Chapter 855: Chapter 855

"How do you plan to do it?" asked Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi.

"Even if you bear the mark Black Abyss left for you and can call on him for help in critical moments, it won't matter. Right now, even Black Abyss himself can't withstand the backlash from the Astral World to intervene."

Meanwhile, the Divine Martial Emperor and Ji Shun kept their eyes on Li Pin, trying to read from his expression whether his words were true or not.

Soon, Sasha responded, "The route is ready.”

She projected the map.

Abyssal Rifts were rarely seen in the Astral World, but they weren't truly rare in number.

The closest one was a large Rift currently contested by the Chaos Clan and the Shadow Clan. At full speed, the Light of Humanity warship could reach it before Divine Emperor Yuan Jie caught up.

"Abyssal Rift?" Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu frowned. "The laws inside are extremely weak, but they still exist. The gap between the Perfect Realm and the Ultimate Realm still applies there."

Tai Yi suddenly thought of something, and his eyes widened. "Your target... isn't the Abyssal Rift... it's the Void! Are you planning to use that Transcendent Divine Weapon and the Void's environment to force Yuan Jie back?"

But then he shook his head. "Impossible. Yuan Jie doesn't need to into the Void of Chaos. He can just stay at the Rift and wait. Once we exhaust ourselves in the Void, we'll have no choice but to walk right into his hands."

Heavenly Emperor Gu You didn't agree with the plan as well. "If it came to that, we'd be completely at his mercy. Are you betting that Yuan Jie has something more urgent and won't stay outside the Rift for long?

"Even with a Transcendent Divine Weapon, once we're in the Void of Chaos... how long can we really hold out?"

Just then, the Divine Martial Emperor's voice rang out, "Trust him."

Heavenly Emperor Heng He was about to speak when he heard what Divine Martial said. At that, he paused.

All the other Heavenly Emperors turned to look at him. Even Ji Shun instinctively stopped moving.

"Trust him," the Divine Martial Emperor repeated, then looked at Li Pin. "If Li Pin says he can force Divine Emperor Yuan Jie to retreat... then all we need to do is believe in him."

He glanced at the others. "Just like when he said he'd sweep through the Myriad Races during the Overlord Competition. It sounded impossible, but he did it. Now, facing Yuan Jie... I believe it's the same. He wouldn't say this unless he was sure."

Everyone looked toward Li Pin again, waiting for his confirmation.

And Li Pin... didn't disappoint.

"I can't say for sure. After all, he's a Divine Emperor who stands at the very peak of the Astral World. But there's still a chance. So..." Li Pin smiled. "I want to try."

The eyes of all the Heavenly Emperors present were on him.

Some were deep in thought, while others were weighing the risks.

Yao Ji, Emperor Ara, Yue Shu, and Xuan Chengming, on the other hand, all looked on in disbelief.

Li Pin's sweeping victory over the Myriad Races during the Overlord Competition was one thing. After all, those opponents were just peers of this era. The strongest among them had only recently stepped into the Sacred Monarch Realm, their abilities still far from fully developed.

Li Pin had also reached the Sacred Monarch Realm, so while his dominance seemed hard to believe at first, time and undeniable facts eventually led people to accept it, at least to some extent.

But now... he is going up against Divine Emperor Yuan Jie! That's a Divine Emperor! Said to be the pinnacle of cultivation within the Astral World! Their power represents the upper limit of what the Astral World could hold. Even when facing a Supreme, a Divine Emperor could rely on the Astral World's backlash to force them to retreat and expel them entirely.

And now Li Pin, with only three hundred years of cultivation, was about to face someone like that? How is that possible?!

Suddenly, Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi gave a firm wave of his hand and said sharply, "If he wants to try, then let him try."

Heavenly Emperor Heng He nodded. "That's right. Since Li Pin has the confidence to do it, we should place our trust in him."

"With no better option, we might as well let him try," added Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu.

The Heavenly Emperors had all spoken, with both the Divine Martial Emperor and Ji Shun also supporting Li Pin.

"Change course. Head to the nearest Abyssal Rift," the Divine Martial Emperor ordered without hesitation.

He personally took control of the Light of Humanity warship and steered it toward the direction Sasha had just mapped out.

Seeing that the Heavenly Emperors had chosen to place their trust in Li Pin, Yao Ji couldn't help but speak her mind. She muttered, "This is... absolute madness."

"Madness..." Emperor Ara muttered calmly. "Sometimes, people have to go a little mad, either because of something they believe in, or because they're left with no other choice."

He looked at Li Pin, his expression steady, as if the one Li Pin was about to face wasn't a Divine Emperor, but merely another Sacred Monarch.

