Chapter 859: Divine Emperor

In the Abyssal Rift, where rules held no sway and divine powers were difficult to exert, the battles unfolded at an astonishing speed.

Once the three Heavenly Emperors who had followed Divine Emperor Yuan Jie were all slain, everyone returned to the Light of Humanity warship. The atmosphere that had been burning hot with tension and ferocity just moments ago instantly cooled.

The moment they landed, all eyes turned to Li Pin.

"What's wrong? Don't recognize me?" Li Pin said with a smile.

Hearing that familiar tone and style of speech, those closest to him, like Divine Martial Emperor and Ji Shun, could only let out a bitter laugh. "He was... after all... a Divine Emperor."

Li Pin shook his head. "Indeed, a Divine Emperor."

He had known from the start that, empowered by the Great Dao Radiance, he couldn't be judged by conventional standards in a place like the Abyssal Rift. Against any powerhouse from the Existence Faction, he would naturally hold overwhelming environmental advantages.

Still, he hadn't expected the edge to be this overwhelming. Or rather, that even a Divine Emperor could be suppressed to such a degree. Had he known earlier, he wouldn't have brought the man here for a direct confrontation.

He hadn't even been able to properly witness the full might of a Divine Emperor, much less go all in with the determination to take him down with no regrets.

"Sacred Monarch Origin... Heavenly Emperor Origin..."

Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu wanted to ask something but stumbled over which address suited Li Pin best.

Sacred Monarch, Heavenly Emperor, Divine Emperor. None of those titles seemed appropriate anymore.

In the end, Dong Xu opted for the highest possible honorific he knew to offer. "Divine Emperor Origin... what you said earlier... was it true?"

"I'm just a Sacred Monarch," Li Pin waved his hand lightly. "If not for my unique advantages within the Abyssal Rift, I wouldn't have had the confidence to defeat a Divine Emperor."

He looked at Dong Xu and urged, "Continue."

"The Black Abyss Highlord," Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu said. "Did he really... witness your Dao with his own eyes? Acknowledge its existence? And believe that it

could go even further?"

"You saw it yourself, didn't you?" Li Pin said with a faint chuckle. "My Dao hasn't reached its final form yet. In the Astral World, it's still inferior to a Divine Emperor's. But here in the Abyssal Rift, or even in the Void of Chaos, I believe... compared to the power of a Divine Emperor, or even Supreme power, it can endure far longer."

The few Heavenly Emperors present understood exactly what he meant. For a moment, everything felt dreamlike, surreal.

Staring at Li Pin, who had cultivated for less than three hundred years and was the youngest of juniors, Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. "You... you've really carved a path beyond Supreme? But this... how is this possible... No, it really has become possible.... it's just... just...."

He repeated the word

"

just

"

several times, yet couldn't find the words to continue. His thoughts were disjointed, his words incoherent.

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi murmured to himself, "Too insane... too unbelievable..."

Earlier, with Divine Emperor Yuan Jie and the three Heavenly Emperors of the Chaos Clan present, the looming crisis had left them no time to think deeply.

But now that the dust had settled, the more they calmed down, the more they realized the true weight of what had happened.

If this news were to spread, the entire world—no, the entire universe—would be shaken to its core.

All the Supremes, even the Highlords themselves, would be overjoyed, perhaps even driven mad, by the path Li Pin had carved out.

"The Dao Realm..." muttered the Divine Martial Emperor.

"Dao... Dao... Dao..." he repeated with heavy emotion.

As he uttered that word more and more, as if under some subtle influence, he felt a sense of awe, even reverence, rise within him.

It was... a light that symbolized hope.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"What an incredible honor it is to have someone like Origin arise from the human race," Ji Shun said with a long sigh.

Within that sigh was not regret, but a deep, indescribable sense of satisfaction. To have discovered someone like Li Pin during his tenure as head of the Sacred Fire Hall, if even that couldn't bring him a sense of accomplishment, what could?

The other Heavenly Emperors all nodded in agreement.

If the Heavenly Emperors felt this way, then the Tyrant-level contestants could only feel it more strongly. Back when Li Pin had dared to strike back at Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, Emperor Ara had already accepted, willingly and without bitterness, that he was no match for Li Pin.

The moment he had admitted that to himself, he had already sincerely acknowledged Li Pin's identity as a Supreme Prodigy.

"To live in the same era as Li Pin is already an honor. To fight alongside him in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War is an even greater one," Emperor Ara said softly.

He might not have done anything in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, but that didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Yao Ji wore a complicated look as she gazed at Li Pin.

She had long known that there was a significant gap between her and Li Pin, but she never planned to bow her head in defeat. Supreme Prodigies like her wouldn't surrender easily. Yet at this very moment, she had to admit that she and Li Pin weren't even on the same level.

The Overlord Competition was probably the closest she would ever get to him. From here on out... she would never again catch up, even to his shadow.

Just then, Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi said, "All of us owe you a bow, not just because you saved our lives, but because... you've given us hope. All of us. Even those above the Astral World, those standing at the pinnacle of the universe, the Supremes, the Highlords...."

