Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 565: The Void

At the Heaven Pierce Divine Treasury Hall's transfer Astral Gate, Xia Yan watched the staff members busy themselves with opening the Astral Gate as he chatted, "Judging by the tremendous efforts you invested in Gaia, are you trying to compete to be the Astral God Yin Luo's successor?"

"I do have that intention," Li Pin replied. "However, for now, the chances seem rather slim."

With a smile, Xia Yan replied, "That's true. Astral God Yin Luo is known as the Light of the Ark. His successor is almost guaranteed to become a Solar Flare Astral God in the future. Even noble families will interfere and compete with everything they have for this chance, let alone the great clans at the Astral God level.

"The reason you haven't heard of any famous geniuses making waves in the Yin Luo Galaxy isn't because none exist, but because they are all hiding.

"There are plenty of people with extraordinary feats, but the tallest tree in the forest gets blown down by the wind. Everyone understands this. Even the noble families dare not be too high-profile in the early stages, or they would be inviting disaster upon their carefully nurtured seeds."

Li Pin nodded. He naturally understood this.

After all, someone like Yu Hanyan had already reached the peak of Tier Two Legend after just two or three stellar years of cultivation. Therefore, reaching Tier Three Legend in three to five more stellar years would not be difficult. Once at Tier Three Legend, with another ten or eight years of accumulation and some rare treasures, there was a high chance of awakening inner spirit power.

If Yu Hanyan could achieve this, then the noble families' descendants and the native peerless geniuses would be even more impressive. By now, most of them had already reached Tier Four Legend. With another thirty to fifty stellar years of cultivation, they should be able to complete their inner spirit cycle.

The only step left would be sensing the Astral World, and that was the most intense moment in the competition. Any competitor who dared to reveal themselves upon sensing the Astral World faced an extremely high risk of being assassinated.

In previous Astral God successions, the top ten successors were almost always replaced in each cycle, let alone for Yin Luo, known as the Light of the Ark.

Xia Yan said, "If you can clear the Void Divine Treasure World in thirty to fifty stellar years and gain great rewards, not only will you experience immense growth, but the resources you acquire will give you a solid advantage in competing with the noble families."

He sighed. "Even reaching the top of the successor list wouldn't be a problem. However, if you fail to clear the divine treasure world within that timeframe, it'd be troublesome."

Hearing this, Li Pin smiled and said, "Astral God Xia Yan, you're speaking in riddles."

"Hahaha, you caught that, huh?" Xia Yan laughed heartily. "I owe someone a favor, and they came knocking on my door, so I had to pass on this message. Don't take it to heart. If it sounds reasonable, consider it. If not, just pretend I never said anything."

"Which family?" Li Pin asked.

"The Nine Luo's Zi Clan," Xia Yan answered.

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "It's not the Yuan Yang Aristocratic Clans?"

"Not all noble families stay within the Yuan Yang Radiance," revealed Xia Yan. "The Yuan Yang Radiance is dominated by the Yuan, Shang, and Ji Clans.

"However, there are other great clans who take up three areas. The Zi Clan alone occupies the Nine Luo Star Cluster. Unlike the Yu Clan, which merely dominates the Ten Radiant Star Cluster, the Zi Clan is the true uncrowned king of the Nine Luo Star Cluster, ruling all 388 star systems. That's why Nine Luo Star Cluster is also known as the Zi Luo Star Cluster."

Li Pin nodded.

"The Zi Clan has sent me information on the geniuses they had nurtured. Do you want to take a look?" Xia Yan asked.

"Sure."

Li Pin wanted to know how Li Yunyao compared to the noble families' carefully nurtured contenders.

Xia Yan tinkered with his bracelet briefly, and soon, a document was sent to Li Pin's own Communication Bracelet.

The document didn't contain information about only one person, but rather three.

Among the three, two had comprehended inner spirit power.

Looking through the information regarding the two Legendary figures who had comprehended inner spirit power, Li Pin couldn't help but remark, "The descendants nurtured a top-tier genius and even recruited a peerless genius? Impressive."

