Chapter 884: Unstable

While Supreme Genesis and Supreme Primordial sought out Supreme Regalheaven to understand the situation in the Astral World, news of what was happening within the Human Race quickly spread throughout the Astral World.

Several Divine Emperors had clashed in life-and-death battles, and on more than one occasion, powers far beyond the Astral World's limits were unleashed. The commotion was far too great to conceal.

What made it even more shocking was the scale of the losses. Two Divine Emperors, two peak Heavenly Emperors, and hundreds of Tyrants, Sacred Monarchs, and Heavenly Emperors had fallen.

The deaths of Tyrants, Sacred Monarchs, or even Heavenly Emperors were one thing. But Divine Emperors... were said to represent the pinnacle of power in the Astral World.

Divine Emperor Yuan Jie's death had come out of nowhere. It also happened at an untimely moment during the peak of the Astral World's disaster. As a result, the chaos of that period drowned out much of the shock. When people thought back on it, they still felt unsettled, but the impact had already faded.

Besides, rumors said Yuan Jie had faced nearly ten Heavenly Emperors at the time, and the battle took place in the Abyssal Rift, where anything could happen. So, despite all the speculation, his death didn't seem as impactful as one might expect for someone of his status.

But this time was different.

The catastrophe sweeping across the Astral World had already forced everyone to accept the chaos, whether they wanted to or not. And now, two Divine Emperors, symbols of the Astral World's peak, had fallen within the Human Race's Myriad Astral God Hall.

The shock it caused was swift and overwhelming, shaking every faction across the world—the Divine Race, the Star Spirit Clan, the Demon Race, the Sky Clan, and many more.

Even with the Eternal Oblivion Disaster still raging, these Sovereign Races couldn't wait. They immediately sent their top experts to infiltrate the Human Race, using the chaos as cover to investigate the truth behind the deaths of Zhu Zhao and Xuan Huang.

Meanwhile, within the Astral Lord Council, the loss of yet another Astral Lord delivered another heavy blow to this once-rising power. They had no choice but to convene a new meeting once again.

***

The palace forged from Indestructible Matter continued to move steadily.

By now, it had openly emerged from the depths of the Abyssal Rift and revealed itself in the core layer of the Astral World.

From time to time, Cosmic Radiances, Tyrants, even Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors, could be seen coming to this palace to pay their respects and offer worship.

Whenever they saw the immortal radiance glowing from the palace, hope would fill their eyes.

Most of them had been stuck at their current realm for dozens, even hundreds of eras. Some hadn't made the slightest progress in centuries or millennia. Disheartened and in despair, they'd lost all confidence in the path ahead.

But the emergence of the Astral Lord Council gave them a new direction, another path to walk. Even if this path might not be as glorious or as correct as they imagined, even if it might not lead where they hoped, it was still a glimmer of light in the darkness.

In the face of obstacles, people often avoided hardship by instinct, placing their hopes in something they didn't truly understand but that seemed to point in the right direction. They would throw themselves into it, gambling with everything they had.

These Cosmic Radiances, Tyrants, Sacred Monarchs, and Heavenly Emperors were no different.

Especially because the Astral Lord Council had spared no expense in forging the palace from Indestructible Matter. That alone was a show of strength.

The materials used to build the palace were more than enough to forge three to five, or maybe even more Supreme Divine Weapons. To use such precious materials on a palace instead of weapons was proof enough of the Astral Lord Council's extraordinary power.

They were strong enough to "waste" such resources.

***

Meanwhile, in the Astral Lord Council, sixteen thrones stood inside the hall.

Two new thrones had been added. The only problem was that three of the sixteen now sat empty. These three belonged to the founder Yuan Jie, Zhu Zhao, and Xuan Huang, with the latter having joined a bit later.

Fortunately, even with those three missing, the remaining thirteen Astral Lords were all present, either through their avatars or by relying on the palace's unique divine powers.

Everyone had arrived, yet the atmosphere in the hall remained heavy.

At that moment, the de facto leader of the Council, Qiu Yu, spoke. "Yuan Jie's fall has already disrupted our plan to sweep across the Astral World. To this day, the Nine Sovereign Races still haven't fully responded.

"And now, we suffered a crushing defeat at the Myriad Astral God Hall, losing two Astral Lords to the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation. If we remain silent, our campaign will grind to a halt. One wrong move, and we risk ruining our greater plan of gathering the Astral World's fortune to become the Universe's Child."

"We've studied the battle at the Myriad Astral God Hall in detail. That Divine Emperor Origin... isn't as simple as he seems," A Divine Emperor in cyan armor said in a deep voice. "We could still explain Yuan Jie's death as the result of a joint ambush by him, Divine Martial, Tai Yi, and the others."

He continued, "But when Zhu Zhao and Xuan Huang fell, only Emperor Xi was present. We know Xi's strength well. At most, he's evenly matched with them. Depending on their condition, one side might win, but it should never have ended in death. And with Jin'que and Deep Blue assisting... the chances of that outcome are even lower.

"So, as much as we don't want to believe it, that rumor about Divine Emperor Origin... might be true."

The

rumor

....

Those two words silenced many in the hall. Though they said nothing, the truth behind their unease was clear.

