Chapter 873: Chapter 873

Outside the Myriad Astral God Hall.

The Divine Martial Emperor, Heavenly Emperor Gu You, Tai Yi, and others watched from afar as Li Pin flew straight toward that magnificent, towering complex suspended in the sky.

Some Heavenly Emperors looked worried, while others held unwavering confidence in him.

Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu hesitated before speaking, "Do you think... Divine Emperor Origin can—"

Before he finished, Divine Martial interrupted, "Jin'que isn't the real threat. The key question is whether Divine Emperor Xi will keep his promise and arrange a fair duel between Li Pin and Jin'que."

He paused, then added, "Fortunately, no matter the outcome, every force in the Astral World has its limits. As long as Li Pin doesn't get caught in a coordinated attack by multiple Divine Emperors, he should be fine. Even if he does, he can still break through the encirclement and escape. We just need to watch closely and be ready to support him at any time."

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi considered for a moment before saying, "Though this trip is partly a gamble, if it succeeds, we will kill two birds with one stone. We'll not only defeat the Astral Lord Council elder, Jin'que, but also bring Divine Emperor Xi to our side. The tide will turn instantly, and we will regain control of the Myriad Astral God Hall."

He looked toward where Li Pin had headed. "With such great rewards and no deadly risks, it's worth the gamble."

"I just fear that Jin'que, Divine Emperor Xi, and Zhu Zhao have long been plotting," Heavenly Emperor Dong Xu said. "Jin'que's power nearly matches a Divine Emperor's. Add Divine Emperor Xi, Zhu Zhao, and the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation... and they have a real chance to trap and kill a Divine Emperor."

Heavenly Emperor Tai Yi shook his head. "Risk and reward always come together. To win big, we have to take risks."

He stopped there, and no one else spoke.

At this point, all they could do was hope the situation wouldn't spiral into the worst outcome.

Outside the Myriad Astral God Hall, Li Pin followed Divine Emperor Xi's instructions and soon arrived at an area shrouded by the Grand Celestial Constellation Cycle Formation.

As he arrived, ripples visible to the naked eye spread through the area. Then, a Sacred Monarch appeared before him. She looked about thirty, dressed in feminine attire.

She was Divine Emperor Xi's second disciple, Cai Zhi.

Cai Zhi glanced at Li Pin with a strange look. "Divine Emperor Origin, you're quite bold."

Li Pin smiled. "What's next?"

Cai Zhi smiled and motioned him forward, leading him into the formation. "Follow me." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novelꜰire.net

They moved swiftly through the formation.

Along the way, they passed guarded checkpoints and sealed palaces and pavilions. The soldiers, once lax and idle, now radiated a deadly aura.

To be precise, most of the idle soldiers had been purged. Those who remained were all battle-hardened elites who had survived a great war. Their killing intent filled the air.

Li Pin recalled the peaceful, serene scene he once saw inside the Hall. Compared to that, the place now finally felt like the heart of a stronghold.

With Cai Zhi's guidance, they soon arrived at a palace.

Divine Emperor Xi, whom Li Pin had met through Gu You more than once, stood inside a hall within the palace.

When Li Pin arrived, Divine Emperor Xi's gaze immediately fell on him.

Li Pin felt the Divine Emperor's True Spirit Light scan and invade him. It even carried traces of an inner spirit secret art.

However, Li Pin subtly shifted his Primordial Abyss True Demon Form. Cultivated through observing the Void of Chaos, it instantly swallowed the True Spirit Light whole.

His inner spirit world became a chaotic void that dissolved and erased all probing attempts.

Realizing that it would be impossible for him to uncover Li Pin's secrets without using powerful inner spirit secret arts, Divine Emperor Xi stopped.

This surprised Li Pin. "Not going to try?"

Divine Emperor Xi immediately understood what Li Pin meant. He said calmly, "You have great courage."

"What's wrong with that?" Li Pin replied. "We're both Divine Emperors. I think I have the right to say that."

"Divine Emperor?" Divine Emperor Xi looked at him. "Others might not know why you are a Divine Emperor, but I do."

"You don't know," Li Pin said, adding. "Or rather, what you know is outdated. After all, it's been more than ten years since I killed Divine Emperor Yuan Jie. In that time, my cultivation advanced again. I comprehended time itself, unified space and time, and became a Divine Emperor. That's perfectly normal."

"I see. But becoming a Divine Emperor in a little over ten years?" Divine Emperor Xi chuckled lightly. "Is that really normal?"

