Chapter 876: Backup

Li Pin gazed at Jin'que. "Jin'que, if this is your limit, then..."

The Six Paths Wheel unfolded behind him. Matter, energy, time, space, along with the embryonic forces of karma and reincarnation, all began to circulate within the Supreme Divine Weapon.

As these forces started to flow together, Jin'que found himself unable to withstand the Six Paths Wheel. Even the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation, set up by six Heavenly Emperors and over three hundred Sacred Monarchs and Tyrants, began to falter.

It felt as if... a true Supreme Being was awakening within the Six Paths Wheel, and the terrifying power spreading from it had already risen far beyond the limits of the Astral World.

Jin'que's pupils dilated. "This power..."

He could no longer afford to worry about how Zhu Zhao needed the Formation to suppress Divine Emperor Xi. He shouted sharply, "Channel the power of the Formation into me!"

But... it was already too late.

Hearing that Jin'que was still placing his hopes on the Formation instead of risking everything with a forbidden technique, Li Pin formed a sword with his fingers and pointed it straight at him.

Rumble, rumble!

The forces of matter and energy generated by the Six Paths Wheel, combined with its control over time and space, and the budding powers of karma and reincarnation, all gathered into this single strike. When the sword shot forth, it was as if a universe had been born.

Unlike the universes that collapsed upon creation due to instability, this one began to grow and divide at an astonishing pace, rising on its own beyond the Astral World's upper limit. As time passed, the power of this strike would only grow stronger.

Its growth followed an exponential path, rising from 1 to 10, then to 1,000, then to a million, and even to a trillion.

Even though time was limited, the moment Li Pin unleashed this sword strike, Jin'que, bathed in starlight and golden radiance, felt the world collapse and all creation vanish. It was like an entire universe crashing down upon him. The overwhelming force of destruction brought a deep sense of helplessness and despair.

And yet, Jin'que knew better than anyone. He couldn't afford to lose. He had bet everything on this battle. No matter what, he couldn't lose.

Despair, fear, and unwillingness surged in his chest. The suffocating powerlessness and the looming destruction drove him into madness. "No! No! No!"

All he could do was face it head-on. Even knowing it was hopeless, he still raised his war sword and slashed with everything he had left. His final strike, his last cry.

"World Glory!"

Buzz, buzz!

A blinding golden sword light burst from his blade, surpassing even the brilliance of the stars. For a moment, it filled everyone's vision.

It was stunning, but like a rootless duckweed, it drifted without foundation.

As the laws of time turned, the Eternal Swordlight and the golden brilliance clashed thousands, tens of thousands of times in the span of a breath.

Through those countless clashes, the golden glow dimmed and vanished. Then, even the starlight radiating from Jin'que began to shatter and fade.

The Eternal Swordlight pressed forward. Eternity was compressed into a single moment.

The golden light of the Transcendent Divine Weapon, the radiance of the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation, the final desperate strike of a peak Heavenly Emperor, and finally, the Heavenly Emperor himself.

Outside the blinding light, Zhu Zhao's voice rang out, shaken and furious. "Origin, stop!"

But it was too late. In that single flash of brilliance, everything was devoured.

Only the Eternal Swordlight remained, shining on through time, lighting the heavens and the earth.

"Jin'que!"

The next moment, Divine Emperor Zhu Zhao's power pierced through the air, surging forward in a beam cast from the black sun.

But before the beam could strike the battlefield, a deafening explosion erupted.

Rumble, rumble!

The entire Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation, hammered again and again by forces nearing the limits of the Astral World, finally began to crumble under the strain.

Within the region swept by the Eternal Swordlight, the countless stars were torn apart and pierced through, revealing what lay beyond the starlight for all to see.

The sword light that pierced the formation soared straight into the sky, vanishing in an instant, traveling who knew how many millions of miles.

As this power blasted through the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation, it triggered a massive surge of Eternal Oblivion Force, vast as a world-ending tsunami.

No. This wasn't just a tsunami. This was the Astral World striking back!

It was as if the entire world had launched a counterattack against a Supreme Being who had descended into its domain. The Eternal Oblivion Force surged like a storm far greater than any natural disaster. Above the Myriad Astral God Hall, everything was engulfed in a scene that looked like the end of the world.

Worse still, the Eternal Oblivion Force kept pouring through the breach torn open in the formation.

The moment Zhu Zhao's beam reached Li Pin, it was entangled and dissolved by the Eternal Oblivion Force, which then spread quickly toward his True Body. "Not good!"

Seeing what had transpired, Zhu Zhao immediately reactivated the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation.

