Chapter 604: Last

The Celestial Barren Domain.

After spending a long time on Blue Planet without gaining anything of value, Li Pin returned to his residence at the foot of Mountain Qingyuan.

Compared to when he left, the area had changed quite a bit. Xiaya City had grown even more prosperous, increasingly resembling a modern metropolis.

Not long after his return, he heard news of a clash between Baili Qingfeng and the Radiant Sun Sect. The sect had the backing of Scorching Sun, one of the Ancient Gods.

"So, we are already at this point of the storyline," Li Pin murmured. "Next, Baili Qingfeng will enter a six-year slumber, and the world-ending battle between Scorching Sun, the Violet-Silver Twin Moons, and the Immortal God Emperor will begin."

"Yes," someone responded.

That was a member of his team.

Thanks to Li Pin's decisive victory over the elite pioneer teams led by Huang Ze, Xuan Zhi, and Wu Tian, his own team had expanded significantly. Though the core members were still only Fang Chunyang, Xu Anping, and Lie Qingqing, the number of auxiliary members had surpassed a hundred.

They moved across various regions, continuously gathering intelligence from different fields, ensuring that Li Pin remained aware of the latest developments and changes in the Three Domains.

"Any progress from the other pioneers on breaking through the divine treasure world?" Li Pin asked.

"We recently compiled a summary of the pioneers," Fang Zhiqian reported. "Including the pioneers sent by the Void Divine Treasury Hall and the original group, the total number reached 140,000.

"However, due to the Beast Tide at the beginning and other factors, fewer than 30,000 remain alive today, with the exact number being around 28,000.

"Among these survivors, most are still struggling to catch up with their cultivation progress, while a few are gathering intelligence, hoping to find another way to break through this world...."

He paused briefly before adding, "However... Yan Ling'er seems to be making rapid progress."

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Yan Ling'er?" Li Pin looked at him. "What about her?"

"In the beginning, Baili Zhu was under Baili Qingfeng's protection, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to approach her. By the second phase, after encountering danger, she became wary of everyone around her.

"And in the third phase... she fully became the God of Fear, gaining the ability to sense emotions. With her tendency to lose control, she's now extremely dangerous. Approaching her is just as risky as approaching Baili Qingfeng."

Fang Zhiqian continued, his tone carrying a hint of envy. "But Yan Ling'er managed it. She became close to Baili Zhu and has been encouraging her to overcome the influence of the God of Fear."

Li Pin quickly understood.

His proximity to Baili Qingfeng had led people to see him as the key to breaking through the divine treasure world. But now, Yan Ling'er had successfully gained Baili Zhu, the world's true owner's trust. Naturally, expectations for her would be even higher.

"Impressive." Li Pin nodded before asking, "What about Mu Yunsheng? The Divine Treasury Hall specifically called him in and formed a team with me. He can't be completely inactive, can he?"

"That's the strangest part," Fang Zhiqian said, puzzled. "So far, we haven't heard anything about him. It's as if... he's not even involved with the pioneers."

He continued, "Even though fewer than 30,000 survived this cycle, it's still the largest group yet. In past cycles, we could barely gather 20,000, and those who made it this far weren't necessarily strong. But now, several large factions have emerged, each with over a thousand members. If nothing unexpected happens..."

Xu Anping said solemnly, "Some of them will take advantage of the battle between Baili Qingfeng and the Radiant Sun Sect. Once both sides are weakened, they'll strike, hoping to kill Baili Qingfeng and break the deadlock."

He turned to Li Pin. "Captain, we've managed to maintain friendly relations with Baili Qingfeng. If he really is assassinated... we will fall far behind in this cycle. Should we step in to help?"

Li Pin waved his hand dismissively. "No need."

He thought of that mysterious Transcendent Being. That entity was unlikely to appear in this divine treasure world. But in Baili Zhu's perception, the current Baili Qingfeng was already as good as invincible. Under these circumstances, taking him down would be as difficult as altering Baili Zhu's understanding of reality.

Of course, if that could be done, then breaking open this divine treasure world might actually be possible.

Xu Anping hesitated. "Many are waiting for our move. Our next step—"

"Do nothing," Li Pin said calmly.

After a brief pause, something came to mind. "I recall that in the fourth phase, when Baili Qingfeng takes on the form of the Void Emperor, he will 'invite' all True God-level cultivators to leave the Celestial Barren and Twin Moon Domains?"

Xu Anping nodded. "Yes. He will carry out Absolute Banishment. In other words, he'll wipe out all True Gods unless they choose to leave and wait for Baili Zhu's counterattack in the fifth phase. Those who refuse... will be eradicated."