Li Pin replied, "There's no need for that. The Black Abyss Highlord wasn't wrong. Over the years, he's witnessed countless brilliant paths. But no matter how dazzling they were, not a single one has ever surpassed the Supreme Realm. Even those that barely reached it were extremely rare. So... once I truly stand above the Supremes and begin to preach the Dao to the world, you can bow then."

"But the power you displayed when you killed Divine Emperor Yuan Jie already—"

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi tried to speak again, but the Divine Martial Emperor cut in. "Origin is right. Once he truly breaks through the Supreme Realm and completes his path, that will be the time for our thanks, and our reverence."

He swept a solemn gaze over the crowd. "In fact, the details of today's battle must not be made public."

Anyone who could ascend to the rank of Heavenly Emperor wasn't a fool. At Divine Martial's reminder, they instantly grasped what was at stake.

This was a path beyond the Supreme Realm. Especially since this path had already allowed Li Pin to slay a Divine Emperor, he was, in a sense, infinitely close to success. All that remained was for him to take that final step and prove it.

If word of this got out, it would shake the entire universe. It's no exaggeration to say that countless Supremes and Highlords would be driven mad by it.

If the news were allowed to spread unchecked... the Supremes who had lost their purpose and direction would swarm toward the Human Race, demanding that Li Pin be handed over.

At that point, even if the Human Race had the deepest foundation, they would stand no chance against the onslaught of hundreds of Supremes and Highlords.

For Li Pin, and for the Human Race, it would be a catastrophe, a disaster beyond imagination.

For a moment, a chill settled over the hearts of the Heavenly Emperors.

Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu said, "He's right. This information must not leak."

Tai Yi added, "I'll inform the Human Race's Supremes first, then use a special divine item to seal off any discussion of this matter aboard the Light of Humanity."

Dong Xu represented the Astral World Research Institute, backed by the Human Race's number one Supreme, Regalheaven.

Tai Yi, as a Heavenly Emperor of the Omni-Merchant Guild, wouldn't say such a thing without certainty. If he claimed to have such an item, then it surely existed.

Heavenly Emperor Bi You frowned. "This kind of secret does need to be kept. But... the Astral Lord Council just lost a Divine Emperor and three Heavenly Emperors. How could something that big possibly be kept secret?"

Heavenly Emperor Gu You said aloud, "There's no way to hide the fall of a Divine Emperor and three Heavenly Emperors. Even if Yuan Jie didn't leave behind any hidden clues for the Astral Lord Council to confirm he was killed by Origin, the traces we left along the way would be more than enough.

"With the insight of their Divine Emperors and Heavenly Emperors, they'll easily figure out that we used the Abyssal Rift's environment to turn the tables and kill Yuan Jie. And on top of that, Li Pin had used the power of the Dao Realm during the tournament, which others mistook for a Transcendent Divine Weapon. They're bound to connect all this back to Li Pin."

"Then just be honest about it," Li Pin said calmly. "When dealing with suspicion and prying eyes, the best response is to tell the truth. Hiding things only makes it easier to slip up."

He had always believed in meeting things head-on.

If the Astral Lord Council's Divine Emperors came, then so be it. He'd take the chance to witness the full might of a peak Divine Emperor.

At that moment, the Divine Martial Emperor suddenly said, "We can't reveal the full truth. A mix of fact and fiction is often far more effective. We can let the world believe that Origin killed the Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, and that he may have opened a path beyond the Supreme Realm...

"But unless someone saw it with their own eyes, no matter how convincing the story sounds, no one would truly believe it. Even those who did witness it might still hesitate to fully accept it. The Black Abyss Highlord is the perfect example."

He continued, "As long as we keep that part hidden, Origin killing Yuan Jie isn't a bad thing for the Human Race. In fact... it means we now have another Divine Emperor-level force on our side, one that even surpasses the norm."

Everyone immediately understood what the Divine Martial Emperor was implying.

Among the Nine Sovereign Races, the Human Race ranked dead last in terms of innate talent. The only reason they were considered a Sovereign Race was their sheer numbers, enough to give rise to a significant number of Supremes.

On the surface, the Human Race already had over a dozen Supreme-level experts. In times of need, they could summon another dozen who weren't part of the Supreme Council but still recognized themselves as part of the Human Race.

And if the Supremes who maintained friendly ties with humanity were included, the number rose even further.

With a lineup like that, what power wouldn't feel threatened?

However, while humans held a clear numerical advantage in Supremes, their lack of talent left them sorely lacking, with only three Divine Emperors.

Now that the Astral World had entered an age of cataclysm, with the cycles of the Eternal Oblivion Tsunami preventing Supremes from intervening, the Divine Emperors, representing the pinnacle of the Astral World, had become more crucial than ever.

In this situation, gaining another Divine Emperor-level force, especially one who had slain another Divine Emperor, with strength beyond question, was a huge boon for the Human Race.

"Half-truths. That's the best way to handle the world's suspicions." The Divine Martial Emperor turned to Li Pin, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "From this day forward... we shall call you Divine Emperor Origin!"