Chapter 865: Chapter 865

One after another, the Heavenly Emperors greeted Li Pin politely.

"Divine Emperor Origin."

"To have swept through all the races... your name has long been known. Today, we finally meet in person."

"Divine Emperor Origin, to have such a supreme prodigy like you among our Human Race is our great fortune."

"With you here, Divine Emperor Origin, we now have a true pillar to rely on." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0velFire.ɴet

They had suspected there was more to the story behind Li Pin killing Divine Emperor Yuan Jie. Whether it was true or not also remained uncertain. But at this moment, if Divine Martial Emperor and the others called him a Divine Emperor, then he was a Divine Emperor.

With the Human Race still mired in internal conflict and external enemies eyeing them closely, no one would be foolish enough to question it now.

Besides, the strength Li Pin had shown during the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War already matched that of a Heavenly Emperor, and he had only cultivated for three hundred years. There was no harm in calling him a Divine Emperor.

At this rate, in just three to five epochs, or maybe a few tens of thousands of years, he might comprehend the Law of Time. And after that, perhaps even master the unity of space and time.

By then, no one would dare say he wasn't a true Divine Emperor. If he wanted to claim the title a few epochs early, or even tens of thousands of years in advance, so be it.

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi was the first to speak. He turned to Heavenly Emperor Guang Cheng and asked, "Senior Brother Guang Cheng, what's the situation now?"

Guang Cheng replied solemnly, "The Creation Divine Jade has fallen into Jin'que's hands. The senior and junior brothers guarding it... I fear they've already met misfortune.

"But Emperor Chang Sheng, Northern Pole, and High Palace have gathered over ten Heavenly Emperors, along with many Sacred Monarchs and Tyrants. They're still holding their ground near the Southern Astral Gate, waiting for us to reinforce them."

He continued in a deep voice, "Right now, the most urgent task is to select a leader with enough prestige to lead everyone, break through the Southern Astral Gate, and coordinate an attack from both inside and out. Once we seize the gate, we can use it as a base to strike back at the Myriad Astral God Hall and eliminate Jin'que and the rest of the traitors once and for all."

Shaking his head, Emperor Wu Dang shook his head. "But the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation has already fallen into Jin'que's hands. Logically, Chang Sheng, Northern Pole, and High Palace shouldn't be able to hold the Southern Gate.

"And yet, the news says otherwise. That sounds suspicious. I think if we really attack through the Southern Gate, we might be walking straight into a trap."

"There's no need for you to speak further, Lord Wu Dang," said Heavenly Emperor Scorching World, of the Endless Divine Mountain, his tone indifferent. "If you hadn't acted recklessly and given Chang Sheng and the others false hope that a joint strike could defeat Jin'que and his faction, would he have made a move that led to us losing the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation, suffering such heavy losses?"

Wu Dang replied calmly, "It's exactly because I led that offensive that I gained a better understanding of the Myriad Astral God Hall's true strength. That's why I believe the Southern Gate is a trap."

Scorching World didn't argue with him. Instead, he turned to Divine Martial Emperor. "If anyone understands the Hall's power best, it's Divine Martial. Let him speak."

Divine Martial Emperor frowned in thought. "I've fought on the frontlines, but I don't know much about the Hall's internal layout. However, compared to the other three gates, the Southern Gate faces the Southern Li Continent. That continent..."

He glanced at the nine top factions chosen to represent the Southern Li Continent. "The nine emperors of Southern Li have always been a thorn in the side of the Myriad Astral God Hall. One of them, the Celestial Restoration Emperor, even invaded the Hall and thoroughly humiliated them. Because of this, among the four gates of the Hall, the Southern Gate has the strongest defenses."

Upon hearing this, Scorching World immediately said, "That speaks volumes."

"That proves nothing," Wu Dang said coldly. "Precisely because the Southern Gate is the most fortified, Chang Sheng, Northern Pole, and High Palace could rely on its defensive formations and the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation to hold out under Jin'que's attacks. Isn't that obvious?"

He raised his voice. "I admit I was careless last time, which allowed Jin'que to seize control of the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation and forced us to retreat.

"But this time, we have over sixty Heavenly Emperors, along with hundreds of Sacred Monarchs and thousands of Kings. As long as we work together, I believe we can break through the Myriad Astral God Hall and take back this central stronghold of our Human Race."

Heavenly Emperor Scorching World let out a cold chuckle. "Cooperate? And who's going to lead that? Don't tell me you think it should be you?"

Wu Dang answered firmly, "Why not? I've already fought against Jin'que and the others. I know how cunning they are now. With that experience, this time we won't fail."

Scorching World's gaze turned frosty. "You already failed once and got so many people killed, yet you still want another shot? Your Heaven Ordainment Sect really thinks highly of itself. What, you think just because of your name, everyone should follow your lead?"

Wu Dang didn't back down. "Among all the forces gathered here, the Heaven Ordainment Sect has brought the most Heavenly Emperors. And within our sect, I serve as the First Vice Sect Master.

