Chapter 790: Chapter 790
"The bigger picture..." muttered Supreme Ordainment.
He weighed the words carefully for a moment. In the end, he shifted the topic. "Emperor Ara's reputation speaks for itself. Even with Li Pin around, others might not take him lightly."
"I know. Emperor Ara may be Xi's direct disciple and quite talented, but reaching the ninety-second step alone isn't enough to guarantee success," said Supreme Genesis.
An invisible ripple spread out before him, forming a shimmering screen of light. A moment later, the image of a woman appeared on the screen. Her expression was cold, her complexion paler and purer than frost.
Both Primordial and Ordainment immediately recognized her, their eyes flashing with surprise. "Her?"
The woman offered a slight nod. "Master."
"You will participate in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War," Genesis said calmly.
The woman paused briefly, then replied crisply and without hesitation, "Understood."
"Go and make your preparations," Genesis instructed.
With a wave of his hand, the light screen dissipated.
Primordial turned to him. "She is the disciple you are most satisfied with across several thousand epochs, the one you chose to inherit your mantle. Even your other Supreme Divine Weapon, the Boundless Wheel, was entrusted to her for cultivation. And now you're sending her to the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War? This price—"
"It is not a price," Genesis interrupted calmly. "It is an attempt. A buildup of momentum."
"Momentum?" Primordial quickly caught on. "You're preparing for that moment? She has already reached that stage?"
Genesis gave a slight nod, a faint smile playing at his lips. "I have divined the course of this Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War. The fortune stirred by this tournament far surpasses anything in the past.
"Though this attempt carries risk, if she can claim the championship and gather the fortunes of the Nine Sovereign Races into one, her chances of stepping into Supremacy will rise significantly.
"She may even forge her Supreme foundation directly through the fortune of this tournament."
Primordial, also a master of fortune and divination, nodded slightly. "Indeed, the tournament this time is shaping up to be a true convergence of storms. The fortune it will stir... might be enough to give rise to a cosmic-level Child of Fortune."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Still, your gamble is tremendous. Your chosen heir, a future Supreme, and... a Supreme Divine Weapon."
Genesis remained composed. "Without being tempered by blood and fire, how could one ever hope to reach Supremacy? The more precious the goal, the harder it is to attain. Too many desire it, and that is a truth we have long understood, is it not?"
Supreme Ordainment could not help but feel a twinge of envy. "It's only because you have such an exceptional disciple, and her cultivation timeline happens to fall perfectly within this epoch. We... do not even have the chance to make such a gamble."
"You should have been more diligent in choosing disciples," Genesis said with a smile.
"So it is decided then? Use Li Pin and Emperor Ara as cover, while your true trump card is your personal disciple, Yao Ji? All to ensure the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations proceed without a hitch?" Ordainment asked.
Genesis replied with a slight nod. "Exactly."
"Emperor Ara is Xi's disciple. Xi may not agree if he is expected to act as a subordinate and risk being sacrificed. As for Li Pin, though he may not be a direct disciple of Black Abyss, he bears his mark. Their relationship likely runs deep. If mishandled, it could sour relations with the Black Abyss Highlord," Primordial reminded.
"I have considered that," Genesis said. "I just reviewed the summaries from the Myriad Astral Gods Hall regarding Li Pin's personality. This request... he will agree to it."
Primordial and Ordainment both refocused their attention on the Tyrant-class genius, briefly scanning through his information.
Moments later, strange expressions appeared on both their faces.
"Is this... a flaw deliberately left behind, or a true defect in character?"
"The Myriad Astral Gods Hall has sent a full report, and the Sacred Flame Hall has confirmed it as well. Li Pin's personality does have clear flaws. It's not a deliberate ploy to confuse others."
As the two Supremes spoke, neither approval nor disapproval showed on their faces. Those who achieve great things often walk a path far removed from the norm. Between genius and madness, there was only a thin line.
Worldly sophistication was something mortals had to learn. True powerhouses could silence all objections, even if they called a mouse a duck. Countless authorities would rise to defend them, proclaiming it the truth.
As long as he remained strong, the rules of the world will naturally bend around him.
"When a mortal superpower covets the resources of a small nation, it simply seizes them. Outsiders may call them mad, accuse them of ignoring all the rules, but they forget that the rules exist to serve them.
"A good man commits one mistake and is ruined. A villain performs one good deed and is praised by millions. Yet at their core, nothing has changed. Li Pin, regardless of his flaws, needs no correction. As long as he continues to succeed, he is the ultimate truth," Ordainment said calmly.
Primordial and Genesis both nodded, feeling this was perfectly natural. After all, this was a world where ultimate power resided in the hands of the few. To judge a superhuman with the thinking of mortals was itself illogical.
Just like many mortals, if they were truly granted the power to surpass all things, their flaws would only grow more extreme, leaving them completely enslaved to their desires, at least, until they eventually lost interest in the pursuit of pleasure.