Xia Yan smiled and said, "The Zi Clan has a significant influence on the Yin Luo Star System. Among the three great families of Yin Luo Galaxy, Shuo Caihua—the Shuo Clan's Astral God—and Zi Zhongtian—the Zi Clan's Eternal Solar Flare—both belong to the Taiyuan Divine Mountain of the Astral World. They are considered to be fellow disciples in a way, so that's why they entered Yin Luo very early.

"Take a look at the documents and get to know them. I believe that with your talent, you will clear the Void Divine Treasure World in the future. However, if it takes more than eighty stellar years and the successor of the Astral God is decided by then, the Gaian Civilization will be impacted greatly. And in view that you haven't relocated your relatives yet, you can consider this as an alternative path."

Li Pin nodded. He understood what Xia Yan meant but did not say anything.

A way out? Wasn't this also a form of motivation?

Even the slightest hint of hesitation could lead to defeat.

Seeing this, Xia Yan did not urge further.

His task was complete, and he had repaid his favor. Whether Li Pin chose to cooperate with the Zi Clan was entirely his decision.

Before long, the Astral Gate was activated, and under the escort of Xia Yan's combat-specialized avatar, the two proceeded forward.

Along the way, they passed through multiple Astral Gates.

During this journey, Li Pin fully experienced the unique characteristics of different planets.

Some planets were vast seas of sand, where the wind stirred up endless waves of yellow dust. Others were entirely composed of metallic materials, which, after refinement, gleamed with a metallic sheen, presenting a distinctive appearance.

Some planets were even composed of materials that were considered incredibly valuable during the pre-cosmic era Gaia, such as diamonds. This planet sparkled brilliantly under the light of its star.

Some planets were entirely covered by flames, flowing water, or dense forests.

The distinct features of these planets allowed Li Pin to witness the grandeur of the cosmos and, at the same time, realize how insignificant Gaia had once been.

***

Two stellar months later, Li Pin calmly walked out of an Astral Gate.

Throughout the journey, they had not encountered any attacks.

But that was expected since they had used the Divine Treasury Hall's transfer Astral Gates, which was akin to bypassing public airports and opting to travel through military bases instead.

Naturally, no Astral God would dare to send an avatar to attack Li Pin lest they be branded as a bandit attempting to rob a military base.

After passing through the Astral Gate, Li Pin quickly sensed his surroundings.

He was on a satellite that orbited a planet with a diameter of over a hundred thousand kilometers. However, at this moment, the four-thousand-kilometer-wide satellite had been transformed into a space fortress, with its surface almost entirely covered in metal.

What surprised Li Pin was that he could sense the presence of life within the metal.

"This is an imitation of the Mechanical Clan's evolutionary path."

Sensing Li Pin's confusion, Xia Yan explained, "A Legend can fuse their Natal Planet into a celestial body to become a Demigod. However, with the Mechanical Clan's evolutionary path, the moment one cultivates mental spirit power, they infuse their mental spirit into metal.

"This simultaneously strengthens their mind while continuously reinforcing the metal, making it the strongest material in existence. At the same time, they keep expanding their size, growing larger and larger."

Xia Yan smiled and continued, "Although its diameter is only 4,662 kilometers, its mass exceeds that of a massive star. The reason you don't feel it is that it contains an anti-gravity field that neutralizes gravity distortion."

"It's a masterful control of force fields," commented Li Pin. "Probably no Legendary Celestial Martial Artist can match this planet's manipulation of gravitational fields."

At this moment, a phantom of flowing light centered on mental spirit energy was projected and condensed into a man in his thirties wearing a white suit.

"Thank you for your praise, Ace Pioneer Li," said the man.

His attire was very similar to Gaian's professional attire.

Xia Yan made the introductions. "This is Luo Fang, who is also the embodiment of this very planet we are one. He is responsible for all trivial matters relating to the Void Divine Treasury Hall. You can make any request to him, and if he isn't able to resolve it, you can then contact the deputy hall masters."