And that rumor was... Origin, Li Pin, had forged a new path, one that even many Supremes of the Human Race's Supreme Council had acknowledged and ordered the Human Race to fully support.

"No one here can deny Divine Emperor Origin's talent," the cyan-armored emperor continued. "We all see ourselves as supreme prodigies, unmatched in our own eras. But no matter how proud we are, who among us dares to claim we could reach such a level within three hundred years of cultivation?"

He swept his gaze across the hall. "Forget the battles we haven't witnessed. Just his performance in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War alone already shows that his strength is on par with a Heavenly Emperor. So allow me to ask, has anyone here ever reached that level in just three hundred years?"

No one responded.

They were all proud, convinced they represented the peak of cultivation talent. But none of them could imagine themselves reaching the Heavenly Emperor Realm in only three hundred years.

Even someone like Scorching Flame, who took tens of thousands of years to become a Sacred Monarch, was already hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"With such talent, Origin can no longer be judged by ordinary standards, nor measured by common sense. If he could become a Heavenly Emperor in just three hundred years, then it's entirely possible that, with insight far beyond ours, he's already carved out a brand-new path..."

The cyan-armored emperor said firmly, "A path... that may truly surpass the Heavenly Emperor, go beyond Divine Emperors, and even rise above the Supremes themselves."

"Impossible," Divine Emperor Qiu Yu said in a low voice. "The Astral World has a limit to how much power it can hold. A path like that could never exist. Long Yuan, stop trying to spread panic."

"Failure itself isn't frightening. What's frightening is lacking the courage to accept it," the Divine Emperor called Long Yuan replied calmly. "Whether we accept it or not, the deaths of Divine Emperors Yuan Jie, Zhu Zhao, and Xuan Huang are the best proof of how powerful his path truly is. You should know that before this, Divine Emperors had only ever died from venturing deep into the Abyssal Rift or failing to ascend to Supreme. None had ever fallen to their equals."

Divine Emperor Qiu Yu looked at Long Yuan.

He could clearly sense that after Long Yuan mentioned the deaths of those three Divine Emperors as evidence of Li Pin's path, some in the crowd had begun to waver.

The Astral Lord Council had been founded by nine Divine Emperors. Yet even now, their strength still couldn't compare to the Divine Race or the Astral Beast Rulers.

The reason they rose so quickly, gaining the backing of powerful factions and drawing in both Divine Emperors and Heavenly Emperors, was that they offered a path broader, stronger, and more promising than any other.

Even Divine Emperor Xi, who had long stayed out of worldly affairs and quietly guarded the center of the Myriad Astral God Hall, was starting to hesitate. Let alone the rest.

But now... that so-called new path hadn't shown much at all. In contrast, the Human Race's Divine Emperor Origin had forged his own path, one already recognized by the Human Race's Supreme Council. And with that, he had slain three Divine Emperors and two Elders of the Astral Lord Council in succession.

What's more, no one knew when the Eternal Oblivion Disaster in the Astral World would come to an end, or when the Supremes and Highlords beyond the Astral World might suddenly step in. In such a climate, doubt was only natural.

Divine Emperor Qiu Yu glanced toward a certain direction. It was where Divine Emperor Zang Xu of the Sky Clan stood.

Zang Xu seemed to sense his gaze, but his expression remained unchanged. From that, Qiu Yu already knew what he meant.

He said in a grave tone, "Origin of the Human Race has already slain three of our Divine Emperors. The Astral Lord Council cannot stay silent. I will take action myself. Mo Xing and Zhong Yan will join me. Together, we'll kill Origin and restore the Council's dignity."

As soon as those words fell, the gathered Divine Emperors stirred slightly.

Divine Emperor Qiu Yu wasn't just a founder of the Astral Lord Council. He had

Their

powerful backing, and his skills far surpassed those of many other Divine Emperors.

Many had witnessed his abilities with their own eyes, which was why they trusted him and joined the Astral Lord Council.

The other two Divine Emperors, Mo Xing and Zhong Yan, were no different. Though they hadn't yet walked that ultimate path,

They

had bestowed upon each of them with Transcendent Divine Weapons.

With the three of them joining forces, none of the other Divine Emperors present believed anyone could escape their joint attacks.

At that moment, Qiu Yu spoke again. "The fall of Zhu Zhao and Jin'que has left vast lands of the Human Race unclaimed. The Astral Lord Council must take control of these territories."

He glanced around the room. "Whoever helps me eliminate Origin will claim the Human lands once this is done."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tian Yu of the Divine Race stood up. "How can the Divine Race be left out when it comes to dealing with the Humans?"

Seeing Tian Yu take the lead, Yang Guang of the Sky Clan also stepped forward. "Count me in."

Several others looked tempted as well. But recalling what happened to Yuan Jie, Zhu Zhao, and Xuan Huang, they chose to act with caution.

Qiu Yu noticed the hesitation. He knew the hearts of many had wavered. This battle had to end in victory, with no room for failure.

Still, he kept his calm. "Then it's settled. Once our True Bodies unite, we'll strike the Human Race, break through the Myriad Astral God Hall, and eliminate Origin!"