This proud prodigy, who had always believed himself stronger than anyone in this era, said sincerely, "Whether or not he has the strength or the confidence to truly face a Divine Emperor... even if he's just planning to use the environment of the Void of Chaos to force the enemy back... the fact that he dares to challenge a Divine Emperor under such pressure, just that alone, proves that I fall short of him."

"To have the courage to face a Divine Emperor head-on..." Yao Ji mulled over the thought.

She too felt a surge of astonishment at Li Pin's boldness. But another feeling crept in, a thought she couldn't quite suppress. One could call it courage... but isn't it also arrogance?

She looked at Li Pin. To stand before a Divine Emperor as a mere Sacred Monarch... such madness. Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveI[F]ire.net

But she didn't speak these thoughts aloud. Words like that would only harm their unity and disrupt the bigger picture.

The Light of Humanity warship sped through the void, drawing closer and closer to the Abyssal Rift.

At the same time, Divine Emperor Yuan Jie's warship was also fast approaching.

Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu turned and asked Li Pin, "Do you need any help?"

"No need," Li Pin replied calmly, even with a hint of anticipation in his voice. "No matter how this battle ends, my journey through the Astral World has already reached its conclusion. It can be considered complete. So..."

He glanced at the Heavenly Emperors around him. "When the time comes and I face Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, please, do not interfere."

"Face him?" Heavenly Emperor Hollow looked stunned. "Wait... wasn't the plan to use the Transcendent Divine Weapon to slip into the Void of Chaos and force him to retreat? You're going to fight him!?"

"Of course," Li Pin nodded. "I can't even last long inside the Void of Chaos."

What he meant was that the Great Dao Radiance couldn't last in the Void of Chaos for an extended time.

At his words, the Heavenly Emperors couldn't help but draw in sharp breaths.

"You actually plan to face the Divine Emperor head-on!?"

"Impossible! You're just a Sacred Monarch! How could you possibly stand against a Divine Emperor, especially when the current environment only makes him stronger!?"

Their eyes were filled with disbelief.

"The environment affects me too, but only slightly," Li Pin replied. "The so-called Ultimate Realm of a Divine Emperor comes from creating their own cultivation method, secret arts, and battle techniques. When all of those align perfectly with their power, they undergo a transformation and step into the Ultimate Realm.

He smiled. "These so-called self-created methods... I have them too."

As soon as he said it, the others instinctively recalled the scene of Li Pin fighting You Xu and Scorching Flame. Back then, they had already noticed signs that his techniques were self-created.

Now, it seemed that he hadn't just created battle techniques. He had even developed his own cultivation method and secret arts.

"There's no point saying more." Li Pin looked ahead. "We've arrived at the Abyssal Rifts."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Light of Humanity warship noticeably slowed.

This was because the laws of the Abyssal Rifts had begun to suppress and erase all forms of power.

Just like how the Eternal Oblivion Force could dissolve the energy released in battle, the Void of Chaos behind the Abyssal Rifts possessed an even more overwhelming force of erasure, one more brutal and absolute than the Eternal Oblivion itself.

Any lifeform that entered too deep would be completely wiped out.

It was said the vast universe continued to shrink year by year because it was being slowly corroded by the Void of Chaos. And in the far future, it would eventually vanish altogether under that erosion.

Of course, that process would take millions, or even tens of millions, of epochs.

"Go deeper," Li Pin ordered steadily.

The Divine Martial Emperor and the others exchanged glances. At this point... there was no turning back. They could only choose to believe in Li Pin.

At worst, it would end in an all-out battle against Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, with everyone perishing together.

With that in mind, the Divine Martial Emperor pushed forward, keeping the ship as fast as the conditions allowed, diving deeper into the Abyssal Rifts.

On the other side, Divine Emperor Yuan Jie also sensed their decision to continue forward. He immediately recalled how Li Pin had resisted the Eternal Oblivion Force before with his Transcendent Divine Weapon.

Fearing any delay might change the outcome, he accelerated the ship to its limit.

Finally, just as the others had gone deep into the Rifts but were still a distance away from the Void of Chaos, Yuan Jie's ship spun sharply and slammed hard into the Light of Humanity, causing it to lurch violently.

By the time Divine Martial Emperor and the others managed to stabilize the warship, Divine Emperor Yuan Jie had already appeared before them. "Abyssal Rifts. So this is the grave you've chosen for yourselves?"

The Divine Martial Emperor and the others didn't respond. Instead, they shifted their attention to the three figures behind Yuan Jie.

Each wore a black robe that blocked perception, but the mental pressure radiating from them made it clear that they were Heavenly Emperors.

These three were clearly Chaos Clan's Heavenly Emperors, beings who, like them, could dominate entire regions.

It was now obvious. Even if they had risked everything to stop Yuan Jie back then, he would've just sent these three to continue the pursuit.

He had planned it all, ensuring nothing could go wrong in killing Li Pin and stealing the Fortune he carried.