Chapter 762: Chapter 762

Palace Lord Qing Yu paused, startled. "A celebration?"

Then, as if something clicked, her expression shifted. "Lord Ju Mang, don't tell me... you're planning to have her marry one of the prodigies? That mustn't happen."

Ju Mang looked slightly helpless at her reaction.

Before he could respond, Han Su, standing behind him, quickly stepped in. "Qing Yu, you've got it all wrong. You've been so focused on that girl these past few days, you probably haven't had time to notice what's happening outside."

"I gave Sacred Child Li my word that I'd look after her. I can't just break that promise," Qing Yu said. "She just broke through to the Solar Flare Realm. Her energy is unstable. Even a moment of carelessness could be dangerous."

Ju Mang glanced at her, silently thinking to himself, Seems fortune really is on her side... though she did earn it through her own hard work.

With that, he finally said, "The prodigy I mentioned isn't just anyone. I was referring to Li Pin."

Qing Yu froze. "Li Pin!?"

"You can't refer to him so casually anymore," Han Su said with a chuckle. "He's now known as Cosmic Radiance Origin. And before long, we'll be calling him Tyrant Origin."

"Cosmic Radiance? Tyrant? Li Pin?" Qing Yu looked more confused than ever. "Wasn't he just at the sixty-sixth step of the Supreme Ladder a few decades ago? Even if the Divine Race ranked him ninth on the Black List, that shouldn't mean—"

Halfway through her sentence, she caught sight of the serious looks on their faces. Her words faltered, and the confusion in her eyes slowly faded.

It took her several breaths to fully process the meaning behind this news. "Li Pin... he's reached the Cosmic Radiance Realm? He became an Astral God less than a century ago, and now he's already stepped into Cosmic Radiance?"

"Correct." Ju Mang nodded. "And he's declared his Cosmic Radiance title as Light of Origin. Not only did he achieve it in under a hundred years, but the moment he did, he stormed the Supreme Ladder and reached the eightieth step! At this pace, it won't be long before we're all calling him Tyrant Origin."

"A hundred years... to reach the Cosmic Radiance Realm? Immediately passing the eightieth step on the Supreme Ladder?"

Palace Lord Qing Yu listened to Ju Mang's words, then glanced at Han Su, Shu Huang, and the others. None of them looked like they were joking. In that moment, her world felt unreal.

She had always known Li Pin was extraordinary. Ever since he emerged from the Heavenly Prison World, many had believed he was destined to become a Cosmic Tyrant.

That was exactly why she had devoted herself to guiding Li Yunyao.

But she had never imagined that day would come so soon.

She had been prepared to spend thousands of years patiently grooming and training Li Yunyao, all for the sake of earning a future favor from a potential Tyrant.

Yet now, less than a century later, that favor was practically within reach.

No, it wasn't just within reach. Its value had multiplied many times over.

To become an Astral God, reach the Cosmic Radiance Realm in under a hundred years, and then, upon stepping into Cosmic Radiance, to ascend all the way to the eightieth step of the Supreme Ladder.... If he continued at this pace, wouldn't he truly have a shot at becoming a Sacred Monarch?

Not just a Sacred Emperor. He might even reach the level of a Heavenly Emperor.

At that thought, even Qing Yu, who was already in the Cosmic Radiance Realm, couldn't help but feel her heart stir slightly.

"Alright. Lord Light of Origin will be focusing on preparations for the upcoming Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War. Let's not disturb him for now," Ju Mang said. "Once the tournament ends, we'll go together, with his sister, to welcome him back in glory. Let's give him a proper surprise."

As he spoke, he summoned a treasure directly. "I've already obtained His Majesty the Azure Emperor's permission to borrow the Pinnacle Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon—Reincarnation Mirror. It'll help her quickly master the power of the Light of the Ark. Let's all do our part to prepare for that moment of triumph."

"With honor," Qing Yu replied, standing tall with renewed spirit.

