Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 552: Scheme

The Dust Sea Asteroid Belt.

This region lay between two stars, formed from the debris of a large star torn apart.

The entire asteroid belt was filled with millions of asteroids, or rather, meteor fragments, ranging from several hundred to a thousand kilometers in diameter for the large ones, to just a few meters across for the smallest.

At this moment, on an asteroid with a diameter of over three hundred kilometers, several figures were trying their best to suppress their auras, some of them lingering with excitement.

These individuals... without exception, were all familiar faces to the Gaia civilization.

Miss Yu Hanyan of the Yu Clan, Guardian Yu Yu, Chairman Ao Qingcang of the Ashen Council, and Deputy Chairman Ao Suanzi.

Yu Hanyan and Yu Yu had brought Ao Qingcang and Ao Suanzi of the Ashen Council here to witness the power of the Yu Clan firsthand.

Though they stood on this asteroid, their gazes were fixed on another, faraway asteroid with a diameter of over a thousand kilometers. There, a figure had already arrived.

It was Yu Zhenxuan, the grand patriarch of the Yu Clan.

Though merely an avatar, this form had been cultivated by the grand patriarch himself as his combat-specialized avatar, with vast amounts of inner spirit power invested in it.

To prevent any tricks, this avatar did not carry any specialized Divine Weapon, making it not quite a true combat-specialized avatar. However, it was equipped with three Quasi-Divine Weapons worth tens of thousands of Divine Treasury Points.

This gave the avatar nearly the full power that could be achieved without being a true main combat avatar

To ensure complete security, on another nearby asteroid, two Astral Gods’ avatars were hidden. These belonged to another grand patriarch of the Yu Clan, Yu Suichen.

Although Yu Suichen controlled two avatars, managing both in combat was no challenge due to Astral God's precise control over their own power. After all, this wasn't in the Astral World, where even a small leak of power could result in bearing the weight of the Eternal Oblivion Force.

With two grand patriarchs and three avatars, the lineup was undeniably formidable.

***

Yu Hanyan, Yu Yu, Ao Qingcang, and the others waited patiently.

Ao Suanzi's communication bracelet vibrated slightly. After a quick glance, he said, "It's here! Our informant has gathered news.

"Li Pin has crossed the Lunarfang Astral Gate. If all goes well, he will fly the rest of the way and reach the Dust Sea Asteroid Belt in one to three days, or up to five days at most."

Ao Qingcang repeated, "Good! Good! Good!"

"Such audacity!" Yu Hanyan sneered. "He's doomed. The moment Li Pin dares to come, he's dead. It won't be long before the entire Yin Luo Galaxy will sing the praises of our Yu Family!"

"We will inform the grand patriarch at once so he can prepare," Yu Yu said, sending the message.

While Yu Hanyan and Yu Yu were confident, the grand patriarch of the clan, Yu Zhenxuan, had a much graver expression when he received the news. "He really came?"

Yu Suichen responded solemnly, "There aren't many fools who can become Divine Beings. Although our investigation shows that Li Pin takes advantage of his extraordinary talent to act recklessly and arrogantly, we can't deny that he's a true genius.

"In fact, calling him a genius might even be an understatement. We must remain vigilant, as his strength could have increased over the past half stellar year."

Yu Hanzhen responded via telepathy, "I understand. When he defeated the Astral God's avatar, his highest Power Level reached 180,000. Let's assume that in the past half stellar year, he's broken through to reach 200,000 and entered the Tier Eight Realm. Still...

"This avatar of mine was cultivated as a combat-specialized avatar, infused with over ten stellar years of effort. With three Quasi-Divine Weapons, its power rivals that of a Divine Being's exclusive weapon. Even with 200 thousand Power Level, I can defeat him. And... we have you as well.

"In theory, we've adopted a lion's approach to catching a rabbit. Sending more avatars could risk intervention from the Divine Treasury Hall, even if Li Pin taunted us at first. This may cause us to miss the golden opportunity to act. I'm worried that Li Pin might have a plot.

Yu Suichen frowned. "Could Li Pin be worried about other Astral Gods targeting him on his way to the Void Divine Treasury Hall? Maybe he's staging a play with the Divine Treasury Hall to warn them... and we could unknowingly become that example."

Yu Zhenxuan shared the same concern, but he brushed it aside.

"Regardless, it's a Solar Flare Divine Item. It's worth the gamble," Yu Zhenxuan said with a cold smile. "If he wants to use us as a warning to the others, let him try. Against absolute power, all schemes are futile!"

He clenched his fist. "If we find any ambushes, we'll eliminate them immediately, without giving them a chance to reveal their identities. Since we don't know who they are, the Divine Treasury Hall won't be able to find fault with us. I don't believe they'll risk everything over a mere pioneer."

"Exactly, strike first! Don't give them the chance to reveal their identity. Even if they do, we can pretend not to believe them. We must never follow their rhythm."