With that, Xia Yan looked at Li Pin and smiled. "My task is now complete. I wish you success in your journey to the Void Divine Treasure World eight stellar years from now."

Li Pin nodded at Xia Yan. "Thank you for your efforts."

After Xia Yan left, Luo Fang gestured with his hand.

The metallic structure beneath Li Pin's feet automatically rearranged itself. As one piece of metal rose, it merged into a circular flying vessel. It seemed they had already entered a transport vehicle.

In the next second, the surroundings blurred past at an extremely high speed, estimated to be no less than a hundred times the speed of sound.

There were already more than a dozen energy barriers outside the Astral Gate. However, as the flying vessel sped past, the barriers automatically opened a passageway.

The opening and closing process took less than 0.1 seconds.

In other words, if this transport vehicle had been merely 0.05 seconds slower, it would have crashed into the energy barrier at a hundred times the speed of sound.

Thanks to Luo Fang's precise control, no accidents occurred. The flying vessel never slowed down, even when passing through the bustling traffic junctions.

"Control," murmured Li Pin.

All paths led to the same end goal. Luo Fang, who had taken the path of the Mechanical Race's evolution, also emphasized precision and control.

"Your friend Fang Chunyang set a reminder for me to send him a message when you arrive at the Void Divine Treasury Hall. May I have your authorization to send it?" Luo Fang asked with a smile.

"You can. But now we are...?"

"We are now going to meet Hall Master Ran Shenji," Luo Fang responded.

Li Pin's heart skipped a beat. "The Third Hall Master?"

The Void Divine Treasury Hall was of a much higher status than the Astral God Mara's Divine Treasury Hall. The position of hall master was assumed by Astral God Mu Hai, who was also known as the Twilight Radiance.

Below him were several vice hall masters. The second-ranking vice hall master was Astral God Yun Tu, the one in charge and responsible for coordinating with the hall master and the Supreme Council.

Although Ran Shenji was the Third Hall Master, he was the one responsible for interfacing with the Pioneers and all the major departments below.

I can actually meet up with the hall master upon arriving at the Void Divine Treasury Hall?

"Send the message after I have met the hall master," Li Pin said.

"Alright."

Soon, the flying vessel arrived at a massive domed building.

Upon entering the building's main structure, the flying vessel transformed, resembling a rocket launch. The next moment, it shot upward at high speed, and in an instant, it followed a trajectory into outer space, several hundred kilometers beyond the planet. There, a palace floated in the void.

After he entered the palace, Li Pin found himself inside what seemed to be an utterly spacious hall spanning over ten thousand square meters, appearing utterly spacious.

The hall was not only vast but also incredibly silent.

The stillness was so profound that not a single sound could be heard.

"Please wait," said Luo Fang.

Li Pin nodded.

As a cultivator, he naturally possessed sufficient patience.

Fortunately, the Third Hall Master who summoned him did not keep him waiting for long.

Before long, a stream of flowing light was projected, accompanied by a surge of energy fluctuations, and a figure emerged.

Upon seeing this Astral God, Li Pin was slightly taken aback.

The person standing before him was not a mere projection of light but an actual avatar—an Eternal Solar Flare's avatar.

This was none other than the Third Hall Master, Ran Shenji.

Li Pin nodded, showing respect. "Hall Master."

Ran Shenji gazed at Li Pin, his eyes seeming to carry a power that could pierce through one's soul. "Li Pin."

The voice of this Astral God echoed through the vast and empty great hall. "I am very curious about how you managed to clear the Mara Divine Treasure World in less than a stellar year. You claim that you unintentionally came into a direction of attaining the Transcendent Path within it? That surprises me even more."

Li Pin frowned slightly upon hearing this.

The Astral God's tone was rather irritating, as if he were questioning him.

"What you encountered, was it merely the direction of attaining the Transcendent Path..." A power capable of bewildering the mind flickered in the Astral God's eyes, instantly enveloping Li Pin's consciousness. "Or... what you came in contact with was actually Void?"

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