"Our sect is known for its mastery of divination and formations, perfect for organizing everyone into battle formations and launching coordinated attacks. I'm fully qualified to take command. What's the problem?"

Li Pin watched, a bit surprised, as the Heavenly Emperors who were supposed to welcome them started arguing openly like no one else was around.

Divine Martial, Ji Shun, and Tai Yi looked equally grim.

Li Pin asked, pointing at the scene, "What's going on?"

Ji Shun withdrew his gaze from the arguing Emperors and spread his spiritual sense outward, doing his best to suppress its fluctuations. "After ten years, the Eternal Oblivion Force has reached peak sensitivity. All the Astral Gods have been forced to stop maintaining their avatars. Without those avatars as relays, we've completely lost contact with the Supreme Council."

Li Pin immediately understood what Ji Shun meant. So, a leaderless situation.

In the past, although the Heavenly Emperors of the Astral World held great autonomy, the Supreme Council was always above them, issuing orders. The Emperors only executed those decisions.

But now, with no contact from the Supreme Council and no higher authority to issue commands, the leading Heavenly Emperors of each faction had all stepped forward, each one trying to seize control of the war effort.

Whoever gained that power would become the new leader of humanity.

Most importantly, if that person succeeded in taking down the Myriad Astral God Hall, they would likely rise to become the next Central Sovereign Heavenly Emperor.

Given how strong the Human Race's fortune was right now, if one of the Heavenly Emperors could rise through this war with the prestige of suppressing the rebellion, they might just gain a glimpse of the path toward becoming a Supreme.

When it came to that kind of opportunity, who would willingly step aside?

"Before the connection was cut, did the Supreme Council leave behind any appointments or name someone as interim leader?" Li Pin asked.

As soon as the question was out, Divine Martial, Ji Shun, and Tai Yi all turned to look at him.

Li Pin was confused for a moment but quickly caught on. "Me?"

"The Supreme Council left behind two orders..." Divine Martial said after some thought. "First, each of the five major factions is to send one Heavenly Emperor to form a temporary Heavenly Emperor Council. This council would manage internal Astral World affairs.

"Second, this council was required to cooperate with your reasonable requests. And when disagreements arose, you would have the authority to make the final decision."

"That sounds a bit roundabout," Li Pin remarked.

The Divine Martial Emperor explained, "They probably had a lot to considerThe Supremes value the path you've taken, but the time was too short. They couldn't confirm if the path you're on is truly viable. So, they didn't dare give you full authority.

"Instead, they made sure the council would support you. At the same time, they worried that without enough backup, your cultivation might get delayed. And since a five-member council lacks a decisive voice, they gave you the final say in case of disputes."

"So, what's the problem now?" Li Pin asked.

"The Heavenly Emperor Council hasn't been formed yet," Divine Martial replied.

Li Pin was taken aback. "They're avoiding the Supreme Council's orders?"

"Not exactly." Ji Shun shook his head, then let out a helpless smile. "Even within the five factions, things aren't that unified."

He looked toward a certain direction, where Heavenly Emperor Miao Zhuan of the Sacred Flame Hall stood.

"You probably haven't had much contact with him, right? That's because he's a disciple of Supreme Tai Chu. We, on the other hand, belong to Supreme Tai Yi's lineage."

He looked at Li Pin. "Tell me, in the Sacred Flame Hall, when the interim Heavenly Emperor Council is formed, should it be him representing us, or me? Once the Myriad Astral God Hall falls, someone will have to replace Jin'que and take the position of Central Sovereign Heavenly Emperor. That person will be chosen from the five Heavenly Emperors in the council. So who should it be?"

Li Pin was speechless. "So... the Myriad Astral God Hall hasn't even fallen yet, the temporary council isn't even formed, and the infighting's already begun?"

What else could this be called? A trait unique to the human race. In this regard, humans were only slightly better than the Demons.

"It's just that the benefits haven't been settled yet," Ji Shun said with a sigh. "Unless the Supreme Council can assign all positions perfectly and still retain oversight, conflict is bound to happen."

Li Pin understood now. At the root of it, the Supreme Council could no longer intervene in the affairs of the Astral World.

And no one knew when the Eternal Oblivion Disaster would end. At this rate, it might continue for eight or even ten epochs.

With both the disaster and the chaos caused by the Astral Lord Council, even the Heavenly Emperors couldn't guarantee their own safety. This made securing the title of Central Sovereign Heavenly Emperor all the more urgent. Urgent enough that even going against the Supreme Council's will might be acceptable.

As long as they could take that seat, they'd gain the favor of the Human Race's fortune, and with it, a chance to ascend to Supreme. If they succeeded... everything else would be irrelevant.

"Let's talk about your cultivation instead," the Divine Martial Emperor said. "Your next step is to comprehend the Law of Time. Resources in this field are rare, but we do have a few—like the Sands of Time, Eternal Water, and so on.

"Right now, the influence of the Supremes is still lingering. Plus, with that special order in effect, we can get you any cultivation resource you need."

Hearing this, Li Pin stopped dwelling on the previous topic and simply nodded. "Thanks. I'll leave it to you, then."