Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 307: A Long-Awaited Encounter

"The Ghoul King! This is the Ghoul King!" said Wen Xingchen in a low shout, visibly trembling. "The rumors were true!"

Yue Ying looked at the creature which was larger than an ordinary Ghoul, standing at three meters tall, with hatred and fear in his eyes. "The Ghoul King!?"

Not long ago, this monster had easily destroyed the traps they had set and even used the chains in its hands to kill two of their teammates.

At that time, they had only one option, and that was to run. They had quickly fled in all directions, scattering.

Any escape would be counted as a victory.

"For decades, several books have mentioned that people have encountered creatures stronger than Ghouls in the Black Gold Mine. Survivors called it the Ghoul King. But it's so rare that some have searched many times without success, to the point that it was considered a delusion induced by terror," Wen Xingchen shared, his voice trembling slightly.

He felt uncontrollable terror course through just by looking at this creature.

This was the natural reaction to encountering an entity stronger than a High-Class Astral Cultivator.

Li Pin realized. "This is a leader-level creature!"

Ferocious beasts and demonic creatures had six typical levels of classification—ordinary, mid-tier, high-tier, top-tier, lord-level, and legendary. However, there's one more unique phase—the leader level.

A leader-level monster came to life when an ordinary creature evolved.

Li Pin had previously heard of mutated leader-level creatures like the Giant Polychaete that was mutated from Polychaetes, the Yeti King mutated from Yetis, and the Half-Beastfolk Commanders mutated from Beastfolks.

This monster, which Wen Xingchen referred to as the Ghoul King... was clearly a mutated Ghoul that had reached the level of a leader!

Mutants varied in strength according to the extent of their mutation, but they typically rose by one grade.

Ghouls were already considered high-tier demonic creatures, falling within the category of High-Class Astral Cultivators. Now that it had evolved, this Ghoul King might have now reached a level similar to that of a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator!

Li Pin stared at the Ghoul King. "From the Top-Tier Astral Cultivation phase onward, humans and demonic creatures take on two different paths. Humans focus on cultivating starlight bodies, emphasizing explosive power, while demonic creatures continue to strengthen their physiques..."

He could clearly feel the Ghoul King's immense qi and blood. It far surpassed that of ordinary Ghouls.

How strong was its level of qi and blood? Over four hundred, possibly reaching five hundred.

This was the limit that a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator could reach.

However, there was a striking difference; Top-Tier Astral Cultivators had qi and blood that could form explosive Aura Force. The Ghoul King's qi and blood, however, gave Li Pin the impression of a beginner Astral Cultivator who hadn't even practiced Force but had suddenly boosted their qi and blood to a hundred and fifty.

This huge qi and blood value provided the Ghoul King with great strength and defense. However, its subpar mastery limited its flexibility in using its strength.This could be seen from the Ghoul King's mutated, over-three-meter-tall physique.

Even then, its presence loomed with a terrifying pressure, a result of its five hundred points of qi and blood. Standing before it, Li Pin felt as though he was back at the World's Top Martial Competition, facing the Crimson-Tooth Tiger. It was as if he had returned to his former self with a meager qi and blood points of only 40, against the Crimson-Tooth Tiger's 110 points.

This feeling made his blood freeze, and it fueled him with an unstoppable urge to let it boil.

"It has been... a long time."

It had been a long time since anyone had brought him this sense of stimulation in both mental spirit and qi and blood.

Initially, he had been disappointed with this trip when he faced those so-called high-tier demonic creatures, who were weaker than any High-Class Astral Cultivator.

He ventured in partly to see if the Majins that could release electricity would yield materials similar to Primordial Electric Crystals. Additionally, he had anticipating that being surrounded by dozens of Ghouls might place him in real danger and thus ignite his battle spirit.

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He hadn't expected that attracting a swarm of Ghouls would be this difficult because he was a martial artist and not an Astral Cultivator.

However, in a curious turn of events, he found a leader-class creature mutated from a Ghoul—the Ghoul King.

Looking at the towering three-meter figure, whose immense qi and blood were enough to make any Martial Saint gasp, Li Pin took a deep breath and gestured to the three people behind him. "Step aside."

"Martial God Li, the oppressive force from this Ghoul King feels no less than facing a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator..." whispered Wen Xingchen.

Although the path of Martial God was powerful, as its founder, Li Pin, had once even used a sacrificial technique to perish alongside a Legendary Mage... he was the creator of this path.

A pioneer and those who follow are clearly not comparable.

"So what?" Li Pin smiled. "Isn't the purpose of our martial journey to strengthen ourselves, to challenge our limits again and again, and then surpass them?"

These words stirred Wen Xingchen, Xinghui, and Yue Ying.

"Stand back," said Li Pin.

He slightly lowered his stance, held his greatsword, and fixed his gaze on the Ghoul King staggering toward him.

