Chapter 893: Chapter 893

The Myriad Astral God Hall.

A trace of helplessness crossed Divine Emperor Xi's face.

Ever since he chose to follow Li Pin, he had taken time to understand his temperament. After speaking with Divine Martial Emperor and the others, he was no longer surprised by the choices Li Pin was making.

Without delay, he issued his orders.

By the time he arrived at a meeting room with value rivaling that of a Pinnacle Cosmic Radiance Divine Item, several figures appeared one after another.

They were Tai Yi, Divine Martial, Dong Xu, and Chang Sheng, now stationed across different continents.

"How are things going on your ends?" Emperor Xi asked.

"Very well," Tai Yi answered promptly. "After returning to the Eastern Hua Continent, I held a meeting. His Majesty, Central Sovereign Divine Emperor Origin, is one of the founding members of the Omni-Merchant Guild. Because of that, the guild fully supports his commands and is willing to carry out all directives from the Myriad Astral God Hall."

"Endless Divine Mountain is also showing good judgment," Chang Sheng added with a smile. "Although there are some who are unhappy, the Scorching World Heavenly Emperor has already suppressed them. Right now, all refugees have been resettled according to the orders from the Hall."

Emperor Xi nodded. "Once the miracles Divine Emperor Origin created begin to spread, those voices of discontent will disappear quickly. Compared to others, Heavenly Emperors and Sacred Monarchs are better at recognizing where the true trend lies."

When internal conflicts could be shifted outward and external benefits drawn in, the Human Race naturally stood to gain. A united front under the Astral World's strongest being, Divine Emperor Origin, promised far greater rewards than remaining fragmented.

"I'll still need a bit more time," said the Divine Martial Emperor. "It's not a major issue. The problem is that the Southern Li Continent doesn't have a unified or dominant power. On top of that, there are too many factions and Astral Gods. It'll take time to bring everything under control."

Emperor Xi nodded in understanding.

Compared to the other three continents, Southern Li was like a chaotic and dark urban slum. There was no unified structure, no leading power, with countless Astral Gods living there.

This was largely a result of the leniency shown by the Five Major Factions and the Myriad Astral God Hall over the years. Hence, rebuilding order there would now require an enormous effort.

"I'm having some trouble on my side," Dong Xu said after a moment of hesitation.

He knew what he was about to say might not help foster unity, but given the situation he faced, he still spoke up. "Wu Dang, Yuan Ling, and Mordo from the Heaven Ordainment Sect are willing to follow the Hall's instructions, but they still intend to maintain their independence."

Emperor Xi and the others quickly understood what he meant. "Willing to cooperate, but not submit to full authority."

The Divine Marital Emperor said "The Heaven Ordainment Sect has long controlled the entire human territory and even much of the areas beyond it. They hold nearly all the Astral Gates and high-speed transit routes.

"Whenever an opportunity appears, they're the first to arrive. When there's a fortune to be seized, they're the first to act. On top of that, they promote universal access to cultivation. As long as someone reaches the Cosmic Radiance Realm, they can register under the Heaven Ordainment Sect's name.

"With this approach over so many years, they've built a massive foundation. Among the Five Major Factions, they have the most Heavenly Emperors."

The Divine Martial Emperor let out a sigh. "With that kind of power, it's only natural they'd have their own ideas."

The other Heavenly Emperors nodded in agreement.

The Heaven Ordainment Sect didn't just have more Heavenly Emperors and Sacred Monarchs than anyone else. They also controlled every major transport route. Their overall backing was the strongest.

Top-tier forces like the Omni-Merchant Guild and the Sacred Flame Hall each had only two Supreme Beings backing them. The Heaven Ordainment Sect, however, boasted Ordainment, Great Heaven, and even Prime Abyss Highlord within their ranks.

If not for the fact that the sect was so mixed and disorganized that it couldn't act as a unified entity, it would have already risen above the other four factions long ago.

Even with their internal divisions, the Heaven Ordainment Sect still rightfully held the title of the strongest human faction in terms of strength.

Glancing at Dong Xu, Emperor Xi said, "They don't just have the numbers. They also control key transportation routes. When they attack, they can instantly gather their forces for a surprise assault. When they retreat, they can scatter and disappear right under our noses. This isn't something we can easily resolve.

"Back then, when His Majesty Divine Emperor Origin sent you to the Northern Xuan Continent, it was with the hope that the reputation of the Astral World Research Institute behind you would serve to deter the Heaven Ordainment Sect. But it turns out, they don't care about that name at all."

The Astral World Research Institute was backed by none other than Supreme Regalheaven and Transcendent Equiheaven.

They were the true pinnacle of the Human Race, perhaps even the highest existences across all races in the universe. Their presence alone was enough to intimidate anyone.

Of course, while Dong Xu may have come from the Institute, he likely couldn't represent Regalheaven or Equiheaven themselves. That's probably why the Heaven Ordainment Sect had no fear of him.

"His Majesty plans to face off against the Astral Lord Council in the Abyssal Rift. In that battle, he may have to confront the true mastermind behind the council..." Emperor Xi gave a brief explanation. "But I have full confidence in His Majesty the Divine Emperor Origin. If he sets his mind to something, there's nothing he can't do. That's why we need to start preparing for the aftermath of this great battle, right now."

