually all its forces was, to a large extent, a demonstration staged for him. Even so, he had to admit the sheer audacity of the Federation's leadership.

"Only Tier Three Legends and above will join. The Tier One and Two Legends should remain here," Li Pin instructed. "A larger mobilization would draw unnecessary attention from the Homo Sapien Alliance."

"Understood." Lan Chi nodded. "We hadn't considered the bigger picture as you did, Councilor Li. I'll order the Tier One and Two Legends to stand down. The Astral Gate will remain open. If you find yourself short of manpower, the White Dove Federation's 2,800 Legends are at your command."

"Let's move," Li Pin said.

Lan Chi waved his hand decisively. "Yes!"

The Tier Three Legends stepped forward, while the Tier One and Two Legends retreated but did not disperse.

It was at this moment that Si Xing finally seemed to realize something. He turned abruptly to Li Pin, his eyes wide. "Wait! Councilor Li!?"

Li Pin nodded. "Yeah."

"A Councilor of the Yin Luo Council!?"

"I told you, didn't I? My gains in the divine treasure world were significant. Compared to when I just left Gaia, my strength has grown substantially. Now, I can barely qualify as an underprepared Divine Being. That's why I accepted the invitation from Lin Yu, the chairman of the Yin Luo Council, and joined them."

Li Pin glanced at Si Xing with some surprise. "Didn't you say you already knew?"

"Knew?"

Si Xing opened his mouth, but it felt as if a torrent of words had lodged in his throat, leaving him unable to speak a single syllable.

He knew. Yes, he knew. He knew Li Pin had made considerable gains. He knew that after converting those gains into resources, a significant breakthrough in cultivation was inevitable.

But he never imagined... the breakthrough would be this enormous!

He went from a Legendary Celestial Martial Artist to a Divine Being directly?! What, did he devour a Demigod or something?!

The centuries or even millennia of painstaking effort others endured at this stage... they were all gone? Just like that? In a single bound?

If Li Pin had become a Divine Being within a century, Si Xing would still feel shocked, but he would've found it barely acceptable.

But what the heck were four stellar years! Counting the time spent on Gaia, it hadn't even been 10 stellar years since he started cultivating! It had been exactly 7 stellar years! That was only a little over sixty Gaian years!

Within such a short span, he had ascended from mortal beginnings to a Divine Being, the strongest realm below an Astral God!?

"If you already knew, why act so surprised? Let's go," Li Pin remarked, taking the lead toward the Astral Gate.

Lan Chi, Zhi Yun, and the others hurriedly followed.

It wasn't until they had walked some distance that Si Xing shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to snap out of his daze.

"Divine Being! Divine Being!" He kept muttering the words under his breath.

The Si Clan, a major clan of the Starwheel Sea, had an Astral God in residence.

Astral Gods, with their eternal lifespans, had witnessed the clan splinter into countless branches over hundreds of thousands, even millions, of stellar years.

The Si Clan's branches spread throughout the Starwheel Sea—a densely packed region of hundreds of star systems—and across numerous planets.

Today, many branch Grand Patriarchs had only reached the Demigod level. A branch with even a single Divine Realm cultivator was considered a pillar of strength.

His branch was fortunate to have an Astral God, ranking it among the primary branches. But Si Xing himself had never even glimpsed a Divine Realm elder—much less an Astral God.

The most outstanding figures he had encountered were only Tier Four or Five Legends. The circles he mingled with in the Starwheel Sea barely reached Tier Two or Three Legend.

Yet Li Pin had gone to the Divine Treasury Hall only once and returned as a Divine Being?

If he were a Si Clan member, this transformation would put him right below the Astral God Patriarch in terms of hierarchy!

In his daze, Si Xing recalled a past conversation he had with Li Pin.

They had once discussed the vastness of the universe and the endless talent it held. The gap between ordinary cultivators and the most elite geniuses was far greater than the difference between humans and dogs.

When he first said this, his tone had been carrying a bit of self-deprecation. But when Si Xing truly compared himself to Li Pin, he couldn't help but cover his face in shame. "A Tier Three Legend is worse than a dog. Tier Four Legends are everywhere. Only those above the fifth tier stand out."

Then, a new thought struck him.