Feeling the intensifying oppressive aura, Wen Xingchen knew he couldn't stay any longer. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to control his qi and blood and it would instinctively surge to resist the pressure.

"Martial God Li, be careful!" cautioned Wen Xingchen quickly before departing the scene with Xinghui and Yue Ying.

Naturally, they weren't dumb enough to try and assist Li Pin. Against high-tier demonic creatures, Martial Saints like them could still be of some use. However, facing this Ghoul King, comparable to a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator... all they had to do was approach, and they'd become grievously wounded.

***

It seemed the Ghoul King's perception was sharper than that of regular Ghouls. At a distance of over a hundred meters, the Ghoul King had already sensed something.

The next moment, with a low roar, its hulking form, massive as a heavy-duty truck, suddenly moved. Its speed wasn't fast, but that was only relative to Top-Tier Astral Cultivators.

If any other beings were in Li Pin's shoes, with the Ghoul King charging toward them with a terrifying and oppressive qi and blood, they'd instantly become terror-stricken.

As the Ghoul King charged at Li Pin, he suddenly felt suffocating pressure press on him, sending a chill racing down his spine. Every cell in his body frantically sent warning signals, urging him to run, as far away as possible.

However, Li Pin had after all once faced a Legendary Astral Cultivator. Not to mention that his current cultivation realm surpassed his physique.

In a moment, he suppressed the disturbance brought on by that chilling sensation. Not only that, but his gaze also locked firmly onto the charging Ghoul King, his mental spirit ascending to the extreme.

Zhulong of Time.

In an instant, the world around Li Pin began to slow down.

The Ghoul King's explosive speed, strength, the trajectory it created while charging, the possible attack methods—all flowed in this mysteriously slowed state, forming a precise plan in Li Pin's mind the next second.

It felt like two opponents about to clash in an intense online match when one of them clicked pause and analyzed the play.

The qi and blood within Li Pin began to burn, and a blazing aura mixed with terrifying heat filled every corner of his body in an instant. Faintly, the shriek of the Great Sun Golden Crow could be heard in the void space.

When the Ghoul King was less than twenty meters away, carrying its terrifying aura and nearing Li Pin, Li Pin moved.

Nine Heavens Kunpeng!

The explosion of speed, combined with his surging qi and blood, made him resemble a blazing sun, radiating light and heat that seemed to illuminate the dark, deep mining tunnel.

As Li Pin charged forward, the Ghoul King swung its barbed iron chain down with a mighty force. The iron chain, gleaming with a cold light, ripped through the air and shattered the sound barrier upon impact, forming a visible white shockwave around it.

It was clear how powerful the Ghoul King's attack was, by how it had shattered the sound barrier.

Its power was... unstoppable.

Neither a Martial Saint, a Martial God, nor a High-Class Astral Cultivator could resist it. Even those Top-Tier Astral Cultivators, who could guard over an entire region, protecting millions, and attain Starlight Bodies... could not resist it.

However... if it couldn’t be blocked, it could still be dodged!

Li Pin's spiritual domain blazed to its peak. Zhulong of Time paired with his Clairvoyance was in full throttle, allowing him to predict every move and every detail of the Ghoul King.

Almost as the instant the iron chain swung down with the force of thunder, lightning flashed.

Electric currents propelled!

Li Pin's Nine Heavens Kunpeng stance made him soar like a great roc, his speed surging as he dodged instantly.

In the next moment, the chain, moving at nearly twice the speed of sound, whizzed past Li Pin's side.

Boom!

Thunder cracked in the void!

Even though the attack didn't directly hit Li Pin, the immense force reduced a section of his clothes to smithereens, revealing blood marks where his flesh had been torn and bruised by the impact.

This wasn't sword qi or blade qi! It was the Aura Force explosion formed from compressed air and extreme speed!

Despite not being able to fully control its own qi and blood, the Ghoul King had managed to create an explosive Aura Force through sheer strength.

Its strength made Li Pin tremble uncontrollably.

The pure strength, which caused explosions in the air, also formed the same effects of Aura Force explosions when the Force on the metal chains came into the slightest contact with external objects.

It was strong! Too strong!

If he had a physique like this... he'd dare charge headfirst and shatter an aircraft carrier!

However, Li Pin knew it wasn't the time for contemplation and daydreaming.

After dodging the chain's strike, Li Pin rushed in at full speed, wielding his sword with electric currents sparking all over him, and crashed against the Ghoul King's terrifying three-meter-tall figure.

It was like a mere human attempting to topple a tyrant with the force of a charge!

The greatsword in his hands clashed against the Ghoul King.

Weighing over twenty kilograms and stretching more than one and a half meters including the hilt, the greatsword struck with devastating power. Sparks erupted from the blade's tip as it pierced the Ghoul King, sending shards of iron scattering.

However... the combination of Li Pin's charging momentum and electric propulsion finally allowed the greatsword to tear through the Ghoul King's outer defenses and plunge into its body fiercely