Chapter 931: Alliance

"Origin," called out Transcendent Black White.

This was an ancient existence who had cultivated both the Supreme and Transcendence Paths, just like Supreme Regalheaven.

"Your achievements... are truly unbelievable. I faintly recall someone like you from my era. He was so astonishingly brilliant. Someone like him... I should never have forgotten him. Yet somehow, I have."

"Supreme Regalheaven once told me the same thing," replied Li Pin.

"Regalheaven, huh," muttered Transcendent Black White, having an impression of the name. "I remember when I first heard that name, he was only a Sovereign. I didn't expect that he'd achieve this much after the shattering of the Astral World."

"I'm not talking about his evaluation of me..." Li Pin added. "He also said that in his era, there was someone just as brilliant. And he, too, had forgotten that person's existence."

As those words left his mouth, not only did Transcendent Black White pause, but even Null beside him sensed something amiss.

A Transcendent was said to be omniscient and omnipotent. It was strange for them to forget something unless they had suffered a major trauma or blow.

Like Null, who had experienced a severe loss in her database.

But now, a brilliant existence seemed to have faded from Transcendent Black White's memory, forgotten. Strangely, Supreme Regalheaven was experiencing the same thing.

This couldn't be a simple coincidence.

"So, is there a possibility that... the person you both speak of is the same one?" said Li Pin.

He continued, "And considering how your concepts of that Eternal and the Power of Eternity have also grown hazy, we can reasonably deduce that the person you both described is exactly the Eternal you've all been searching for. The same one who expelled the Creators behind the Astral Lord Council and made them tremble with fear."

Null and Black White fell into deep thought. For a moment, neither of them said a word.

Li Pin was slightly surprised. "Is it that hard to connect the two?"

"No, it's not hard to connect the two at all!" said Transcendent Black White, lifting his gaze to look at Li Pin solemnly. "But rather... why haven't we come to such a conclusion all these years when the connection seems so blatantly obvious?"

Null also spoke up. "Your Majesty Origin, I recall you said that even Creators like Miao Ya only recently had an awakening, overcame their fear of the mysterious and unknown, and fully turned their gaze toward the starry universe, preparing themselves mentally to face this Eternal head-on...."

She paused. "So what exactly happened during that period?"

With a wave of her hand, several timelines appeared, organized neatly. "The timing of these changes seems oddly coincidental, three hundred and thirty years. If I recall correctly, it has only been 332 years since your birth. That's only two years apart from when the Creators behind the Astral Lord Council and Transcendent Black White sent messages to me...."

Her gaze immediately landed on Li Pin. "And your every achievement is so incredible and so extraordinary, matching perfectly with the one they described.... So, is it possible that the key to everything that has occurred... lies with you—Liberator Origin!"

"Me."

Upon hearing Null's analysis, Li Pin began contemplating the question.

After a moment, he glanced at Transcendent Black White. "You sent that message to Lord Null three hundred and thirty years ago?"

"Yes." Transcendent Black White nodded. "It is quite coincidental, only two years apart from your birth—"

"No!" said Li Pin quickly. "It wasn't two years—it was the same time!"

Transcendent Black White was startled. "The same time?"

However, Null quickly realized something. Although Li Pin was born 332 stellar years ago, he had lived the first two of those years as an ordinary mortal, without stirring any ripples. His life truly changed 330 stellar years ago!

That timing aligned perfectly with when Transcendent Black White had sent the message.

Li Pin stared at Transcendent Black White and asked, "Why did you ask Null that question back then? About whether civilizations existed beyond the universe?"

"Because of... Li[1]."

Transcendent Black White said gravely, "Transcendent Li."

"Transcendent Li?" muttered Null.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

There was no record of this Transcendent in her database. In fact, she realized that her archives held nearly no information about the Ancient Astral World. This was also why she believed she wasn't a lifeform from the Ancient Astral World, but rather from beyond the stars. Of course, since this data might have been lost, that understanding wasn't absolute.

"Time is a circle." Transcendent Black White pondered, then explained, "Perhaps all things in existence unfold in some kind of cycle."

With a wave of his hand, a cosmic projection appeared in his palm.

"The Astral World during ancient times could be divided into three eras. The first, I call the Sprouting Era. It was when all life pioneered and perfected the cultivation system from nothingness. Starting from mortals and True Gods, to Immortals and Supremes, and finally becoming Transcendents..."

He paused. "Our understanding of Transcendence was not the same as yours. Though there were Abyssal Beasts, there wasn't the concept of the void camp. In other words, back then, the void did not rampage, and we Transcendents did not sever all ties and fall into the Oblivion."

"Were Eternals extremely rare in your era?" Li Pin suddenly asked.

"Yes." Transcendent Black White nodded. "Supremes, second only to Transcendents, had lifespans of less than one epoch."

Null was surprised that Supreme suffered from such short lifespans. One epoch was merely one hundred thousand stellar years.

