Chapter 892: Mastermind

Aboard the Luminous Ark, Li Pin was listening to Miao Zhuan, Ji Shun, and the others as they discussed their initial plans for spreading human culture in the future.

Just then, a bead on him suddenly lit up, a Pinnacle Cosmic Radiance Divine Item.

As the Eternal Oblivion Disaster worsened, traditional means of communication had become severely disrupted. These days, long-distance messaging often required Divine Items of the Cosmic Radiance level. This bead was one such communication tool.

Li Pin extended his hand. Miao Zhuan and Ji Shun immediately fell silent.

The moment he brought out the bead, Emperor Xi's figure appeared on its surface.

"Did something happen at the Myriad Astral God Hall?"

He had already given instructions not to be disturbed unless it was urgent. For Emperor Xi to contact him now, it was clear something serious had happened.

"Let me guess. It's the Astral Lord Council?"

Emperor Xi paused for a brief moment, then replied, "Yes, the Astral Lord Council, but it's not related to the Myriad Astral God Hall."

He quickly explained, "It's You Ying. Not long ago, she used a pre-arranged channel to send a message to the Hall. She reported that five Divine Emperors from the Astral Lord Council have entered human territory. Their target is you, Your Majesty."

The number made both Miao Zhuan and Ji Shun feel as if the air had been sucked out of their lungs. "Five Divine Emperors!"

What did Five Divine Emperors represent? Even at its peak, the Human Race had never had more than four Divine Emperors at the same time. At its weakest, there had been only one.

And now, five Divine Emperors had entered human territory just to deal with Li Pin...

An overwhelming pressure crashed down on both Miao Zhuan and Ji Shun.

But Li Pin frowned instead. "Only five?"

There was a trace of displeasure in his tone. "Looks like the Astral Lord Council still doesn't take me seriously."

He had made thorough preparations for their revenge, even pushing himself to the limit to complete the cultivation of the Highlord's Divine Body.

And this was all they sent? The Astral Lord Council still had over ten Divine Emperors. Even if they didn't go all out, shouldn't they at least send ninety percent of their strength? But in the end, just five came?

"Zhu Zhao and Xuan Huang already counted as two Divine Emperors. Deep Blue, empowered by the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation, also had the strength of one. I destroyed them all and wiped them out completely. But after losing three top-tier Divine Emperors, they still did not reflect or adjust their stance. Instead, they continued to act like a lion hunting a rabbit, only sending half their strength, five Divine Emperors, for revenge..."

Li Pin couldn't make sense of it. "What are they thinking?"

For a moment, Emperor Xi didn't know how to respond. "

Uh...

"

But the more he thought about it...the more he realized Li Pin had a point.

After all, Li Pin had already killed three Divine Emperors who tried to surround and kill him.

It could even be argued that it was four Divine Emperors, at least to some extent. Back then, Emperor Xi had tried to stop Xuan Huang as well, but Li Pin blocked him.

Thinking of that, Emperor Xi's old face flushed with rare embarrassment.

The process didn't matter. What mattered was that even with four Divine Emperors, they couldn't do anything to Li Pin. He even killed three of them. And now they thought sending five would somehow make a difference?

"I don't get it either," Emperor Xi said. "Maybe they figured... one of the Divine Emperors was held back by me, and your strength is roughly equal to two? So sending five of them was already showing how seriously they take you?"

"No wonder the Astral Lord Council has been hiding in the shadows all these years," Li Pin remarked with some emotion. "They've got no guts. That's why they'll never accomplish anything."

Emperor Xi opened his mouth but didn't know whether to agree or argue.

A moment later, he seemed to receive a new message, and his spirit lifted. "You Ying just sent word. She's already lured the five of them into the Abyssal Rift. That kind of environment should let you fight at your full strength..."

Li Pin was a little surprised. "They actually went?"

Emperor Xi looked speechless. "They did..."

Li Pin didn't know what to say either.

Had they learned nothing from Divine Emperor Yuan Jie's bloody downfall? Facing this kind of opponent...

He started to wonder if this would affect his own judgment, or even lower his IQ.

Emperor Xi said, "Maybe they just have absolute confidence in themselves. You Ying's reason for joining the Astral Lord Council... was honestly kind of dull. It was mainly so she could stay embedded and pass on intelligence.

"They still haven't fully trusted her, and she hasn't come into contact with the real powers behind the council. But based on what she's heard from the others, the reason they've been able to recruit so many Divine Emperors is because their founder, Qiu Yu, holds a power that surpasses even a Divine Emperor... Maybe that's where their confidence comes from?"

"A power beyond a Divine Emperor..." Li Pin murmured. "You mean

Their

power?"

He smiled. "Now that's interesting."