A look of stunned joy lit up her face, like a blessing had suddenly fallen from the heavens.

The Golden Emperor Clan was a vassal race of the Human Race.

They were technically subordinate, but after countless years of coexistence, coupled with their dwindling numbers, they had come to see themselves as part of the larger human family.

At most, they could be considered another ethnic minority.

At this moment, Ai Sa, who had missed the enrollment period for the Eternal Ascent of Humanity Initiative, stood frozen in disbelief, staring at his clan's Grand Patriarch.

He couldn't even begin to process the shocking news he had just heard.

"H–how is this possible!? Li... Li Pin?"

"Address him as His Majesty, Light of Origin," the Grand Patriarch of the Golden Emperor Clan said sternly. "His potential already far exceeds mine. It's only a matter of time before his strength surpasses me completely. Once he stabilizes his explosive surge in strength, I'll have no choice but to concede to him."

The Cosmic Radiance figure, glowing with golden light across several parts of his body, sighed. "After all, he's reached the eightieth step of the Supreme Ladder."

His own best record had only been the seventy-sixth step. And that was only because he happened to have an advantage over the opponent he faced. In reality, his limit was probably around the seventy-fifth step.

"Eightieth... the eightieth step..." Ai Sa muttered the words under his breath, clenching his jaw so tightly it felt like his teeth might shatter.

When he first heard that Li Pin had reached the sixty-sixth step of the Supreme Ladder, Ai Sa had secretly attempted it himself. But he only managed to reach the thirty-first step. Thirty-one against sixty-six. That gap had been a crushing blow to his pride, especially since he had never considered himself any less talented than Li Pin.

Still, he convinced himself that Li Pin had to have encountered some miraculous opportunity in the Heavenly Prison World, one that had sped up his cultivation. So Ai Sa shut himself away in cultivation, determined to break through to Solar Flare and surpass Li Pin by pushing past the sixty-sixth step.

But now, before even reaching Solar Flare, his Grand Patriarch returned with news that Li Pin had broken through to the Cosmic Radiance Realm and reached the eightieth step on the Supreme Ladder.

As someone who deeply understood the difficulty of the thirty-second step, just thinking about it filled Ai Sa with an overwhelming sense of despair.

"Don't be upset. Don't lose heart. People are born different." The Grand Patriarch looked at Ai Sa's expression and knew exactly what he was thinking. He comforted him, "Don't compare yourself to those true, supreme prodigies. Otherwise, you'll only trap yourself in hopelessness."

Ai Sa's eyes turned red. "But... but I... I was so close back then..."

He had been so close! Back then, he had been just one step away from facing Li Pin in battle. And his chances of winning had been quite high.

"Our Golden Emperor lineage sounds impressive—'infinitely close to unique lifeforms,' they say—but in the end, it's just us flattering ourselves. If that were really the case, we wouldn't have produced so few Cosmic Radiance cultivators throughout our history.

"Not to mention, even unique lifeforms are only on par with human prodigies. In front of true supreme talents, they simply don't measure up."

There was a touch of lament in his voice. "You must learn to accept the gap between yourself and others."

He looked at Ai Sa, the clan's most promising descendant, perhaps the one most likely to achieve Cosmic Radiance, and continued, "If you really can't get past this mental hurdle, think of it this way: at least you haven't fought him. And if you haven't fought, technically, you haven't lost. Right?"

Hearing this only made Ai Sa feel worse.

He had hoped Li Pin would grow stronger, strong enough to give him a proper, satisfying battle. But he had grown so strong that there wasn't any meaning in it anymore!

No one said he would become this strong! Isn't this basically cheating!?

The Taiyuan Divine Mountain was a faction founded by Taiyuan Radiance, now integrated into the Cangjie Continent. The entire mountain range spanned tens of thousands of kilometers.

Those residing on Taiyuan Divine Mountain were not only the direct descendants of Taiyuan Radiance but also members of his sect, including Starshine disciples, Solar Flare Deacons, and various Elders. In addition, this vast divine mountain was home to over a million Astral Gods.

