Chapter 872: Advance

"You? Alone?" Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi was first stunned, then an alarmed expression gripped his face. "You must not act rashly! Divine Emperor Origin, your identity is too important now. You can't afford any mistakes."

"Identity?" Li Pin shook his head. "If I'm saying this, then I have some confidence."

He didn't say more. No one could be sure how many experts or traps were hidden in the Myriad Astral God Hall.

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi looked at Li Pin, confused. "Confidence?"

He believed Li Pin wasn't the type who would speak without reason.

Though Li Pin had shown the strength to defeat Divine Emperor Yuan Jie in the Abyssal Rift, that was only possible because of the unique environment there. Without that advantage, his strength alone might not even match Jin'que's, let alone a Divine Emperor.

Tai Yi believed even he could probably overpower him.

At that moment, a strange thought surfaced in Tai Yi's mind.

Could it be... he's comprehended time and become a Heavenly Emperor!?

"You... you broke through?" Tai Yi asked, feeling it was almost unbelievable.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't even entertain the thought, let alone believe it.

A Heavenly Emperor, someone who stood at the very peak of the Astral World!

Tai Yi had already been considered a supreme prodigy in his era. He once suppressed all others, defeating countless talents. Yet even for him, it had taken over a hundred epochs to go from Sacred Monarch to Heavenly Emperor.

But Li Pin... has only been a Sacred Monarch for just over twenty years, and now he has already grasped time to become a Heavenly Emperor?

He'd understood Space, and now Time, without hitting a single bottleneck? Like a perfect, seamless transition?

It wasn't just Tai Yi. Outside the room, Zi Shuang, who didn't have the right to enter, was holding her breath, afraid to make a sound. She didn't want to miss what might become a historical moment.

Li Pin glanced at Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi with a hint of surprise.

These Heavenly Emperors are finally no longer as conservative in their guesses as before. In the past, every time I broke through a realm, they'd exclaim things like "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Look at them now, making the right guesses on their own. They've really grown.

Li Pin nodded slightly, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes. "That's right. I've broken through and become a Divine Emperor."

Tai Yi had already prepared himself mentally when he asked the question, but hearing it confirmed still made him gasp. "You've actually broken through... from Heavenly Emperor to... Divine..."

His thoughts suddenly stalled. It took him a moment to process the full weight of Li Pin's words, and when he did, it was as if a great bell had gone off in his mind.

Buzz, buzz!

The shock reverberated through his mind, wave after wave, leaving him dizzy and nearly cut off from all sense of the outside world.

Even the energy around him grew unstable and leaked out uncontrollably. If this hadn't happened in the Eastern Hua Continent, the disturbance might have drawn the Eternal Oblivion Force.

Only after a long while did the Heavenly Emperor manage to speak, his voice trembling with disbelief. "You've r-reached Divine E-Emperor?"

"Yes," replied Li Pin, looking at the man. "Didn't you already guess?"

Tai Yi tried to say something, to express what he was feeling, but no words came out. "I... I..."

He didn't know what to say at all.

Given Li Pin's mastery of space and time, the cultivation method he created on his own, and the two Supreme Divine Weapons he obtained after slaying Sacred Monarch Scorching Flame and Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, they had already had a hunch that it would only be a matter of time until Li Pin achieved Divine Emperor status.

But still... no one imagined it would happen this soon.

A Divine Emperor after just over three hundred years of cultivation... unheard of. Truly without precedent. Yet under such circumstances, for the Human Race to produce a true Divine Emperor...

Uncontainable joy spread across Tai Yi' face. "Good! Good! This is wonderful!"

"Let's go find Gu You," Li Pin said.

Hearing this, the overjoyed Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi finally snapped out of his daze and remembered why Li Pin had come to find Gu You in the first place.

He shook his head slightly. "Lord Origin, reaching the Divine Emperor Realm in just three hundred years is an unmatched feat among the Human Race. But... Jin'que is based in the Myriad Astral God Hall. They have numbers on their side and are further empowered by the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation.

"Even if you wield time and space in one hand and a Supreme Divine Weapon in the other, charging into Jin'que alone, facing that formation and a siege by multiple Heavenly Emperors, is still extremely risky..."

"It doesn't matter," Li Pin smiled. "The stronger their experts, the better. That way, I can fully show what I'm capable of."

Li Pin secretly thought,

Only then would the Astral Lords give me the attention I deserve. It would be best if they sent out all their Divine Emperors to try and kill me.

"This..."

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi hesitated for a moment. However, in the end, he didn't try to stop Li Pin.

If Li Pin has truly broken through to the Divine Emperor Realm, then with his ceiling-level strength in the Astral World, even charging into the Myriad Astral God Hall alone wouldn't necessarily put him in real danger.

Unless... Divine Emperor Xi had fully sided with Jin'que and launched an all-out attack on him. But if that happened, Wu Dang, Scorching World, and Senior Brother Guang Cheng wouldn't just stand by.