"Then... should I have You Ying stall them in Abyssal Rift No.3?" Emperor Xi asked. "To give you the perfect chance to strike?"

"There's no need. Just stop them outside the Abyssal Rift No.3," Li Pin said calmly, "If they really step into the Rift, they're just throwing their lives away."

Emperor Xi had never seen Li Pin kill the Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, but judging from the power he displayed at the Myriad Astral God Hall, three or five Divine Emperors from the Astral Lord Council still wouldn't be enough whether or not the battlefield was set inside the Rift.

Even if that one called Qiu Yu seemed far stronger than most Divine Emperors... he had confidence in Li Pin.

At that moment, something crossed Li Pin’s mind, and he said, "Tell me... do you really think the Astral Lord Council's Divine Emperors would be so careless as to set the battlefield in the Abyssal Rift again without learning anything? Or could it be..."

He paused. "A trap from the very beginning?"

Emperor Xi was momentarily stunned. Then his pupils dilated. "A trap?”

A flicker of shock crossed his face. "You mean..."

Li Pin gave a small nod. "The bait... is those five Divine Emperors led by Qiu Yu."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Even You Ying might be part of the bait. Because if I don't take the bait, there's a high chance she, our fellow Human Divine Emperor, will be devoured by those five."

Emperor Xi's face turned serious. He quickly ran a mental calculation, and before long, he said in a low voice, "My auxiliary AI just ran a simulation using the available data. The chance this is a trap stands at 53.11%. It's already more likely than not."

Then he added, almost in disbelief, "But if that's true, what makes them so sure they can win, even with the battlefield in the Abyssal Rift?"

Li Pin said it plainly, "My power has already exceeded what the Astral World can contain. That's beyond question. Add to that the fact that I killed two Divine Emperors in the Hall... my strength is already outside what the Astral World is meant to hold.

"The Astral Lord Council probably understands this even better than we do. Against me, even if all their Divine Emperors came at once, it would still be meaningless. The only way to guarantee my death is to strike from a higher plane, to hit me with a dimensional collapse."

"A higher plane...?"

Emperor Xi's brows knit. Realization hit him. "You mean... 'They' might act personally?"

Li Pin smiled.

Even if it was just a guess... if it were true... that would be perfect.

"Let's go. To Abyssal Rift No.3."

Emperor Xi immediately spoke up. "Your Majesty Origin, please reconsider. Based on what I know about the Astral Lord Council and how their power works, the beings behind them should be on the same level as the Supremes. They can't project their power directly into the Astral World.

"But the Abyssal Rift is different. It's the bridge between the Astral World and the Void of Chaos. If they control the passage between the Void and the Abyss, they could bypass the Material World, go through the Void, and appear in the Rift from there... I believe that's why they chose the Abyssal Rift as the battlefield in the first place."

"Capture the leader first," Li Pin said. "The Astral Lord Council has been stirring up chaos in the Astral World. I've already decided to deal with them. But if they slip into the shadows and split up, it'll become a real mess trying to hunt them down later.

"Now that the forces behind them are about to surface, this is the perfect time to destroy

Them

. Once they're gone, the Astral Lord Council will collapse on its own."

Then, in a tone that brooked no argument, he added, "This is the best way to end the threat of the Astral Lord Council once and for all."

Emperor Xi opened his mouth, wanting to say something. It took a while before he finally spoke. "I don't have proof, but back when Zhu Zhao and Jin'que tried to persuade me, the methods they used made me feel... that the beings behind the Astral Lord Council might actually be stronger than the Supremes and Highlords in some ways."

He looked at Li Pin. "That's why I hesitated back then."

Li Pin replied, "You're overthinking it. If the power behind them was really that strong, they would've ruled the universe long ago. Why would they still be hiding in the dark, stirring up trouble from the shadows?

"But the fact that they're stronger is real... and that's exactly what I want."

Li Pin met Emperor Xi’s gaze. "Because I want

Them

to be strong enough."

Back when he completed the Highlord's Divine Body, he already realized that even if the entire Astral Lord Council came at him, they still couldn't threaten him enough to push him past his limits.

The only ones who could force him to grow were the true Supremes.

In fact, he himself was now a Supreme. After all, he had mastered matter, energy, time, and space. It's just that he was still new and lacked the deep foundation or vast reserves of the old ones.

In this state, whether fighting another Supreme could truly push him further was still uncertain.

But if the forces behind the Astral Lord Council were even stronger in some ways than the Supremes... then they were exactly what he had been waiting for.

He even hoped they would be stronger.

The stronger, the better

...

only then can I feel that burning heat in my soul once again.

"A trap? Then let's see who's the hunter, and who's the prey."

Li Pin ended his conversation with Emperor Xi and gave a decisive order. "First Galaxy, take control of the Luminous Ark. We're heading to Abyssal Rift No. 3!"