Chapter 818: Chapter 818

"The ninety-first step is equivalent to a standard Sacred Monarch level, and she just passed through it like that."

This scene had been within the expectations of the various Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors, but seeing it unfold still stirred emotions in many of them.

"Truly worthy of being Supreme Genesis' trump card among the Supremes. She's a Supreme seed indeed."

"Sacred Monarch-level opponents are entirely different from Tyrants. Each one is extremely difficult to handle unless one has methods to restrain or bind them, rendering their evasion and movement ineffective. Otherwise, in a battle between Sacred Monarchs, it wouldn't be unusual for it to take a year or two to decide the outcome in a life-and-death battle.

"I had already split my attention to handle other matters and was prepared to wait three to five months before seeing any results. Yet Tyrant Yao Ji gave me such a big surprise? Seems like she's even more powerful than I imagined."

"Don't forget, Supreme Genesis' Boundless Wheel is in her hands. With that treasure, distance means almost nothing to her. A Sacred Monarch's spatial control can hardly function, and it's fair to say that it'd be completely suppressed."

"The Boundless Wheel? Wasn't it only lent to her by His Majesty the Supreme Genesis to comprehend spatial laws? Is she allowed to bring it to the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War? If anything happens, this Supreme Divine Weapon could fall into foreign hands!"

The Sacred Monarch and Heavenly Emperors conversed, voicing their various opinions.

Ji Shun even glanced at the Divine Martial Emperor, as if something had occurred to him.

The Divine Martial Emperor responded with a wry smile.

Seeing this, Ji Shun refrained from saying anything further.

Given Li Pin's strength, Yao Ji, and Emperor Ara, the segment of the Supreme Ladder they were challenging ranged from step ninety to step ninety-four. At those levels, the opponents were essentially all Sacred Monarchs.

The Boundless Wheel minimized the spatial advantage of Sacred Monarchs, making it easier for her to pass the ninety-first, ninety-second, and perhaps even the ninety-third step.

To some extent, this competition was unfair, but it was clear that the Supreme Genesis had the intention of making Yao Ji the lead commander. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0velFire.ɴet

The Divine Martial Emperor had to obey Supreme Genesis' will while also balancing the emotions of several supreme prodigies; coming up with such a solution was already commendable.

Even if he explained the reasoning behind it, the root of the matter stemmed from the Supreme Genesis. In the end, it would only embarrass the Divine Martial Emperor without changing anything.

"My junior sister Yao Ji has always been strong-willed. This time, she has truly staked everything," Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi commented with a hint of emotion.

Tai Yi's words were rife with hidden meaning. He was essentially telling the Heavenly Emperors who had grasped the truth to be more understanding and tolerant.

The other Heavenly Emperors didn't comment further.

But Gu You couldn't help saying, "Yao Ji isn't the only one who's staked everything, is she?"

His junior brother did have a strand of reincarnation power on his side. Although Emperor Ara had no intention of accepting it, when the time came, he'd still have to use it.

But if this power of reincarnation were used on his junior brother, then Li Pin...

Tai Yi simply smiled, pretending not to hear the deeper meaning behind those words.

At that moment, Tai Yi received a message from Yao Ji, seeking confirmation. "Senior Brother Tai Yi, there should be no one who is faster than me, right?"

"That's correct," Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi responded.

But after hesitating for a moment, he added, "However, Li Pin... didn't start from the ninety-first step. He chose the ninety-third step directly. It's just that he hasn't emerged yet."

The ninety-third step!?

Hearing what the Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi said, Yao Ji paused slightly atop the Supreme Ladder, her gaze involuntarily shifting toward the second flight of steps ahead.

The ninety-third step was her current limit. In fact, she only ever held the upper hand under certain conditions. If the opponent happened to be a hard counter, she didn't have much confidence in clearing it.

That was why she had chosen to start from the ninety-first step. She planned to proceed, step-by-step, up to the ninety-second step. With that, even if she failed, she'd still have ninety-two as a fallback, ensuring safety.

But to think that Li Pin had actually chosen to start from the ninety-third step!

Tai Yi said, "Li Pin's strength mustn't be underestimated. Even if he is slightly inferior to you, the gap is likely not significant. The fact that he can defeat the Bloodblade Squad's four Tyrants says enough.

"Moreover, based on the information we received, when he crushed the Bloodblade Squad's third unit, he seized the Sovereign Divine Weapon—the Ring of No Bound—from them. This weapon is also a treasure capable of sealing space. I believed this was his confidence for daring to ascend to the Supreme Ladder's ninety-third step."

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi paused before continuing. "Either way, he wouldn't become the lead commander. He was likely harboring the idea of remaining silent until he achieves a stunning breakthrough. Either he would pass the ninety-third step and completely overshadow both of you, or he would fail and obediently follow your orders, assisting you in securing victory."

"Remain silent until he achieves a stunning breakthrough..." Yao Ji's expression turned slightly cold. "He truly is a gambler."

While she recuperated from her condition on the ninety-first step, she fell into deep thought.