Recently, the Ashen Council had been putting pressure on the Gaia Civilization. The reason he couldn't do anything but shield Gaia from being affected was that his family was displeased with the time and effort he had devoted to such a trivial place. They accused him of associating with worthless companions and ordered him to return to the family.

It was hard for him to defy his family's orders. Initially, he hadn't known how to respond. But now... things had taken an unexpected turn.

Si Xing trembled. He straightened up instantly, his confidence soaring.

A Divine Realm cultivator!

My friend is no worthless companion! Li Pin is a Divine Realm cultivator! A cultivator so powerful he could rank among the very top in the main branches!

***

The Ashen Council.

The White Dove Federation's recent large-scale actions had already alerted many civilizations. The Ashen Council had responded in a similar manner, even choosing Frost Dragon Planet as the location for the emergency meeting.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

As a result, many factions dared not send their top elites. Even those who came had condensed avatars to attend, wary of being caught in a potential clash between the two dominant powers.

Yet, when the representatives arrived on Frost Dragon Planet and saw the scene, their faces turned pale.

Thousands of Legends formed a disciplined, imposing formation around the Astral Gate.

That alone was startling, but the terrifying presence of an overwhelming will emanated from the sky, near the Astral Gate. This will, strong enough to affect the rotation of the planet, belonged to the strongest figure in the Ashen Council.

That was the Frost Dragon Grand Patriarch, a peak Divine Being! He was also known as Frost White Wing.

Demigods might not be as agile as Legends in battle, but if the battlefield were set on their primary planet or in its vicinity, their power would be undeniable.

A Tier Six Legend could only rely on their speed to gradually wear down a peak Demigod. They could land dozens or even hundreds of strikes, but it would have little effect on the Demigod.

However, once the Demigod spotted an opening, the Tier Six Legend would be doomed.

***

The envoys from various civilizations observed the Astral Gate area from afar, their eyes filled with unease.

"What's going on? Why does it feel like war is about to erupt?"

"Exactly! The Candle Light Alliance was fine just recently. How did things escalate between the White Dove Federation and the Ashen Council so suddenly? There were no prior signs at all."

"I heard it's related to Hong Feng. Lately, he's been overreaching. Not only has he been dominating his own civilization, but he has also been secretly threatening even those who oppose him, forcing them to abandon their allegiances and support him instead.

"In a few dozen stellar years, when Hong Feng reaches Tier Four Legend, perhaps he'll have the influence to sway two major factions. But right now, he's far from that level."

For weaker civilizations, an internal conflict within the Candle Light Alliance was nothing short of a catastrophe. If the war expanded, they could easily be caught in its destructive path.

Of course, some took malicious delight in the situation.

For example, the Immortal Wood Empire adopted a wait-and-watch approach, showing no inclination to mediate.

Similarly, others, like the Burning Sun Nation from Dragon Swamp Nebula, secretly welcomed the confrontation between the Ashen Council and the White Dove Federation.

Though they remained low-key, blending in among the Candle Light Alliance's envoys, they clearly had their own agenda—it's just that the timing wasn't right yet.

***

As tensions ran high, with many envoys probing for answers about the sudden escalation, a powerful spatial fluctuation rippled from the Astral Gate.

Shortly after, waves of energy emanated from the Astral Gate, each signaling the arrival of a Legend.

"The White Dove Federation has arrived! So many Tier Three Legends! Even the five elders of the Five-Colored Families are here! They've mobilized all their elites!"

"Is that Chi Baixiao of the Chi Family? His Dragonfang Spring produces some of the Federation's most critical resources, yet he's left it unguarded to join this gathering. Are they really preparing for an all-out war of annihilation!?"

"Wait... something's off about their formation. The leader isn't Lan Chi, the Grand Consul—it's... Li Pin!? That's Gaia Civilization's Li Pin!?"

"That's him! I've seen his image many times. But isn't Li Pin a Celestial Martial Artist? At most, he's supposed to be a peak Tier Three Legend. Why are the Five-Colored Families treating him like their leader!?"

The envoys whispered among themselves, their mental spirit fluctuations filled with tension, shock, fear, and confusion.

A sense of impending storm loomed over everyone.

Amidst the anxious and bewildered murmurs, Li Pin, for the first time, took center stage as the main protagonist on the grand arena of the Candle Light Star Ring.