Yu Suichen nodded. "When necessary, we can reveal our backup plan."

Yu Zhenxuan gave a slight nod in agreement.

With that, he stayed in plain sight, waiting quietly.

Meanwhile, Yu Suichen hid within a small asteroid, completely blending his aura with it.

The Astral God's complete mastery over his power was on full display here.

But... controlling two avatars was fundamentally different from controlling just one.

The day after Yu's group learned that Li Pin was rushing toward the Dust Sea Asteroid Belt, a figure far more stealthy than the two Astral Gods’ avatars quietly emerged.

It was White Mirror.

"I knew it. There's something wrong with him leaving the Yin Luo Galaxy, which is closely monitored by the Homo Sapien Alliance. Is he trying to use himself as bait to lure me into a trap?"

He could understand Li Pin's reasoning.

After all, as the saying goes, "there's no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days, but there are a thousand ways to catch one."[1]

He moved calmly through the void.

It was as if he were in the Astral World, yet not entirely part of it.

This was his second Divine Weapon besides the Reaper Blade. It's called the Singularity Pearl.

It allowed his avatars, separated from his main body, to travel using the Astral World's power, much like a Tier Six Legend, without bearing the Eternal Oblivion Force.

Using this power, he deliberately exposed Yu Zhenxuan and quickly located Yu Suichen, who was ready to support the battlefield at any time. He knew their positions clearly.

"There are also a few minor pawns, likely just for observation. Not worth my attention, but hiding three avatars—he is clearly underestimating me."

White Mirror searched once more and confirmed that there were indeed only three Astral Gods’ avatars.

"The Power Levels of these avatars are all on the same tier, but different Astral Gods can exert varying levels of strength with their avatars. If it's an Astral God skilled in combat, each avatar could reach a battle power of 200,000.

"If the three avatars worked together... they might cause me some trouble. At least, it'd be enough for them to protect someone."

With this in mind, White Mirror remained cautious. His gaze shifted to Yu Suichen. "Let's see where this little one came from..."

In the next instant, he abruptly sprang into action.

Yu Suichen was already on high alert, but due to the mystical power of the Singularity Pearl, he failed to detect White Mirror's avatar as it scanned him.

It wasn't until White Mirror made his move that Yu Suichen reacted.

A force contracted to its limit, creating only a blade of light that seemed to tear through the void.

Yu Suichen was swept by an invisible wind, as if it were being pulled toward the trajectory of the blade.

But this strike wasn't just any regular attack from an Astral God's avatar; it was the blow of an avatar wielding Divine Weapons.

The blade light flashed.

Yu Suichen, who seemed to be carried away by the blade's light, was struck directly.

At the moment the blade light collided with his avatar, an annihilation reaction occurred. Yu Suichen’s avatar crumbled like an ancient book buried for thousands of years, turning to dust as it was exposed to light once more.

The blade light didn't weaken. The small asteroid where Yu Suichen had been hiding was split in two by an invisible force.

There was no loud explosion.

A fine trace of dust erupted from the center of the asteroid, which was sliced in two.

Due to the speed and concentrated power, the asteroid's exterior showed no noticeable change even after being cleaved.

It wasn't until another of Yu Suichen's avatars abruptly retreated, leaping from the asteroid, that the perfectly clean cut, so precise it seemed even atoms could be cleaved, became visible.

Yu Suichen's mind shook. "It's here!"

As expected. No surprises. Li Pin... there was indeed an ambush! And what an ambush it was—an Astral God's combat-specialized avatar!

This avatar, armed with Divine Weapons, had struck suddenly and shattered one of his avatars in a single exchange.

Buzz! Buzz!

As White Mirror's surprise attack shattered Yu Suichen's avatar, another of his avatars immediately acted.

They had considered various strategies for dealing with Li Pin, including the worst-case scenario—exactly this one.

But they still had a backup.

They hadn't chosen the Dust Sea Asteroid Belt randomly. They had placed an Astral Formation in this area.

A formation that could entangle another Astral God's avatar at critical moments.

This formation was originally set for the Yin Luo inheritance competition.

If any of Astral God Yin Luo's heirs showed an overwhelming advantage in the competition, the Yu Clan would not hesitate to intervene and assassinate them.

This area, and the Astral Formation placed here, was meant as an escape route and backup after the assassination.

Now, Yu Suichen has activated this well-prepared Astral Formation.

"To call upon an Astral God's combat-specialized avatar as a trump card... no wonder you're so bold. But unfortunately, you're too arrogant!"

Yu Suichen clapped his hands together, and a brilliant golden light erupted from the asteroid belt, instantly enveloping a vast area of tens of thousands of miles.

"Heavenly Ensnarement! Bind!"

1. A Chinese phrase that acts as a reminder that proactive actions to deal with a problem are more practical than relying solely on defensive measures. ☜

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