Chapter 542: Coordinates

At Zanglong City, Li Pin found Li Yunyao in a serene, picturesque setting.

Her failure in the Celestial Breaker phase, along with her depleted qi and blood, had taken a toll on her. This series of setbacks left her looking frail and haggard. Though her youthful appearance remained, her state of mind had clearly deteriorated.

She seemed to avoid Li Pin, reluctant to face him in her current condition.

"Don't want to see me?" Li Pin asked calmly.

"No," Li Yunyao replied, lowering her head.

"Then why haven't you sent any messages all these years?" Li Pin smiled faintly. "If you were upset, there was no need to let it drag on for decades, was there?"

Li Yunyao remained silent. The spirited girl she once was now seemed like a distant memory.

"If you have something to ask, just ask," Li Pin said.

Gathering her courage, Li Yunyao looked up and met his eyes. "I want to know... what do you take us for?"

Us.

Li Pin knew who she meant by "us." After a pause, he replied, "As benefactors. I'm grateful to them for giving me life."

"So... once the debts are repaid, everything should be severed, with no attachments left?" she asked.

Li Pin returned her gaze. "Isn't that how it should be?"

"You're right. That's how it should be," Li Yunyao said, her voice edged with anger. "But if we've cut ties, why did you still arrange for others to help me?"

"Because you're special," Li Pin replied. "I want you to grow, to mature. If you don't, the distance between us will only grow. One day, when I enter deep cultivation, centuries may pass in the blink of an eye. By the time I return, you'll already have turned to dust."

"Does that matter?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him. "If we all turn to dust, does it really matter?"

Li Pin fell silent, her question echoing within him.

Does it matter?

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He stood there quietly, unable to respond.

What was Li Yunyao to him?

She wasn't merely an individual—she was a marker. A symbol of the hopes and beauty he had once longed for when he was an ordinary person.

Time was the most relentless force.

The vows of undying love and loyalty that people make often fade into insignificance after a few decades. Dreams and ambitions that once burned brightly in youth are later dismissed as childish and naive.

The comic books vowed to be completed, the games once deemed endlessly captivating, the foods sworn to be indulged in once wealth was attained...

Even the carefree days of running barefoot through fields under an open sky—how much of it remains? And even if remembered, how much of that passion to pursue it still lingers?

He turned his gaze to Li Yunyao.

She wasn't his parents. They had passed long ago. She wasn't tied to his childhood dreams. The first half of his childhood had been joyful, leaving no regrets. The second half... there was no second half.

From the moment everything changed, he had devoted his existence to evolution, to transcending life and death.

So why her?

Because she existed in the liminal space between presence and absence.

As a child, he had longed for a sister, yet that wish had remained unfulfilled. By chance, he became Li Pin and encountered Li Yunyao. She, an existence both real and illusory, became his marker—a point of reference. A reference to remind him that there were moments when he could recall—

I am neither a monster nor a machine.

I am human

.

This was Li Yunyao in his heart.

In truth, she didn't have to be Li Yunyao. She could have been Zhang Yunyao, Lin Yunyao, or Wang Yunyao. It was just a matter of the right time, the right emotions, and the right alignment.

Perhaps, one day, he could create countless beings like her, even face countless versions of her. But his marker would remain singular.

Li Pin turned to her again and smiled. This time, though, he didn't reach out to pat her head. "You've aged."

"Y-you're talking nonsense...."

"Your heart has aged."

Li Yunyao couldn't argue with that.

Time weathered more than just appearances; it eroded the spirit. Even cultivators, who could preserve their youthful looks, couldn't shield their hearts from growing old.

Many Demigods claimed to share the lifespan of planets, yet few truly lived for 100,000 stellar years.

This was because, as they merged with planets, their thoughts and will would gradually adapt to the planet's unique structure. Over time, their minds lost the flexibility they once had as humans.

Eventually, their minds collapse under the strain, fading away silently like a dead star, disappearing into nothingness. This was the greatest limitation of intelligent life—something that went beyond just changing the form of life itself.

"Would you choose to accept your current life, or would you want to return to the past?" Li Pin asked suddenly.

"Does it matter?" Li Yunyao responded.

"It does," Li Pin nodded. "If you choose to accept your present life, I will respect your choice and your path. But if you wish to return to the past..."

He looked at her. "I hope you can remain forever youthful and joyful."

"Many things have already happened. How could we pretend they didn't?" Li Yunyao countered.