"Then that works out." Li Pin smiled. "We may have missed the Void Emperor back when he was still Baili Qingfeng, but facing him after he stepped onto the Transcendent path should be just as interesting."

"Captain, you mean... we wait for that moment?" Xu Anping asked.

Li Pin waved his hand. "That's right."

Xu Anping, Fang Chunyang, and the others didn't quite understand.

Throughout these many cycles, their captain had been the first to approach Baili Qingfeng and even become his friend. Yet in the end, it seemed as if nothing had been accomplished.

Still, out of respect, they nodded. "Then we'll focus on the Absolute Banishment battle."

"While we're at it, look into the valuable Divine Items in this world. If needed, we should be ready to seize them first," Li Pin said.

Li Pin nodded, then turned to Lie Qingqing. "What's your assessment of Gu Lingying?"

"She..." Lie Qingqing paused upon hearing Li Pin's question, a slight trace of confusion in her brows. "She's quite ordinary."

She added after a moment, "Just an ordinary woman. Not even close to breathtaking beauty."

"What about her personality? The way she handles things? and other aspects?"

"She has a soft appearance but a strong will... and she makes people feel at ease."

Li Qingqing said, "She's very considerate of others."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "If I had to name something special about her... it's that she has a beautiful inner world. One filled with gentleness, peace, and harmony."

"The kind of peace where the country prospers and the people live safely?" Li Pin asked.

"Yes." Lie Qingqing nodded. "With someone like her, if your temperaments align, being around her feels easy and comforting. If not, she might seem distant. Or, as people say... slow to warm up?"

"I see. Keep observing," Li Pin said.

"Understood." Li Qingqing responded.

***

Li Pin continued watching the events unfold.

As he had expected, when Baili Qingfeng and the Radiant Sun Sect clashed and both sides suffered heavy losses, over ten thousand pioneers from dozens of groups seized the opportunity to launch an attack on him.

Yet... though in theory, both sides had been severely wounded, and Baili Qingfeng should have collapsed at any moment, he remained standing. Barely holding on, he withstood the siege of the pioneers.

Meanwhile, the Taiyuan Society, which he had joined to oppose the Ancient God factions, saw him in danger. Despite their usual neutrality, they unexpectedly stepped in to slaughter the pioneers.

At this point, the strongest among the pioneers were only True Gods, while the rest were Demigods or even Legendary figures. Against the Taiyuan Society's elite, they were utterly crushed.

Later, some pioneers formed their own speculations as to why the Taiyuan Society had intervened despite its neutral stance—the ten thousand pioneers were too weak.

Against powerful forces and Ancient Gods, the Taiyuan Society constantly reiterated its neutral stance to show that they meant no harm to anyone. But against pioneers, whose strongest were merely True Gods, with the rest being Demigods or Legendary figures, the Taiyuan Society had no reason to fear.

***

After the battle against the Radiant Sun Sect, Baili Qingfeng disappeared for six years.

During this time, Baili Zhu rapidly grew stronger, not only becoming the God of Fear but also refining other evil gods to advance to a higher realm.

These six years were also a period of growth for the pioneers.

Once averaging only Legendary rank, with the strongest at Demigod, they made rapid progress. The number of those who became True Gods reached at least three to five thousand. Pioneers like Fang Chunyang, Xu Anping, Fang Zhiqian, and Lie Qingqing also reached the True God realm.

Moreover, the God Kings and Monarchs in this world were unique. With enough True Gods as subordinates, they could use their divine kingdoms to transfer the power of those True Gods to themselves, thereby wielding the combat power of Kings Monarchs.

Consequently, many people chose to follow Li Pin, including several True Gods.

Since he had no need for them, Li Pin handed them over to Fang Chunyang, Xu Anping, and the others, further boosting their strength.

It was at this time... Baili Qingfeng awoke from his slumber, and once again... reappeared at Mountain Qingyuan.

***

Sensing the rapidly approaching aura, Li Pin took a deep breath. "It's finally here."

According to the main storyline, after waking up, Baili Qingfeng spent some time in the Celestial Barren Domain before taking Shi Yiyi, his wife in name and bond, to meet his father, Li Xian, on Blue Planet.

On the way back, he saw the devastation left in the wake of the battle between three Ancient Gods. The shockwaves had nearly destroyed the entire Twin Moon Domain, leaving hundreds of billions of mortals displaced and countless lives lost.

Unable to stand by, he stepped in to stop them.

However, the three Ancient Gods turned on him, forcing him onto the Transcendent path. From that moment on, Baili Qingfeng ceased to exist, and the Void Emperor took over.