"Li Pin's flaws are obvious. We can take advantage of that. But as for Black Abyss, it's better to inform him about it. At the very least, we need to figure out their exact relationship," said Ordainment. The most update n0vels are published on novel•fire.net
"I will contact Black Abyss," said Genesis. "Also, I have condensed a Reincarnation Law. It can protect one person..."
"Only one? You won't protect your disciple?" Primordial asked.
Genesis shook his head. "Her? If she wants to seize her fortune, she must fight for it with everything she has."
There was an inexplicable cruelty in his words.
Ordainment and Primordial didn't dwell on the topic any longer. Instead, they turned their attention to the feasibility of the plan.
"If we want Li Pin to draw enemy fire, we have to make it convincing. And if we're going to exploit his flaws, we might as well go all the way," Primordial said, glancing at the Sovereign Divine Weapon application. "A Sovereign Divine Weapon for traversing the Astral World? Let's give him the Luminous Ark.
"Also, grant him the Cosmic Genesis Chart. It details the transformations of all things and laws in the universe and will immediately help him build his Tyrant-level cosmic framework."
Genesis nodded. "Agreed."
Keenly identifying the crux of the matter, Ordainment said, "Resources aren't the priority. Since our strategy hinges on his character, everything should be tailored toward that goal. Appoint him as the First Vice Commander. Let Divine Martial pass along the message: the reason he isn't made Commander and sent out first isn't because he isn't our ace.
"On the contrary, it's because we have absolute confidence in him. We believe he can sweep the battlefield. If he were made the main commander, he would have to hold back and appear last. By then, the enemy's leader might already be severely weakened, which wouldn't satisfy his pursuit of a fierce and exhilarating battle."
"Good," Genesis nodded. "Let him make the first move. At the same time, have the Myriad Astral God Hall spread the word that a true Supreme seed has emerged. No other race will dare to take him lightly."
"The more attention he draws, the less pressure Yao Ji will face," Primordial added, a hint of emotion in his voice. "Besides, we still have Emperor Ara as a second safeguard. It seems your disciple has truly seized a fortunate opportunity this time. If all goes well, she might ride the momentum of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, rise as the Universe's Child, and pave her way to eventually ascend as a Supreme."
Genesis smiled faintly. "That would still be her own achievement, earned through her life and blood. No one would be able to question it."
The other two Supremes nodded in agreement.
The matter was settled.
As for Li Pin's background—born of the Sacred Flame Hall and now a member of Genesis' Omni-Merchant Guild—in the end, closeness and distance always mattered. At their level, "potential" and "ability" hardly influenced their choices anymore. Their preferences and moods outweighed everything else.
Just like how an emperor might favor an ace pilot, or even invest heavily in cultivating him. It's not for his aerial combat prowess alone, but for all sorts of other reasons.
Li Pin quietly immersed himself in the fusion of his Primordial Abyss True Demon Form and the Abyssal Rifts.
This wasn't his first time in such an environment. Back on the Supreme Ladder, he had battled foreign races multiple times under similar conditions.
The Abyssal Rifts, stripped of laws, naturally suppressed beings aligned with "existence."
Like Li Pin. While he was here, the power he could muster was compressed to the extreme. Even if he struck with full force, the shockwave would barely ripple across a few dozen kilometers.
Such power couldn't even destroy a single planet. Not that there were planets here anyway.
In the Abyssal Rifts, there were only patrolling cultivators and the unpredictable appearance of Abyssal Beasts and Void Creatures.
Aside from that, the entire region remained a hazy grey. Concepts like matter, energy, time, and space were almost nonexistent.
Living here was far more torturous than being locked in "solitary confinement." At least in solitary confinement, one could still sense the outside world. But in the Abyssal Rifts, it was almost like being stripped down to pure consciousness and thrown into an endless white void.
At least here in the Abyssal Rifts, consciousness still exists. But if one truly passes through into the genuine Void of Chaos beyond... even the concept of consciousness would quickly vanish, leaving only a hollow drifting through chaos, completely losing any sense of self, Li Pin thought.
He raised his head and gazed into the distance.
There, a palace could vaguely be seen.
Like a lighthouse, this palace released a constant aura of "existence," filling nearly half of Abyssal Rifts No.3. Even the cultivators on the brink of losing themselves could find their way back by using this beacon, regaining their sense of self and escaping the Abyssal Rifts.
That was... Divine Emperor You Ying's palace. The entire Abyssal Rift No.3 was under her watch.
Li Pin withdrew his gaze and continued attuning himself to the Primordial Abyss True Demon Form.
Just then, he sensed something.
In the vague distance, he saw a massive figure, completely void, completely transparent, hurtling toward him. By all logic, it shouldn't even exist.
Its rapidly shifting, irregular form could mean only one thing.