And with support from the likes of Chang Sheng, Northern Pole, and High Palace working from within... if all went well, we might reclaim the Myriad Astral God Hall in one battle. Then, humanity could quickly unite under Divine Emperor Origin, forming a solid front to face the long-lasting Eternal Oblivion Disaster that still loomed ahead.

"Then we'll go with your plan," said Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi firmly. "Please follow me."

He led Li Pin straight toward the mountain where Gu You and the others were.

As for Zi Shuang... despite being a formidable Cosmic Radiance, she followed behind Li Pin like a servant girl, occasionally glancing up at him with growing awe.

Just then, something crossed her mind.

Hasn't Li Pin signed an agreement with the Omni-Merchant Guild and joined us? He is already one of us now. If he could help Uncle Guang Cheng compete on behalf of the Guild... No, that's not right. It should be... if Divine Emperor Origin could lead Guang Cheng and the other Heavenly Emperors of the Guild in vying for leadership of this counterattack. Things... might go pretty smoothly?

She glanced at her master, unsure if she should bring it up.

Soon, they arrived at another mountain peak not far from the meeting hall, where several Heavenly Emperors resided.

Since Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi had already sent word in advance, the moment Li Pin arrived, those Heavenly Emperors had already gathered.

Divine Martial, Heng He, Dong Xu, and the other Heavenly Emperors were all present. Even the usually indifferent Heavenly Emperor Gu You had come.

As soon as Li Pin arrived, every gaze in the room locked onto him, eyes filled with disbelief.

The Divine Martial Emperor's eyes were sharp with focus. "Lord Origin... Tai Yi just sent word that you've already—"

Li Pin gave a slight nod. "That's right."

He had always acted with honesty and integrity. Now that he had ascended to the Divine Emperor level, there was no reason to keep it hidden.

Why would he? If he kept it secret and the enemy underestimated him, sending just one or two Heavenly Emperors to ambush him, what would be the point?

With Li Pin's direct confirmation, all the Heavenly Emperors in the room gasped.

"I had considered the possibility, but I thought it would take at least ten thousand stellar years before that day came. I never imagined it would come this soon!"

"My guess was even bolder! Just a thousand years! But even so, I underestimated it. To carve a path beyond the Supreme... how could people like us 'ordinary folks' ever fathom such an existence?"

"A Divine Emperor..."

Several Heavenly Emperors couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Gu You's gaze remained fixed on Li Pin, filled with disbelief, yet even more so, a tangle of complicated feelings.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The words "Divine Emperor" inevitably reminded him of his master.

If Master had truly stayed neutral and not sided with the Astral Lord Council, then all would be well. But if he has already joined them... how shall I position myself when he faces Li Pin, someone who has also become a Divine Emperor?

What unsettled him even more was that... Li Pin had reached the Divine Emperor realm in just over three hundred years.

From an ordinary mortal to the very peak of the Astral World in only three centuries... and he might have even opened a path beyond the Supreme. This kind of talent... Genius? Supreme prodigy? Monster? None of those words even came close.

To stand against someone like that... just thinking about it was enough to make one despair.

He stared at Li Pin's youthful face and silently prayed,

Master... please... don't make the wrong choice.

Li Pin turned to Gu You. "Contact Emperor Xi."

Gu You responded, "Understood."

He took out a medium and began performing the Primordial Spirit Art.

Just then, the Divine Martial Emperor suddenly spoke. "Wait."

He turned to Li Pin, eyes full of excitement. "Lord Origin, you were appointed as the temporary leader of the Supreme Council. Back then, you lacked strength, so you focused on cultivation.

"But now... you've become a Divine Emperor, essentially becoming the strongest among all the Heavenly Emperors of the Eastern Hua Continent. You can stand up now, rally the other emperors, and launch an assault on the Myriad Astral God Hall. Wouldn't that—"

"No need," Li Pin cut him off. "I'll go alone."

The Divine Martial Emperor still wanted to say more, but Tai Yi quickly sent him a telepathic message, summarizing what had happened earlier in the meeting hall.

After hearing it, the Divine Martial Emperor's expression darkened. "They..."

He seemed ready to speak again, but after thinking of the nature of humanity, he could only let out a long sigh.

Soon, the Primordial Spirit Art responded, and the figure of Divine Emperor Xi appeared once more.

He glanced nonchalantly at everyone. "Looks like you've made your decision."

Li Pin stepped forward with a smile. "I'm heading to the Myriad Astral God Hall now."

"Very well," Divine Emperor Xi replied calmly. "When the time comes, I will personally bring you to the palace where Jin'que resides and witness your fair duel."

Then he looked at Li Pin. "If your strength proves worthy, you will become the new Central Sovereign Heavenly Emperor."

Though his tone was calm, his words carried unshakable weight.

"Because I said so."