Chapter 745: Chapter 745

"Sixty-sixth level...."

On a peak in the Humanity Sanctum, Di Yiliu repeated this number to himself.

He had been feeling agitated for some time now.

Li Pin had shown his strength by ascending to the sixty-sixth level on the Supreme Ladder.

While this couldn't be said to be an extraordinary number, it was not low either. It was alright.

Di Yiliu couldn't call Li Pin weak. He wasn't even confident he could defeat him himself.

But... he couldn't really say that Li Pin was strong either. The sixty-sixth level simply didn't inspire despair. It didn't give the feeling that defeat was inevitable.

After all, Li Pin had mastered manifesting a universe. His performance on the Supreme Ladder, unaffected by the power of the Eternal Oblivion, had been impressive enough, and everyone had mentally prepared for it.

What truly troubled Di Yiliu was the shift in prestige that Li Pin's result had caused.

Li Pin's potential was far from that of the Highlord's direct disciple, meaning that even if Di Yiliu defeated him, he would never be in the sights of the true giants.

Forcing Li Pin to act would be a gamble with his own position. Winning would be fine, but if he lost, the cost would far outweigh any benefit.

After a long pause, Di Yiliu sighed. "Forget it. The reason Li Pin carries so much of the Eternal Oblivion Force is clearly because his realm exceeds his control. If he loses focus, he might release uncontrollable power. But I can still conclude that his combat strength is formidable."

He leaned back in his seat. "If I really challenge him, I might push him to the point where he unleashes an attack on the level of manifesting a universe. At that point, even if his attack isn't enhanced by True Spirit, I won't be able to withstand it. In the end, he wins but bears the heavy burden of the Eternal Oblivion Force, while I lose, along with my chance to be sought out by the mighty beings. It would be mutually destructive."

With that thought, he finally felt at ease.

He flipped his hand, and a token appeared in his grasp.

This was none other than the token of the Dragon Origin Dojo.

Whenever the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, also known as the competition of all races, was about to begin, the Supremes and Highlords would stir into action. The level of their involvement depended on the interests they sought to gain or the conflicts they aimed to resolve in this era.

Occasionally, some of the Supremes and Highlords who didn't belong to any race or faction would offer opportunities.

For instance, the token of the Dragon Origin Dojo, passed down for nine hundred years by Supreme Dao Origin, was distributed in an unknown way, with the bearer's acquisition determined by luck and chance.

Anyone holding this token could go to the Dragon Origin Dojo to listen to the Dao for a full decade before the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War began.

Even ten years of listening was a rare opportunity for countless Astral Gods to meet a Supreme.

Many even hoped to perform exceptionally well during that time and catch the Supreme's attention, perhaps becoming their disciple in the process.

Even if it was just a glimmer of hope... having hope was far better than none at all.

Di Yiliu knew that Li Pin had been asking about Supreme Dao Origin's whereabouts. By coincidence, he had obtained this token many years ago. That's why he had confidently said earlier that if he challenged Li Pin, the latter would certainly accept.

But now... there was no need for that anymore.

Just as Di Yiliu was about to give up on challenging Li Pin, a burly man hurried over.

Seeing Di Yiliu, he quickly said, "The Black List of the Void Clan is out!"

"The Void Clan?" Di Yiliu's eyes lit up. "Let me see."

Each of the other eight sovereign races, aside from humanity, had their own Black List. Even the Intelligent Lifeform Race, which had a relatively good relationship with humanity, was no exception.

After all, being on good terms was one thing, while competing was another entirely.

That said, among all the Black Lists compiled by different races, the ones humanity paid the most attention to came from the Divine Race, the Void Clan, and the Unique Lifeform Alliance.

The Divine Race's Black List, in particular, held the highest importance. They were, after all, humanity's greatest enemy.

"How many from the Humanity Sanctum made it into the top hundred of the Black List?"

"Nine," the man answered quickly. "This time, we have nine people in the top hundred."

"Nine?" Di Yiliu was surprised. "Last time, there were twelve. If we include Li Pin, it should be thirteen—so why has it dropped to nine?"

"Maybe it's because the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War is approaching," the burly man guessed. "Also, many have started revealing their strength. Maybe that's what caused their rankings to shoot up?"

For weaker races, the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War was a time to lay low and seize the moment when the opportunity struck.

Stronger races, on the other hand, often chose to flaunt their power early, aiming to subdue others without even fighting.

There might be one or two hidden trump cards, but most chose to display their power well before the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War officially began.

Anyone who chose to participate in the battle would earn the admiration of all human civilizations across the cosmos. If they managed to secure victory in a key area of interest, they would be hailed as heroes of humanity.

Even if their talent was lacking, it wasn't impossible for a Supreme to take them in as a personal disciple.

At the very least, the Heavenly Emperor might choose to mentor them, nurturing them as one of the race's future pillars. They would be continuously granted resources as a reward for their contributions to humanity.

Di Yiliu glanced at the list of nine names. "Nine..."

Thousand Dust, Gu Yuan, Sheng Xu, Luo Shenxi, and Lin Tianhuang were all on the list. The other four were Fan Jingtian, Wan Wuyi, Leng Xuan, and Li Pin.

