Chapter 864: Evidence

Divine Martial Emperor, Ji Shun, Tai Yi, and the others all found Li Pin's words oddly familiar. "Give it a try?"

The last time he said "try," he ended up killing Yuan Jie, a Divine Emperor representing the pinnacle of the Astral World.

He wants to try again....

"Are you confident?" Divine Martial asked.

"No," Li Pin replied. "Every Heavenly Emperor who's made it this far surely has something extraordinary about them, let alone someone like Jin'que, who's been famous for years. He once carried high hopes, and is even seen as a potential twelfth member of the Supreme Council. Before we fight, no one can say how it'll turn out."

He paused for a moment. "The only thing I can guarantee is that when the time comes, I'll go all out."

The Heavenly Emperors exchanged glances. "This..."

Among the Human Race, Jin'que was second only to the Three Divine Emperors, part of the top tier of Heavenly Emperors. If he faced a foe whose power he happened to counter, he might even break through to the ninety-ninth step of the Supreme Ladder. That's the same level as the Divine Emperors.

A figure like that wasn't someone just any newly ascended Sacred Monarch could handle, especially not one who had only recently grasped the power of space. Even those who had been at the Heavenly Emperor level for countless epochs weren't confident they could take him down.

But then again, a Divine Emperor had already fallen to Li Pin.

So what was one peak-level Heavenly Emperor? Li Pin couldn't be measured by normal standards.

"How about... let him try?" Tai Yi said cautiously.

No one thought Li Pin was being arrogant anymore. Not even Tai Yi dared to talk him out of it, afraid he'd end up slapping himself in the face if Jin'que really died in Li Pin's hands.

Ji Shun also nodded in agreement and glanced at Li Pin. "Try it then."

"If Emperor Xi truly offers you a fair fight, just you and Jin'que in a life-or-death duel, we won't stop you," Divine Martial Emperor said in a low voice. "But what if it's a trap set up by Xi and Jin'que? Once you enter the Myriad Astral God Hall, they might activate the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation and send multiple Heavenly Emperors at you all at once. How will you defend yourself then?"

Li Pin thought it over.

If that really happened... the only option would be to trigger the Eternal Oblivion and forcefully exit the Astral World.

Seeing the look on Li Pin's face, Divine Martial Emperor pressed, "So, let's head back first and figure out the situation. You've only just begun to grasp spatial power, and you just fought a fierce battle with Divine Emperor Yuan Jie.

"You've seen the depth of a Divine Emperor's methods. Right now, what you need is time to settle down and fully absorb what you've gained. While we investigate, focus on your cultivation. Once we have clear answers, we'll inform you."

Heavenly Emperor Gu You had faith in his master and didn't believe he would resort to such petty schemes... but this wasn't the time for him to speak.

Li Pin nodded. "Alright."

He enjoyed battle and sought the thrill of surpassing his limits in life-and-death fights, but that didn't mean he lacked sense. If he knew there was a trap, he wouldn't walk right into it.

"Let's move carefully and link up with the other Heavenly Emperors who are preparing for the second wave of the assault on the Myriad Astral God Court," said the Divine Martial Emperor.

Li Pin nodded again, then left the room.

"I'll pilot the warship," said Ji Shun, stepping forward. "You still need to maintain your avatar and stay in real-time contact with the Supreme Council."

The Divine Martial Emperor gave a heavy nod.

As the power of Eternal Oblivion kept intensifying, it was becoming harder and harder to maintain his avatar. At this rate, once the power of Eternal Oblivion peaked, all avatars would be forced to withdraw.

In other words, when that time came, the connection between the Astral and the Material World would be completely cut off.

Even the Supreme Council would lose the ability to intervene.

***

Li Pin soon returned to his residence.

Almost the moment he arrived, Sasha's voice rang out, "Your Majesty Origin... once the Eternal Oblivion Force passes and you're able to send your avatar back to the Material World, Father hopes to meet you in person."

"Father?" Li Pin quickly realized who she meant. "The Ocean of Time?"

"Yes," Sasha paused, sounding a little uncertain. "You told me to keep an eye out for anything related to the Dao Realm... Father says he might know something."

The words struck Li Pin. "He knows about the Dao Realm!?"

Aside from the Void Emperor, this was the second time he'd heard that term from someone else.

Sasha continued, relaying the message, "Yes. Father lost a lot of critical data when he fell into this universe. He's been working to recover it all these years. The info about the Dao Realm was only triggered because of your keyword...

"If he could witness the power of the Dao Realm firsthand, he might be able to recover those data fragments. That would also help him regain more of himself."

"I understand," Li Pin responded immediately. "Once my duel with Jin'que is over, I'll go meet him."

***

The Omni-Merchant Guild Headquarters, Eastern Hua Continent.

Among the Five Major Human Factions, the Astral World Research Institute remained detached from worldly affairs, while the Sacred Flame Hall spread its teachings far and wide. As for the other three—the Endless Divine Mountain, Omni-Merchant Guild, and the Heaven Ordainment Sect—they ruled over the Western Ling, Eastern Hua, and Northern Xuan Continents, respectively.

As for the Southern Li Continent, it was the manifestation of the ancient Supreme Nanli.

This Supreme had once stood alongside the other Supremes from major races, representing humanity in a joint effort to forcibly rewrite the rules of the Astral World and eliminate the destructive Eternal Oblivion Force. But in the end, the Astral World retaliated, and he perished.

