Chapter 784: Mess-Up

Whoosh!

The Divine Martial Emperor waved the formation token in his hand. Time froze. Space twisted and reversed.

Just before the destructive force of the Quantum Sword Intent could tear Luo Wuji apart, he was suddenly pulled out of the Divine Martial Battlefield.

Still gripping his war spear, Luo Wuji remained frozen mid-swing, his eyes wide, poised to resist the devastating Sword Intent.

In the next moment, he realized the space around him had completely changed. His movement halted instantly.

The intense surge of inner spirit that had been boiling within him... vanished without a trace.

He wasn't alone in his shock. The other participants, who had been eagerly waiting to see what secret art Li Pin would use to defeat Luo Wuji, fell silent as well.

Defeated? Luo Wuji actually... lost!? Just like Zi Zaitian?

But that wasn't the real issue. What truly mattered was that, this time, Li Pin had beaten Luo Wuji head-on, fair and square. Throughout the entire fight, he went blow for blow, launching aggressive attacks at Luo Wuji. He hadn't even used the Grand Oblivion Art, a technique known for its evasive maneuvers.

Against Luo Wuji's relentless offense, relying on evasive moves like the Grand Oblivion Art would have only put Li Pin at a disadvantage.

Instead, Li Pin stood his ground and fought back, toe-to-toe, the entire time. That alone spoke volumes about his true strength.

Some might argue that Luo Wuji's overcaution gave Li Pin the opening for a decisive strike, one that required time to charge. Had Luo Wuji kept up his relentless assault, Li Pin wouldn't have had the chance to counterattack.

But then again... wasn't making your opponent hesitate a psychological tactic in itself?

After witnessing Zi Zaitian's downfall, many onlookers found themselves thinking. If they had been in Luo Wuji's position, standing at the cusp of victory, they would've done the same. They would've raised their guard, braced for a desperate counterattack, and tried to avoid falling into the same trap Zi Zaitian had.

In other words, if it had been them... the outcome wouldn't have changed.

After a long silence, a few backup contestants in the Overlord Competition finally reacted.

"How could this be..."

"That was... a direct defeat."

It was a clean, honest, head-on defeat, without any tricks.

After this battle, who could still question Li Pin's strength?

Everyone in the arena fell silent for one reason. There was simply nothing left to say.

Soon, someone realized what Li Pin was holding, muttering, "It's a divine weapon."

The speaker's inner spirit rippled as he added, "A Sovereign Divine Weapon."

At those words, many immediately drew the connection.

A Sovereign Divine Weapon!? Was that why the Quantum Sword Intent Li Pin had just unleashed felt so completely different from before? Because it now carried traces of space-time manipulation!?

And the source of that manipulation... could it be the divine Weapon in his hand!?

All eyes instantly shifted back to him.

"That's a Sovereign Divine Weapon!?"

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"A Sovereign Divine Weapon? No wonder. Give me one of those, and I could fight him too."

"That's a treasure worthy of a Heavenly Emperor! Which faction would hand Li Pin something so priceless? Aren't they worried about spoiling him?"

As murmurs spread through the crowd, the awe that had gripped them after Luo Wuji's defeat quickly gave way to a fresh wave of discussion.

After all, the power drawn from external tools and the strength one could unleash on their own were fundamentally different.

Just like a few had said. Give them a Sovereign Divine Weapon, and they could do it too.

But in truth, for most factions, human or otherwise, even when major interests were at stake, few would ever deploy a Sovereign Divine Weapon so easily. Such weapons were immensely valuable, practically embodying the very interests they represented.

Often, once an opposing side realized their enemy had activated one, they'd immediately change tactics. They'd send in cannon fodder trained in finishing moves but lacking the realm to master them just to kill the prodigy who wielded the weapon, even if it meant sacrificing profit.

First, they'd secure a Sovereign Divine Weapon. Second, they'd remove a top-tier expert. It was a trade worth making.

Because of this, not using a Sovereign Divine Weapon had become an unspoken rule. When one was brought into battle, it signified that the user was prepared to do anything to secure victory, no matter the cost.

Li Pin, however, was merely taking part in the Prodigy Competition, a contest that hardly called for such drastic measures. Yet, either the Supreme Council or the Sacred Flame Hall had still granted him a Sovereign Divine Weapon.

For a moment, a wave of jealousy surged among many of the participants.

The scene didn't go unnoticed by the Divine Martial Emperor or Mo Xuan. The two Heavenly Emperors exchanged a subtle glance, their brows furrowed.

The Divine Martial Emperor remained silent, but Mo Xuan's gaze locked onto the Ruoxi Sword in Li Pin's hand.

Sovereign Divine Weapon? Didn't look like one. But that ripple of space-time power flashing across the blade was undeniably real.