Divine Martial, Dong Xu, and Chang Sheng all looked uneasy.

"The mastermind behind the Astral Lord Council is going to show himself?"

"A final battle in the Abyssal Rift?"

They grew worried, but in a place like the Abyssal Rift, Li Pin could unleash powers far beyond what even Divine or Heavenly Emperors were capable of. Given all the miracles he had created along his path, the only choice left was to believe in him.

He had once single-handedly reclaimed the Myriad Astral God Hall and slain three Divine Emperor-level enemies. If he could do that, then he could also overturn the situation in this war with the Astral Lord Council and claim the final victory.

"Then let's begin preparing," the Divine Martial Emperor said, looking at Emperor Xi. "What do you suggest?"

"Let's start with the Star Spirit Clan," Emperor Xi replied.

The Divine Martial Emperor, Chang Sheng, and Dong Xu were all stunned.

"The Star Spirit Clan?"

We are going to target a Sovereign Race right away? Aren't we supposed to first chip away at the surrounding top-tier races?

"Once something becomes the dominant trend, no one can stop it," Emperor Xi said. "Once our Human Race becomes strong enough, even the top-tier races will naturally come over to our side. At that point, we recruit some, suppress others.

"That's the only way to avoid being attacked from all sides. Once things start to settle down, we'll begin assimilating the forces we've drawn in, slowly merging them into the Human Race. As for those unwilling to integrate... then we recruit another batch, suppress another batch..."

The Divine Martial Emperor and the others nodded.

The strategy was simple, but once the Human Race gained enough strength, it would become incredibly effective.

After all, the Human Race would only be targeting a minority of races. The rest would feel fortunate they weren't the ones being eliminated.

Even if some races saw through the Human Race's plan, it wouldn't make much difference.

Firstly, there was little trust between races. Secondly, the Human Race would never allow any single race to gain enough prestige to rally the others into unity.

As long as that barrier of trust between them was broken—causing them to stay wary or even hostile toward one another—the Human Race could consume them bit by bit. Eventually, the majority would become the minority, and once every minority had been wiped out, unification of the Astral World would be complete.

"The Star Spirit Clan has always been a bit weaker than us," Emperor Xi continued. "Each of them has a massive physical form, and the Eternal Oblivion Disaster hit them just as hard as it hit us. For us, it was a matter of numbers; for them, it was their size..."

He pulled out a document. "This time, one of the attackers targeting His Majesty Origin was Mo Xing, a Divine Emperor of the Star Spirit Clan. He was one of the earliest to join the Astral Lord Council.

"During the rebellion, he secretly killed another Divine Emperor, Chong Hua, and caused yet another one to fail his breakthrough to the Supreme Realm and fall in battle. Of the four Divine Emperors of the Star Spirit Clan, only Mo Xing remains active. The other one, Qi Ming, fled far away and hasn't been seen since."

He then pulled out another document. "In this rebellion, the Star Spirit Clan lost quite a few Heavenly Emperors. Right now, they probably have around fifty to sixty left. Among them, fewer than half truly support Mo Xing or the Astral Lord Council.

"In other words, when we strike under the banner of avenging the Astral Lord Council's betrayal, we'll only need to face twenty to thirty Heavenly Emperors. The rest won't retaliate until after we've secured a foothold."

"The actual number may not even reach twenty or thirty," Divine Martial said with a smile. "Those Heavenly Emperors won't be able to assemble that quickly."

"Exactly," Emperor Xi replied. "Just like how some of our own Heavenly Emperors haven't gathered at the Myriad Astral God Hall or the Four Continents, the Star Spirit Clan won't be able to gather all of their Heavenly Emperors and Sacred Monarchs within just ten or so years. For our first offensive, we'll likely face fewer than forty Heavenly Emperors, and they'll be split into two waves, each with a dozen or so."

As he spoke, Emperor Xi swept his gaze over the group. "Since the Heaven Ordainment Sect chose not to follow the Myriad Astral God Hall's orders, there's no need to include them in this campaign. The rest of us can proceed without them."

The Divine Martial Emperor, Chang Sheng, and Dong Xu all nodded. Dıscover more novels at novel~fire~net

"That's how it should be."

"They made their choice."

"The Omni-Merchant Guild, Endless Divine Mountain, and Sacred Flame Hall will each send ten Heavenly Emperors. The Astral World Research Institute has fewer people, so they'll send five. Add twenty more from the Myriad Astral God Hall, and that gives us a total of fifty-five Heavenly Emperors.

"Include the corresponding Sacred Monarchs, Tyrants, and Cosmic Radiances, and we'll have the mobilization ready. Once His Majesty Origin finishes the battle with the Astral Lord Council, we'll lead our armies under the banner of purging the traitors and enter the Star Spirit Clan's territory."

Emperor Xi paused. "If His Majesty Origin happens to fall into a trap, we'll move in immediately to rescue him..."

Then he quickly added, "Though that possibility is nearly zero. This is just a contingency plan. I have absolute faith in His Majesty."

"Of course. His Majesty will surely work another miracle," said Divine Martial

Tai Yi and Dong Xu shared the same conviction.

With that, they didn't waste any more time.

"Let's head to the Eastern Hua and Western Ling Continents and begin the mobilization. It's time to prepare for the Human Race's first battle to rise in the Astral World."