Since then, the Southern Li Continent lost the dominance of a Supreme-level force. Over time, it was reduced to a battlefield for the top factions across the Astral World.

For countless years, the continent had been overrun with all sorts of forces, tangled in endless conflict.

The Supreme Council, after weighing various factors, chose not to intervene directly in the matter. As it turned out, this decision proved surprisingly effective.

Smaller powers, those beneath the level of the five major factions, were able to carve out a foothold and survive within the heart of human territory. What's more, the fierce competition fostered an endless stream of powerful cultivators from Southern Li.

Though few reached the level of Heavenly Emperor, the number of Tyrants and Sacred Monarchs there nearly matched the combined total of the other three continents.

At this moment, at the Omni-Merchant Guild headquarters on Eastern Hua Continent, representatives from the Heaven Ordainment Sect, Endless Divine Mountain, and Sacred Flame Hall had arrived. The Astral World Research Institute had also sent two Heavenly Emperors.

However, compared to the other factions, each sending ten or more Heavenly Emperors, the Institute's presence appeared rather meager. The Southern Li Continent, especially, had brought not only nine Heavenly Emperors but also over a thousand Tyrants and Sacred Monarchs. In sheer numbers, they were the most formidable presence on the scene.

When Divine Martial Emperor, Li Pin, and their group returned aboard the Light of Humanity warship, dozens of Heavenly Emperors from various factions were locked in a heated argument. Hundreds of Sacred Monarchs whispered among themselves, waiting for a decision.

Li Pin scanned the scene and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration. Humanity really is brimming with talent. There are already more than fifty Heavenly Emperors present. The Myriad Astral God Hall alone counted forty to fifty Heavenly Emperors. Add those on the Light of Humanity warship, and the total exceeded one hundred.

And this was far from the full count of human Heavenly Emperors. For all their strength, Heavenly Emperors still needed a decade, sometimes several decades, to complete the transformation of matter and energy to condense a Divine Body.

Despite having to travel cautiously to avoid the Eternal Oblivion Force, it only took five stellar years for Li Pin and the others to arrive.

In such a short timeframe, it was simply impossible for those Heavenly Emperors and Sacred Monarchs who remained in their physical form to make it here.

Yet even with many not yet arrived, and with factions like Endless Divine Mountain, Heaven Ordainment Sect, Sacred Flame Hall, and Omni-Merchant Guild still holding back much of their strength, over fifty Heavenly Emperors had already gathered.

It was proof enough of the staggering number of Heavenly Emperors among humanity.

Li Pin estimated that, over countless years, humanity had likely accumulated two to three hundred Heavenly Emperors in total.

In sheer numbers, no other race, like the Divine, Void, Chaos, or Demon, could compare.

***

The arrival of the Light of Humanity Warship finally brought a momentary pause to the endless disputes among the Heavenly Emperors.

Almost every faction had a Heavenly Emperor present to welcome them.

One by one, the Heavenly Emperors greeted Divine Martial Emperor with friendly smiles.

"Divine Martial is here!"

"

Hahaha

, our strength just grew stronger. Jin'que's end isn't far off."

"Origin has come too!? So the rumors from outside were true? Origin really killed Yuan Jie of the Astral Lord Council and gained the power to defeat Divine Emperors?"

"No matter how I think about it, I just can't believe someone fresh from the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War could kill a Divine Emperor who stands at the peak of the Astral World. But the reports are so detailed and consistent, and Yuan Jie really did fall.... Alright, even if I don't fully believe it, maybe this is a calculated move to boost the morale of humanity in this chaotic era of disasters."

Each of the five major factions had sent their top representatives.

Besides Wu Dang from the Heaven Ordainment Sect, there was Guang Cheng of the Omni-Merchant Guild, Scorching World of the Endless Divine Mountain, Dong Ming of the Astral World Research Institute, and Miao Zhuan of the Sacred Flame Hall.

Each of them had reached the absolute peak of the Heavenly Emperor Realm.

On the Supreme Ladder, they could easily reach the ninety-eighth step, and with a Supreme Divine Weapon in hand, even the ninety-ninth step was within reach.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

They appeared for two reasons.

First, the Divine Martial Emperor and his group had just won great merit in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, raising humanity's fortune above all other races. This was evident in how disasters in human territory were noticeably weaker than in others.

Second, regardless of how Divine Martial and his group portrayed it to the outside world, they had killed Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, cutting off the Astral Lord Council's momentum at its peak. That alone deserved their utmost respect.

Had Yuan Jie not fallen, the Astral Lord Council's infiltration would likely have led to total control over the core regions of all major races. People wouldn't be viewing them now as a bunch of posturing clowns.

Many believed that once the various factions found time to assemble their forces, they could swiftly crush the Astral Lord Council's rebellion, without even needing the Supremes beyond the Astral World to act.

After all, even now, Jin'que had yet to completely root out the resistance within the Myriad Astral God Hall.

After greeting the lead Heavenly Emperors, Divine Martial Emperor stepped aside and gave Li Pin the spotlight. "I'll make the introductions. This is Li Pin. He's a supreme prodigy, having cultivated for only three hundred years.

"He earned the recognition of the Black Abyss Highlord, debated the Dao with Supreme Dao Origin, swept through the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, and personally slew Yuan Jie of the Astral Lord Council. He is the invincible overlord—the Divine Emperor Origin."