Chapter 821: Chapter 821

Everyone simultaneously looked toward the Supreme Ladder.

The Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors who had been chatting fell eerily silent, their inner spirit fluctuations halting abruptly.

Their gazes turned in unison to the figure that had suddenly appeared atop the Supreme Ladder. The atmosphere froze instantly.

Li Pin was on the Supreme Ladder. He wasn't teleported outside the Supreme Ladder.

What did this mean? It meant that Li Pin had broken through the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step, a level that symbolized the peak of the Sacred Monarch realm.

The moment they realized this crucial point, the atmosphere outside the Supreme Ladder exploded. The Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors swiftly exchanged their views on this momentous and unprecedented scene.

"Ninety-fourth step! As a Tyrant, he actually cleared the ninety-fourth step!? Today I finally understand what it means that there's always someone stronger out there! I, a dignified Sacred Monarch, have been stuck on the ninety-third step till now, and a mere Tyrant has gone farther than I? Where do I even begin to make sense of this?"

"Is this a new record? Can someone really reach the ninety-fourth step while still at the Tyrant realm!?"

"A Tyrant with power on par with a Sacred Monarch is considered an Invincible Tyrant, theoretically capable of handling the Supreme Ladder's ninetieth to ninety-first steps. But because real combat involves the Eternal Oblivion power, only those who can reach the ninety-first to ninety-third steps are considered true Invincible Tyrants. However, now that he's cleared the ninety-fourth step, what do we even call him? A Supreme Tyrant!?"

"Wait, let me just think about this for a second.... Yao Ji failed at the ninety-fourth step just now, and Emperor Ara failed at the ninety-third. Now, Li Pin has broken through the ninety-fourth step. Doesn't that mean—"

Clear inner spirit fluctuations continuously spread and echoed through the void.

Ji Shun, the Sacred Flame Hall's White Emperor, let out a long sigh. A faint smile crept up at the corner of his lips. "This Li Pin... has truly given us a huge surprise."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Emperor Ara and Yao Ji, observing quietly as their emotions shifted.

"This is impossible."

Yao Ji's delicate frame trembled, nearly causing her to lose her balance. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

As for Emperor Ara, the moment Li Pin appeared, his pupils dilated sharply. His face turned faintly pale. He looked at the figure standing firmly on the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step, trembling slightly. "How could this... happen...?"

This shouldn't have happened. He, Emperor Ara, had left all other contestants far behind since joining the Divine Martial Emperor Palace to prepare for the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War and had been nurtured as the top lead commander.

His master, junior brothers and sisters, senior brothers, and even the surrounding Heavenly Emperors and Sacred Monarchs had all placed great hopes in him. They firmly believed he could lead the human race to a decisive victory in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War and bring tangible gains and honor to humanity.

But now... First, Yao Ji appeared out of nowhere. He could accept her since she was a direct disciple of a Supreme, and it was said that Supreme Genesis himself held her in high regard.

If not for the immense importance of the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations Proposal, Supreme Genesis wouldn't have even willingly placed her in such a dangerous situation. With no other option on hand, he had even granted her a Supreme Divine Weapon, the Boundless Wheel, to offer her some measure of security.

Emperor Ara wouldn't have felt all that bad had he lost to Yao Ji, a wielder of a Supreme Divine Weapon. In fact, it was somewhat understandable that he lost to her.

But Li Pin... who was he? Where had this nobody come from?

In a mere three hundred years, Li Pin had caught up to him, surpassed him, and cleared the impossibly difficult Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step. This was a feat Emperor Ara himself couldn't have achieved even with a Soveriegn Divine Weapon! ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novęlfire.net

How could this be... It was supposed to be me... I was supposed to be the main character of this Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War...

Emperor Ara's mind stagnated, his thoughts grinding like a rusted machine, struggling to function.

While Emperor Ara merely experienced a stagnation of his inner spirit flow, Yao Ji, who had passed the ninety-third step after putting everything on the line, had her true spirit violently shaken.

Amidst this intense emotional turmoil, the suppression her inner spirit placed on her divine body almost vanished, causing energy fluctuations to leak out and alert the Eternal Oblivion force, which surged in at once.

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi was immediately shocked by the disturbance. He shouted sternly, "Yao Ji, calm your mind and focus your spirit!"

Within his harsh shout was a profound resonance akin to morning bells and evening drums, which swept across Yao Ji's inner spirit in an instant, awakening her from the state of true spirit tremors and mental collapse.

She was, after all, a Supreme seed who had made it all the way to become a Tyrant. Although seeing Li Pin appear at the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step caused her defenses to crumble instantly, under Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi's reminder, she managed to recover quickly.

Yet even after regaining her senses, she still trembled slightly, as if it took great effort to maintain control. Her gaze locked onto Li Pin, her emotions unstable for a long time.