"That," Li Pin replied calmly, "is the purpose of my cultivation. When I encounter something unchangeable, I hope to have the power to alter it."

In the past, he lacked that power and had even relied on Li Yunyao to cooperate with him. But now... it should be possible.

"What do you want me to do?" Li Yunyao asked.

"I prefer the you from back then," Li Pin said bluntly.

Li Yunyao understood. "Is that self-deception?"

"Self-deception..." Li Pin accepted the critique calmly. "Isn't it fine to have some flaws?"

"It is," Li Yunyao agreed. "It makes one more human."

Li Pin smiled. "I feel like you're insulting me."

"I am," Li Yunyao replied through gritted teeth.

"Not angry anymore?"

"What's the point of being angry?"

"It matters. I'll listen."

"But you won't change?"

Li Pin didn't continue the topic. After a while, he said, "Then, transition to an Astral Cultivator."

He looked upward, his gaze seemingly piercing through time and space to Yin Luo's core. "Who knows? You might stand out, become Astral God Yin Luo's successor, and ascend to the Astral God Realm in one leap."

Li Yunyao fell silent.

Just to be a caged bird?

she thought.

After a long while, she lifted her head and looked at Li Pin.

An unfamiliar face, a familiar way of speaking, and that enduring indulgence, as if, so long as she remained herself, he would always treat her the same.

Being a caged bird doesn't seem so bad...

Li Pin extended his hand in invitation. "Come."

Li Yunyao pressed her lips together before finally placing her hand in his.

***

Meanwhile, Si Xing had just returned to his spaceship.

Buzz, buzz!

As soon as he sat down, his communication bracelet vibrated.

He frowned slightly as he glanced at it, a trace of annoyance flickering in his eyes.

In the end, he accepted the call.

A cold and elegant woman, her figure bathed in faint starlight, appeared on the screen.

She wasted no time and spoke directly.

—Where are you now?

"Si Ling," Si Xing said in a low voice. "I've already told you: my matters here aren't resolved. I'm not returning."

—I've arrived at the Dragon Swamp Nebula. Just tell me your current location.

She seemed unwilling to engage further.

—Forget it. Keep the call connected. I'll pinpoint your coordinates myself.

Si Xing's face darkened with anger. "You—"

But he didn't dare end the call.

There was a reason for that.

While they shared the same bloodline, their standing in the family was worlds apart.

One was a prodigy highly regarded by the patriarch, having cultivated inner spirit power and achieved Tier Four Legend within nineteen stellar years. While the other remained an unremarkable Tier Three Legend, barely noticed.

Before long, Si Ling confirmed his location.

—Wait there.

With that, she ended the call.

Si Xing felt a wave of helplessness.

What did being part of an aristocratic clan amount to? The internal competition was just as fierce as the outside world.

At the same time, his resolve to pursue the opportunity Li Pin offered grew stronger.

Inner spirit power,

he thought.

He had lacked the chance before, but now, with an opportunity to change his fate before him... he would seize it. He had to master inner spirit power and alter his destiny.

A thought struck him.

Wait! Li Pin destroyed the Frost Dragon Planet. Several stellar days have passed since our return to Gaia. While it hasn't been long, it's enough to cause ripples in the Yin Luo Galaxy.

Given the family's focus on the galaxy, even sending peers there to establish their bloodline... It would be impossible for them not to be aware of Li Pin's situation.

In other words, Si Ling's arrival might not be as simple as bringing him back.

Pondering this, he quickly sent a message to his elder brother.

Soon, the call connected, and a young, handsome figure appeared. It was his thirteenth brother, Si Yu.

Si Yu took the lead and spoke first.

—Ah Xing? I was about to contact you. How's your relationship with Li Pin?

"Relationship?" Si Xing thought for a moment before responding honestly, "It's good."

—Good? Then make it better. The family is even considering inviting Li Pin to join us as an honored elder. Do you understand what that means?

"An honored elder!?" Si Xing's eyes widened. "For the entire clan, not just our branch?"

— Of course. Apparently, this suggestion came from one of the grand patriarchs. Once it's discussed with the others, it'll likely be finalized.

"A grand patriarch intervened!?" Si Xing was in disbelief. "Li Pin... He's achieved Divinity, but he's not a Tier Six Legend. It is more difficult for a Divine Being to ascend to the Astral God realm than for a Tier Six Legend. How could he attract the attention of so many grand patriarchs?"

—You don't know? Not long ago, Li Pin engaged in a fierce battle with an Astral God avatar and won. He defeated it outright.