"Existence and Void have always been corresponding existences. The longer the existence, the deeper the void," Li Pin said.

Transcendent Black White nodded. "We've studied this problem before. Our conclusions were similar to what you just said."

Li Pin nodded. He wasn't surprised that these ancient beings had also reached that understanding.

"After the first era came the second, the Order Era," continued Transcendent Black White. "The Transcendents, feeling the universe's chaos, paved structured cultivation paths, founded sanctums, and passed on cultivation methods, knowledge, and culture."

He sighed slightly. "Even though Supremes back then, despite their strength, had lifespans under one epoch, the overall atmosphere was vibrant and prosperous. So much so that even Supremes whose insights rivaled Divine Emperors and Heavenly Emperors emerged in rapid succession."

"Comprehension on par with Divine Emperors and Heavenly Emperors..."

Li Pin understood the weight of such a statement. After all, what kind of monstrous talents were these people to cultivate to the level of Divine Emperors and Heavenly Emperors in no more than a single epoch!

Even if they had a better environment and abundant resources back then, stepping into such realms in such a short timeframe placed them leagues ahead of the current era's Supreme Prodigies.

"Then came the third era. It was also the era when that peerlessly brilliant existence emerged and illuminated the world."

Transcendent Black White seemed to drift into a moment of reminiscence when he spoke of this era.

Li Pin and Null didn't interrupt but waited patiently.

It was a long while before Transcendent Black White spoke again, shaking his head.

"Because of that existence, that era... feels fragmented and incomplete in my memory. I only know that a cataclysmic battle broke out, and there were even more ancient existences that had returned. Those existences were akin to today's Supremes, but in the end, they were obliterated by that mysterious existence. Even we, it seemed, were ultimately driven away by him..."

As he said this, he seemed to realize a flaw in his phrasing and explained, "As I said, time is a circle. You view our era as the Ancient Astral World era, but even in our time, there existed what we regarded as ancient eras."

"So the starry cosmos has already been destroyed three times?" Li Pin asked.

"Yes. There's the generation before, the generation I belonged to, and..." Transcendent Black White looked at Li Pin. "You... represent the generation of the future."

"The past, present, future..." muttered Li Pin.

He felt a strange stirring in his heart. He vaguely sensed something, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall anything.

"Among our batch of Transcendents, the one who amazed us most was Li," said Transcendent Black White. "Before that peerless Eternal appeared, he was without question the number one Transcendent."

Upon hearing that, Li Pin's interest was immediately piqued.

"After we were driven out of the starry cosmos, some of us went deep into the Void of Chaos. However... at that time, many Transcendents, though they had walked the path of Transcendence, switched to another path in pursuit of sufficient substance..."

Transcendent Black White paused. "It was similar to the Supreme Path, but already possessed the embryonic form of modern-day Creation Realms."

"As they advanced, the very concept of their existence left clear imprints within the Void of Chaos. These traces acted like coordinates, guiding other beings and revealing that in a certain region of the void, a universe existed."

Both Null and Li Pin's expressions turned solemn at once.

"Because of insights gained through cultivation, Transcendent Li entered a long seclusion. When he emerged and prepared to leave, he immediately realized the consequences these traces might bring. So, he stayed behind, trying constantly to erase them."

Transcendent Black White sighed. "He traced the trail from the starry cosmos into the depths of the Void of Chaos. However, the traces left behind by those who had departed were far too numerous and far too distinct. One day, he was horrified to discover that a terrifying existence had gotten closer."

He paused, his tone equally heavy. "Li had originally intended to explore deeper into the Void of Chaos, but was forced to contend with this terrifying entity.

"The gap between them was far too great. If not for the shielding nature of Void Force that made him difficult to detect, he would have been devoured long ago. Even so, that fearsome existence continued to follow the traces, and now, it is already at our doorstep!"

"At our doorstep!"

A new crisis has already emerged?

"Faced with such a threat, Li was powerless. In the end, he was persuaded by Transcendent Miao Ya, Yong Yao, and others to once again turn his gaze toward the starry cosmos, hoping to seek 'his' power..."

"The Eternal," said Li Pin.

Transcendent Black White nodded. "I came this time on Li's behalf to prevent a potential civil war from breaking out."

He looked toward Null. "Null, you are acquainted with nearly every Supreme, Highlord, and Transcendent. That is why I thought of you. I hope you can step forward and prove the existence of civilizations beyond the Void of Chaos. This is so that all Supremes, Highlords, and Transcendents will realize that an extinction-level crisis is fast approaching."

Transcendent Black White said solemnly, "At the same time, I am reaching out to all Supremes, Highlords, and Transcendents to convene a summit. We must persuade them that, at this moment, only if we, Miao Ya, Yong Yao, and Li join forces completely, can we possibly overcome the imminent crisis."

1. This Li has the same spelling but different intonation from Li Pin's "Li." The character itself means departure/separation. ☜