"Is it not?" Li Pin countered.

Divine Emperor Xi's gaze shifted subtly as he studied Li Pin's serious expression.

It wasn't just him. Cai Zhi's eyes also flashed with shock, disbelief, and then astonishment.

"Theoretically, as a Divine Emperor, facing Jin'que at the peak of the Heavenly Emperor would be bullying him. Even if I won, it wouldn't mean anything. But I still came." Li Pin smiled. "Because I heard you laid many traps."

The trap had been laid with such care. If I don't step in to test it, wouldn't all their efforts have been wasted?

Divine Emperor Xi watched him silently. At that moment, no one but himself knew what he was thinking.

After a long pause, he said, "Words don't matter. Whether you believe me or not, I will only choose the path I think is right. Since I already promised to give you a chance to prove yourself, I will keep my word."

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and headed out of the hall. "Follow me."

Li Pin saw this and showed no fear. He walked openly alongside Divine Emperor Xi, passing through the rebel stronghold of the Astral Lord Council.

Cai Zhi trailed behind them like a maid.

As they moved forward, some heavenly soldiers recognized Li Pin as the Divine Emperor Origin. Their faces changed quickly, and they rushed to report the news. Others bowed respectfully to Divine Emperor Xi.

No matter their loyalties, none dared to block Divine Emperor Xi.

Divine Emperor Xi led Li Pin as if strolling in a garden toward the central hall, the heart of the Myriad Astral God Hall.

"What kind of agreement did you reach with Jin'que?" Li Pin asked.

"No agreement at all," Divine Emperor Xi replied indifferently. "The only reason I can move freely here, as if detached from this world, with neither Jin'que nor Chang Sheng questioning me, is... because I am strong enough."

Li Pin nodded. "Makes sense."

No words could express it better.

Divine Emperor Xi was the pinnacle of strength across the Astral World. So long as he stayed neutral, neither the rebellious Jin'que and his faction nor the former authorities—Emperor Chang Sheng, Northern Pole, High Palace, among others—dared to disrespect him.

Heavenly Emperor Jin'que had already received word in advance and was waiting at the entrance with a few others when Divine Emperor Xi and Li Pin arrived at the Central Sovereign Palace.

Jin'que cupped his hand in respect. "Emperor Xi."

"I suppose there's no need for me to introduce Origin," Divine Emperor Xi said.

Jin'que immediately fixed his gaze on Li Pin. "Of course."

Since Li Pin had slain Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, news of him flooded the Astral Lord Council, reaching every senior member. The attention and study he received rivaled that given to any Divine Emperor.

But Jin'que didn't believe his own charisma could be enough for Divine Emperor Xi to capture Li Pin and present him as a token of surrender. Hence, he patiently listened to what Divine Emperor Xi had to say next.

Divine Emperor Xi spoke calmly. "Origin claims his ability to kill the Divine Emperor Yuan Jie does not come from higher cultivation, but from forging a new path, a path that surpasses the Supreme, capable of manifesting powerful techniques even within the Void of Chaos. This path seems no less impressive than the Astral Lords' way."

"That's impossible." Jin'que rejected the claim outright. "Regardless of how talented or innovative he is, how could someone who's only trained for a few hundred years compare to the vast wisdom accumulated by countless great beings over endless years?"

He looked at Li Pin. "There have already been guesses within the Council. Yuan Jie's fall to Origin's hand might be linked to some void inheritance or an ancient, Transcendent Divine Weapon. This so-called 'new path' could just be self-deception."

"It does not matter whether it's true or not," Divine Emperor Xi said, his expression unchanged. "A fight will tell. Actions speak louder than words."

Heavenly Emperor Jin'que smiled. "Oh? So, Divine Emperor Xi, you have brought him here to challenge me? To prove the truth of his new path through battle?"

"Yes." Divine Emperor Xi nodded. "If it's real, and he truly has glimpsed a path beyond the Supreme, then I will no longer join the fray."

"Fine," Jin'que agreed readily.

Li Pin listened to their exchange with some surprise. From what he had observed so far, there seemed to be no real cooperation between Divine Emperor Xi and Jin'que.

Of course, it was also possible they had some secret dealings, but whether that was true or not, he couldn't tell.

"Origin," called Jin'que, sweeping his hand to the side.

His long cloak fluttered like a golden wave, turning into dazzling golden armor that wrapped around him. "Use all your power. Show me who gave you the courage to think you can defeat me!"