With help from the other Heavenly Emperors, Sacred Monarchs, and Tyrants, the breach created by Li Pin's sword light was quickly sealed, finally halting the further invasion of the Eternal Oblivion Force.

Zhu Zhao's pupils dilated sharply as he sensed the sword that pierced through the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation. "This sword light..."

This kind of power... I have only ever felt it from a Supreme.

Supremes were beings who had transcended the Astral World entirely. They stood on a level far beyond that of Heavenly and Divine Emperors.

Divine Emperors were said to represent the peak of power in the Astral World. But in front of a true Supreme, they still paled in comparison.

Though Divine Emperors could force a Supreme to retreat, it was never by overpowering them. Instead, they clashed with the Supremes and pushed them to use power that exceeded what the Astral World could contain. That, in turn, triggered the world's backlash, forcing the Supreme to withdraw.

But... Li Pin is only a Heavenly Emperor... no, a Divine Emperor! But even then, how could he possess power on par with a Supreme!

As Zhu Zhao reeled from the shock, Li Pin stepped forward, entering the battlefield between Zhu Zhao and Xi.

The Six Paths Wheel behind him radiated with ceaseless brilliance.

Matter, energy, time, space, reincarnation, and karma, each took their place, forming what looked like a nascent universe. Even the power of the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation couldn't penetrate it in the slightest.

"Emperor Xi, step back. He's mine," Li Pin said calmly.

Then he looked straight at Zhu Zhao. "Getting nervous? Come. Let me see just how much weight a so-called Divine Emperor really carries. Take this."

Emperor Xi wanted to offer to help secure a fair battleground for Li Pin. But when he looked at Zhu Zhao, now in full control of the formation, and recalled the terrifying power he had just shown... no matter how much he wanted to speak, he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

For a moment, he was completely at a loss. But Li Pin didn't wait. After giving Zhu Zhao a brief warning, he struck.

The Six Paths Wheel in his hand unleashed a power even greater than when it was wielded by its original master, Divine Emperor Yuan Jie. Especially now, as it merged seamlessly with the Phantom Space Technique he had cultivated.

With that fusion, he no longer resembled a mere Divine Emperor, but a true Supreme.

And once he pushed the Phantom Space Technique to its fourth level, he would truly become a Supreme, not merely resemble one. A Supreme who could tear through the Astral World at will, yet still move freely within it.

As his sword came down, a vast, crushing force surged toward Zhu Zhao once more like a universe crashing in full. "Origin—"

Zhu Zhao had just begun to speak when he felt the terrifying might in that strike. At once, he raised the power of the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation to its peak.

With the support of the formation, he too manifested a galaxy, like a Supreme descending in person, clashing head-on with that Eternal Swordlight, wielding the strength of a universe.

In that clash, the Divine Emperor spoke quickly, "Origin... all we've ever sought is the road ahead. Countless years have passed, yet the Supreme and Highlord paths have shown no progress. That alone proves the path is flawed.

"But now, the Astral Lord Council has found a new road, one far more complete than the Supreme or Highlord paths. Once we succeed, we won't just gain power beyond Supremes or Highlords. We may even glimpse the true end... eternal immortality—"

"It doesn't matter," Li Pin cut him off. "If you want me to believe your path is the right one, first, prove to me one thing."

The Ruoxi Sword in his hand flared, resonating with the Six Paths Wheel as another wave of swordlight crashed down. "Defeat me."

Buzz, buzz!

Brilliant starlight and eternal swordlight collided once more in a violent explosion.

It was like two newborn universes slamming into each other. If this power had spilled into the Material World, it could have annihilated an entire galaxy, reducing billions of stars to nothing.

Zhu Zhao felt the overwhelming force, and his heart sank.

He knew full well. One Divine Emperor trying to persuade another with words was nearly impossible. He had to win. Only by defeating Li Pin could he force him to listen.

But... the strength Li Pin displayed now gave off the terrifying illusion that he truly was no weaker than a Supreme.

Though the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation allowed Zhu Zhao to hold on for the moment, those keeping it running, the Heavenly Emperors, Sacred Monarchs, and Tyrants, might not last much longer. Every time the two forces clashed, the overflowing power was absorbed by the formation, and in turn, by them. Once they reached their limits, the formation would collapse.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zhu Zhao suddenly looked up, eyes sharp and cold as ice, locking onto Li Pin. "Origin... you've forced my hand. Xuan Huang, Deep Blue, come forth."

The moment he spoke, two powerful presences surged out from within the formation.