These Astral Gods, living under the protection of Taiyuan Radiance, formed the foundation of the mountain's prosperity. They contributed significant tax revenues and served as vital pillars of its development.

Among them, those with exceptional talent, especially those who broke through to the Tier Six Legendary Realm in the Material World, would enter the Astral World. There, they would undergo strict selection before being sent to Taiyuan Divine Mountain.

Those with top-tier potential were carefully nurtured, while even those who were somewhat weaker would serve as guards, protecting the mountain from the countless dangers lurking in the Astral World.

At this moment, however, the mountain's founder, Taiyuan Radiance, was in a thunderous rage, lashing out at the mountain lord, Solar Flare Li Song.

"Didn't I tell you to completely expel everyone from the Zi Clan? And yet there are still remnants left? Are you trying to lose your position as mountain lord?"

Li Song quickly explained, "Grand Patriarch, please calm down! Elder Zi Zhongtian has served Taiyuan Divine Mountain for countless eras. He has always been diligent and loyal. He has already accepted his punishment and now serves the sect. The others are minor figures. If we truly wipe them out, the world might see us as cold-blooded and heartless..."

"Nonsense! Do you really think you can hide your true intentions from a Cosmic Radiance? Ha! The Zi Clan was so eager, pouring out all their resources just to preserve a sliver of life..."

Taiyuan Radiance swept his hand violently. "You're finished as a mountain lord. After I clean up this mess, I'll deal with everything you've done over the years. Someone, take him away!"

Li Song desperately pleaded, "Grand Patriarch! Please! I'm your most favored descendant! Everything I've done was for the stability of Taiyuan Divine Mountain!"

"Stability? More like inviting disaster!" Taiyuan Radiance shot him a cold look. "The Zi Clan offended His Majesty Li Pin. Don't tell me you didn't know about this!"

"Haven't we already handed over Zi Zhongtian to the Void Divine Treasury Hall? Isn't that enough? Are we supposed to let the Void Divine Treasury Hall massacre people on our mountain? What about our dignity?!" Li Song retorted, putting up a fierce defense.

That had indeed been his reasoning at the time.

"Void Divine Treasury Hall? You should be grateful they acted first. If they hadn't, and His Majesty Li Pin had taken matters into his own hands instead, who knows, maybe the Taiyuan Divine Mountain might have ended up buried along with the Zi Clan... and your stupidity!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fire·net

Taiyuan Radiance's tone was sharp and cold.

"Li Pin... personally? You mean..." Li Song's voice faltered, but then he caught something crucial. "Li Pin... His Majesty? Don't tell me—"

"That's right. He's already become Cosmic Radiance," Taiyuan Radiance said, taking a deep breath. "But that's not all. He's also reached the eightieth step on the Supreme Ladder."

Li Song staggered back as if struck by a thunderclap. "Eightieth step on the Supreme Ladder!?"

His vision blurred, and he nearly collapsed right there. Eightieth step! The eightieth step on the Supreme Ladder! What did that even mean!?

"Do you think I'd lie?" Taiyuan Radiance shot him a cold, piercing glance. "Now, tell me! Does he have enough strength to destroy the Taiyuan Divine Mountain with that kind of power?"

Li Song trembled violently, his face drained of color. All the anger and resentment he'd felt earlier evaporated in an instant.

"Go. Round up everyone from the Zi Clan and send them to His Majesty Li Pin. Let him deal with them as he sees fit," Taiyuan Radiance ordered flatly.

Then, as if still unsatisfied, he added, "If I remember correctly, the Zi Clan had ties with the Yuan, Shang, and Ji Clans as well. Round them all up and send them to the Sacred Flame Hall! His Majesty Li Pin needs to know that the Taiyuan Divine Mountain has no intention of becoming his enemy."

His eyes glinted coldly. "If you can't handle this properly, don't bother coming back."