In theory, someone at Li Pin's current realm had no business wielding such a weapon. However, his deep ties with the Black Abyss Highlord made anything possible. It wouldn't be too far-fetched if the Highlord had truly granted him a Sovereign Divine Weapon for protection.

After all, even Sasha's authority had been handed over to him. She was a guardian, at least at the level of a Sacred Monarch.

However, Li Pin didn't strike Mo Xuan as someone who would rely on a Sovereign Divine Weapon just to win a spar.

Li Pin offered a sincere comment, "Good spear technique. But if it were a little stronger, it'd be just about perfect."

Then, his gaze swept back to the top ten contenders. "Anyone else?"

The moment those words left his mouth, murmurs stirred through the crowd.

"He wants to keep fighting? Prodigy Li really has an intense desire to win."

"What's the point if he's just relying on a Sovereign Divine Weapon? Give that divine weapon to me, and I'll have him begging for mercy!"

"Say what you will, but the strength of this Light of Origin is impressive. Even without the Sovereign Divine Weapon, he's strong enough to compete in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War. He's more likely to serve as a supporting commander rather than lead the charge. It's no wonder he's so obsessed with getting into the tournament."

"Regardless of what we think, he did defeat Zi Zaitian, then Luo Wuji. That's a fact. Among us, he certainly ranks near the top, and he's earned the right to compete in the tournament."

Voices rose from all around. Some acknowledged his strength; others remained neutral. A few frowned in disapproval, and some clearly held resentment.

However, none of those harboring displeasure acted on it.

Xuan Chengming and Yue Shu, confident in their status, felt it wasn't yet their turn to step in. Wu Meng and the others, on the other hand, were clearly wary of Li Pin's strength. With no certainty of defeating him, they chose to hold back.

As for Yan Sheng's group, they didn't fear Li Pin, not even with a Sovereign Divine Weapon in his hands, but they still couldn't figure out how he managed to defeat Zi Zaitian.

Under such uncertainty, stepping forward and losing would be nothing short of humiliating.

With all these factors combined, the air in the arena suddenly grew heavy. No one dared to step up.

Just then, Emperor Ara, who had been playing chess by himself, yawned. "Boring...."

Amid the somewhat ashamed and helpless expressions of the others, and Li Pin's slightly expectant gaze, he simply stood up and took a step into the void. He turned into light... and vanished.

Yes, he really just left.

Apparently, when he said boring, he meant it literally. He clearly couldn't care less for what he thought was petty squabbling.

Li Pin, who had half expected him to make a move, paused in surprise. Then he quickly called out, "Wait!"

But the Divine Martial Battlefield was a space created through formations, and leaving it would require some effort.

Before Li Pin could even step outside the arena, Emperor Ara had already vanished.

Seeing that, a wave of disappointment washed over Li Pin.

Then he recalled the other participants' remarks.

He glanced at every single contender of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War. After a brief silence, he slowly asked, "Are you all afraid?"

That blunt, unyielding question made several faces tense up. But what he said next struck everyone like thunder.

Some couldn't even stop themselves from revealing looks of outrage.

Li Pin taunted in a low voice, "Or... are you all blind!?"

Blind!

That reprimanding tone was too much. Even Wu Meng, who belonged to the same Sacred Flame Hall as Li Pin, couldn't hold back. He snapped, "Li Pin, you've gone too far! Every person here is your senior in one way or another. Do you really think just because you beat Zi Zaitian and Luo Wuji, you can look down on everyone else!?"

"Sovereign Divine Weapon?" Li Pin didn't even look at Yan Sheng. He simply raised the Ruoxi Sword in front of him and boldly displayed the weapon for all to see. "Don't tell me you can't tell what tier this weapon belongs to!"

The space-time energy unique to Sovereign Divine Weapons pulsed faintly across the Ruoxi Sword. However, anyone could see that compared to a genuine Sovereign Divine Weapon, this energy was far weaker.

This was a damaged Sovereign Divine Weapon. Due to its damage, its power barely reached the level of a High-Grade Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon.

Wu Meng, Yan Sheng, Xuan Chengming, Yue Shu, and the others were hit with realization, their faces turning taut.

In truth, they had sensed a trace of Sovereign Divine Weapon power from Li Pin's sword earlier, but it always felt somewhat lacking compared to a genuine one. Later, someone directly pointed out that he had used a Sovereign Divine Weapon, which only reinforced that assumption.

They couldn't believe Li Pin had the strength to crush Luo Wuji without tapping into some mysterious external aid, so they settled on the easy explanation—that he had relied on a Sovereign Divine Weapon.

Now, with Li Pin proving that the Ruoxi Sword's power was no more than that of a High-Grade Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon, it was as if he had torn the mask off their smug, self-deceiving faces and stomped it into the ground.

In that instant, everyone, from those ranked below to above Zi Zaitian and Luo Wuji, including Wu Meng, felt the same thing. They feltg a stinging heat across their cheeks.

And beneath that shame... came fury.