Noticing Yao Ji's stare, Li Pin turned to look at her, then glanced at Emperor Ara and asked with concern, "Are we still continuing?"

His words caused Yao Ji's beautiful face to flush red.

Emperor Ara could not utter a single word.

In that moment, he couldn't help but recall his earlier judgment of Yao Ji's performance—a clown's act. Yao Ji had asked him in return: who was the clown?

Now, recalling their earlier confrontation and comparing it with the current outcome, Emperor Ara couldn't help but feel that he was the real clown.

Emperor Ara gritted his teeth and called out, "Li Pin!"

The last time he called out Li Pin's name, he had merely felt that Li Pin had earned the right to be taken seriously, to be treated as a worthy rival.

But this time, Li Pin had already become the target he now needed to defeat.

"We're done competing, huh," said Li Pin.

With a nod, he did not linger long at the Supreme Ladder's ninety-fourth step.

He had already fought through the ninety-fourth step with extreme difficulty, using every ounce of strength and every method at his disposal. Even his victory had been narrow and perilous.

Had this occurred in the Astral World, it would have certainly invoked the Eternal Oblivion Force.

With the ninety-fourth step already this difficult, the difficulty of the ninety-fifth, equivalent to the threshold of a Heavenly Emperor, could be easily imagined.

He would have to rely completely on luck if he wanted to beat the ninety-fifth step, betting he would encounter an opponent whom he countered. But battles won on luck were never Li Pin's way.

Eternal Oblivion Force was something he didn't particularly care about it. In a life-and-death struggle, being tainted by Eternal Oblivion power or even falling into it was normal. In the end, true victory still relied on one's own strength.

Battles that depended on luck were meaningless regardless of whether he claimed victory or not, so Yao Ji and Emperor Ara ceasing to compete on the Supreme Ladder was right up his alley.

Immediately, he leapt down and exited the Supreme Ladder.

At that moment, the Divine Martial Emperor, worried that this contest might dampen the morale of the three Human prodigies and affect their performance in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, quickly stepped forward and said, "Alright, the outcome has been decided. Li Pin has claimed the final victory. He will be the lead commander for this year's Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War."

His gaze landed on Yao Ji and Emperor Ara. "Does either of you have any objections?"

As for the other participants there wasn't a need to consider their opinions since they were not even in the same league as Emperor Ara, Li Pin, and Yao Ji,

Yao Ji fell silent. She recalled all that she had sacrificed for this Dominion War. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had staked her life on it. Yet now, she had failed before even truly beginning.

However, though she had failed to get a good start, it didn't mean all hope was lost. She might have lost the initiative, but as long as she performed well enough in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War and suppressed all her rivals, she might still gather fortune back to herself. Ultimately, in this world, strength spoke the loudest. Success was judged by results.

With that thought, Yao Ji forced herself to calm down. She glanced at the Shen Wu Emperor, then at Li Pin. Finally, she answered, "I have no objections."

Hearing Yao Ji's words and thinking back on how his own performance seemed to be the worst among the three, Emperor Ara understood he had no right to argue either. He only shook his head.

"Alright, then I'll proceed with adjustments. Li Pin will be the lead commander for this Dominion War—"

Before the Divine Martial Emperor could finish his words, Li Pin interrupted, "I recall Yao Ji saying that whoever wins this contest, the others will follow that person's orders, right?"

As expected, Li Pi wanted to use this momentum to accumulate fortune and lay the foundation for future Supreme achievements? Well, that made sense. If this were the case, why would these precious Supreme seeds risk their lives fighting other races' cannon fodder on the battlefield of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War?

Yao Ji clenched her fist. "I'm not someone who can't accept defeat. Since we made a bet, and you indeed displayed greater potential on the Supreme Ladder, I will follow your command. Even if we encounter an opponent you cannot defeat, and you order us to disregard the Eternal Oblivion power and fight to the bitter end, I will not even frown."

She still had that little bit of pride and integrity.

Emperor Ara silently nodded as well. Fight to the bitter end? As long as he was strong enough, he wouldn't die.

At this moment, Li Pin waved his hand. "No, no, no!"

He looked at Yao Ji and Emperor Ara, nodded slightly, and said, "Since you both still accept this wager, let me give my first order as lead commander... and my only order."

Yao Ji and Emperor Ara both tensed inwardly.

"Isn't the lead commander the hidden trump card who only acts at the end?" Li Pin looked at Yao Ji. "My order is, you'll be the lead commander."

Then he turned to Emperor Ara. "You'll be the main vice-commander."

With a serious expression, he continued, "Let me be the first to make a move. The enemies we meet in the Dominion War, as well as the task of clearing the cannon fodders, I'll handle them all."