After a moment, she seemed to reach a decision and let out a cold laugh. "He wants to attract attention and steal the spotlight? Then I will go against his wish. No matter what, ever since I chose to join this Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, there could only be one main character, and that is me."

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi immediately guessed her intention and hurriedly advised, "Junior Sister, don't act rashly. Don't let others disturb your composure—"

"It's just the ninety-third step. It's not like I haven't gone there before."

With resolute determination, Yao Ji stepped forward, directly skipping the ninety-second step and moving toward the ninety-third.

"Junior Sister..." Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi tried to stop her. "You're taking too much of a risk..."

"The reason I'm standing here is precisely because I'm filled with an adventurous spirit." Yao Ji held unwavering determination in her eyes. "In the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, without the belief in contending for everything, how could one gather the fortune of the cosmos and ascend the final throne to become the universally recognized overlord of all races!"

Having said that, she stepped without hesitation onto the ninety-third step of the Supreme Ladder and vanished from Tai Yi's sight.

This sudden scene once again stirred ripples among the many Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors.

Although they had speculated when Li Pin stepped onto the ninety-third step that the proud Yao Ji and Emperor Ara might also follow suit and skip the ninety-second step, Yao Ji's decision undoubtedly proved she was unwilling to be left behind.

The Astral World Research Institute Observatory's Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu sighed with emotion. "Truly... showing a prodigy's demeanor."

The other Heavenly Emperors also wore faint smiles on their faces.

Back in the days of their youth, hadn't they too been so spirited and confident in a boundless future?

Only Heavenly Emperor Gu You looked slightly grim.

Yao Ji and Li Pin had stepped onto the ninety-third floor of the Supreme Ladder because they had at least some measure of confidence—believing that with a bit of luck, they might clear it.

But for Emperor Ara, the ninety-third floor was incredibly tricky. While he was skilled in frontal assault, against the elusive Sacred Monarchs, he would be at a disadvantage.

For a moment, a trace of concern appeared in this Heavenly Emperor's eyes.

Time flowed at an unhurried pace.

Sacred Monarch-level combats had always been time-consuming and exhausting. If a Sacred Monarch wanted to leave, there was no stopping them.

Fortunately, the world within the Supreme Ladder was not an endless expanse of cosmos.

Thus, in the fourth month of the trio's venture through the Supreme Ladder, Emperor Ara's figure finally reappeared upon the steps. He looked somewhat fatigued, but there were no traces of visible injuries on his body.

Clearly, battling a Sacred Monarch exerted more pressure on the mind and inner spirit than actual physical wounds.

Upon emerging from the Supreme Ladder, Emperor Ara immediately noticed all eyes were on him. However, he could also see that there wasn't much astonishment at his success.

Understanding dawned on him. "Yao Ji and Li Pin passed the ninety-first step before me?"

He immediately sent a message to ask his senior brother, Gu You.

Gu You hesitated for a moment before saying, "Emperor Ara, this competition wasn’t fair to you. Without a binding-type Sovereign Divine Weapon, you could only rely on the Heaven-Sealing Talisman, a peak Sovereign Divine Weapon. Facing a Sacred Monarch with just that made the fight especially difficult."

"You just need to tell me whether they came out before I did," Emperor Ara pointed out.

Gu You understood his junior brother's personality. He was extremely competitive. Therefore, he had no choice but to answer honestly, "Yes, they did."

Then he added, "But that Li Pin... he went straight to the ninety-third step."

Emperor Ara was stunned. "Ninety-third step?"

He carefully pondered for a while.

Li Pin's ability to emerge from the encirclement of the four Tyrants of the Bloodblade Squad proved his strength without a doubt. If he truly encountered a countered opponent on the ninety-third step...

After a moment, he realized something. "What about Yao Ji?"

Gu You showed some hesitation. "She..."

Emperor Ara instantly got his reply from Gu You's reaction.

With that, the top-ranked contestant sat down cross-legged on the ninety-first step to recover from his condition.

Gu You fell silent for a while.

After nearly half a month, Emperor Ara's condition had fully recovered. He stepped forward, his target likewise the ninety-third step.

Seeing this, Gu You couldn't help but say, "Junior Brother, why follow Li Pin and Yao Ji in taking such a risk? Steady progress, clearing the ninety-second step first, is the wiser path."

"If I don't even have the courage to step onto the ninety-third step, wouldn't that be admitting that I'm inferior to Li Pin and Yao Ji? Am I then to follow their orders without question from here on?"

Emperor Ara said calmly, "A true man, born between heaven and earth, should never dwell beneath others for long."

"It's not the same. The two of them may not even pass the ninety-third step. If they both fail, your achievement at the ninety-second step would make you the ultimate victor. Then you'll be the lead commander of this Ten Thousand Tribute Dominion War."

"The position of lead commander is never gained by luck. It must be earned through strength. Otherwise, even if I became the lead commander, how would they ever accept me?"

Emperor Ara spoke with absolute confidence, his fighting spirit blazing. "I, Emperor Ara... want them to be convinced and accept me wholeheartedly!"

Three days later, a wretched figure suddenly emerged outside the Supreme Ladder, clearly expelled from the bounds of the Supreme Ladder.

This person was none other than Emperor Ara.