As Di Yiliu's eyes landed on Li Pin's name, they widened with shock. "Li Pin is ranked forty-nine?!"

"Forty-nine?" The burly man was also taken aback. "I didn't really look closely. I only skimmed the list before coming to you."

"Forty-nine!? How could it be forty-nine!?"

Di Yiliu's gaze passed straight over Luo Shenxi, whose very presence weighed upon the Humanity Sanctum, and fixed on what lay beyond.

"Lin Tianhuang dropped by one rank, now at fifty-eight. Gu Yuan fell four spots to sixty-five. Sheng Xu dropped two ranks, now sitting at sixty-nine..."

The remaining few were all in the eighties, barely clinging to a spot on the Black List.

They might fall off in the next update or the one after.

However, none of that was on Di Yiliu's mind at the moment. He had a more pressing thought to consider.

He was in disbelief. "How is Li Pin ranked forty-ninth? He only made it through sixty-six steps on the Supreme Ladder! In the entire Humanity Sanctum, more than twenty people have climbed past sixty-nine steps—and most of them didn't even make the list. But Li Pin... sixty-six steps, yet he's forty-ninth!?"

The burly man guessed, "Could it be a setup? Building him up just to tear him down?"

"A setup?" Di Yiliu's gaze deepened. "The Black List isn't controlled by any single faction. It's a comprehensive bounty list with a certain degree of credibility. If this really is a setup, the bounty alone would be far too costly."

He paused, then continued, "And a setup like that would be even more concerning. After all, not even our highest-ranked, Luo Shenxi, who made it to thirteenth, has ever faced something . If the Void Clan really is setting Li Pin up, that means they see him as a much bigger threat than we do.

The burly man fell silent.

"The Void Clan's Black List is out. The Divine Race's list will be released soon. Once we get our hands on it, we can compare the two. If the Void Clan's list shows any signs of foul play... we'll know," Di Yiliu explained slowly.

The Black List had always served as the clearest benchmark for measuring one's overall strength.

As the saying goes, "No one knows you better than your greatest enemy."

The weight you hold in the eyes of your enemies often reflects the position you truly occupy within your own race.

This time, when the Void Clan released their updated Black List, three individuals from the Humanity Sanctum were outright removed, and most of the others saw their rankings drop to varying degrees.

Only one name defied all expectations—Li Pin.

Once considered unlikely to even make the list, he made a meteoric rise, breaking into the top fifty and landing straight at forty-ninth.

The result left everyone stunned.

In an instant, various speculations began to flood in.

No one could understand why Li Pin, who had only shown the level of sixty-sixth steps on the Supreme Ladder, warranted such a high evaluation from the Void Clan. He had even been placed above renowned figures like Lin Tianhuang, Gu Yuan, and Sheng Xu, all of whom had surpassed seventieth steps.

For a moment, it seemed that Li Pin, who should have been remembered as just another promising human prodigy after completing the Supreme Ladder, was once again thrust into the spotlight.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Less than half a stellar year later, the Divine Race released their finalized Black List. And when the members of the Humanity Sanctum saw Li Pin's ranking on that list, a chill ran down their spines.

Within the grand hall of the Humanity Sanctum, the Vice Hall Masters—Yuan Guang, Zhen Ming, Wan Gujie, and Shi Xingzun—gathered once again.

All eyes were fixed on the list released by the Divine Race.

To be precise, they were all staring at Li Pin's rank, rendered speechless for a long time.

"How could this be...?"

"The Void Clan couldn't possibly be unaware of Li Pin's performance on the Supreme Ladder," Wan Gujie replied. "So many Astral Gods were watching when he climbed it, and by the time the results were released, reports had already reached the intelligence departments of the Void Clan's major royal families. No one doubts this—doubting it would mean doubting ourselves."

Judging by Shi Xingzun's expression, he seemed to agree with this.

After a moment, Zhen Ming, who had been trying to secure a spot on the Primordial Disk for his juniors, spoke hoarsely, "Could it be... some mistake? Li Pin... he only reached the sixty-sixth step on the Supreme Ladder! His potential isn't even close to that of a Heavenly Emperor's personal disciple!"

A mistake? Are you questioning the entire Divine Race's promotional department? If the Divine Race had made such a mistake, they would have been expelled from the Nine Great Sovereign Races long ago.

"Sixty-six steps on the Supreme Ladder.... Why would the Divine Race give him such a ranking on their Black List? Is it our problem, or...?" Yuan Guang pondered.

Just as he was about to speak again, an overwhelming pressure tore through the air, carrying a will so powerful it felt like it could bend time itself.

"The Sacred Flame Hall's emergency high-level meeting is now in session! All of you, report immediately!"

The Vice Hall Masters instantly rose to their feet, sensing the force behind the command, and bowed from afar.

"Understood, Hall Master."

"We'll head there now."

Their responses were swift, but their minds were reeling.

An emergency high-level meeting? Out of nowhere? What could have happened!?

Almost in unison, their gazes shifted toward the Divine Race's Black List.

It had been decades since anyone from the Humanity Sanctum made it into the top ten. The source of this content ɪs novel⚑fire.net

And now, a certain person had occupied a spot within the top ten, shaking not only the Vice Hall Masters but the entire Sacred Flame Hall.

Black List No. 9: Li Pin.