Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 574: Position

Counterattack!

Li Pin braced against the Blood Wolf's charge, ignoring the blood seeping from his palms as he lunged forward.

Power surged through him like a raging dragon bursting from the sea. As the Force gathered and erupted, he swung the Blood Wolf, still hooked onto the wooden branch, hurling it at the fourth wolf that came roaring in.

Bang!

A dull impact rang out.

The immense recoil finally proved too much for the wooden branch, causing it to snap again at the center. From its original 1.8 meters, it had shrunk to 90 centimeters.

But that break had also absorbed much of the impact.

As the fourth Blood Wolf crashed to the ground, Li Pin didn’t cease his charge. Force erupted from his feet, and with a thunderous roar, he surged forward.

"Kill!"

His will ignited, and his qi and blood boiled like an erupting volcano. A murderous aura, unfathomable to ordinary beings, burst forth.

Eyes ablaze, his presence became that of a primeval beast. The last two Blood Wolves, ready to strike, faltered. A shuddering whimper escaped their throats.

Whoosh!

Seizing that moment of hesitation, Li Pin gripped the broken branch with both hands and drove forward.

Though merely splintered wood, its jagged edge, combined with his explosive Force and perfectly controlled angle, turned it into a deadly blade. With a fierce thrust, he stabbed it straight into the fifth Blood Wolf's gaping maw.

Bang!

Blood sprayed as their bodies collided.

The wooden branch pierced the wolf's mouth, forcing its head upward. Li Pin slammed his entire body into the wolf's massive frame.

The force sent the 1.5-meter beast, excluding its tail, hurtling backward.

It crashed several meters away, landing with a heavy thud, followed by the sickening snap of breaking bones.

Li Pin crushed four Blood Wolves in an instant. He took a deep breath, his chest swelling. No words followed, only the roar of a true apex predator.

"Roar!"

The sound rumbled like thunder, shaking the wasteland.

The two remaining Blood Wolves, terrified by his overwhelming presence, let out low whimpers, losing all courage to continue their hunt. They quickly fled the battlefield.

Li Pin's gaze stayed locked on their retreating figures.

Once they had distanced themselves enough, he approached the two Blood Wolves still clinging to life. Grabbing a sharp piece of his broken staff, he aimed for their skulls and struck.

By all reasoning, a wooden stick shouldn't be able to pierce a wolf's skull.

But with steady hands, concentrated force, and the right speed, not just bone, even stone could be pierced.

Li Pin clearly met all the requirements.

Sizzle!

After killing the last two wolves, Li Pin exhaled, sweat pouring from every inch of his body. He looked like he had just been pulled out of water, drenched and slick.

His skin was flushed, burning with feverish heat, making him appear rather terrifying.

Internally, a wave of weakness washed over him. But through sheer will, he suppressed it.

"Hah!"

He controlled his breath, starting a series of martial arts drills.

He ran through Heaven-Subjugating Technique, Celestial Body Tempering Fist, Great Sun True Radiance Technique, Five Elements Body-Refining Art, and Xuan Pin Gate.

After practicing each one, he found that only the Five Elements Body-Refining Art and Xuan Pin Gate had any noticeable effect on his body. Of the two, Xuan Pin Gate worked even better.

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "So only basic techniques are effective? The Celestial Body Tempering Fist, reliant on Celestial Force Fields, is useless? Isn't the world's version cap supposed to be at the Demigod level? Why can't I use the Celestial Body Tempering Fist?"

It didn't make sense. Was the martial art system not updated to that stage yet, or was there some other restriction?

Li Pin guessed, "What a shame. Shi Keqing didn't get any technique-related information from her sister... Even though they shared an inner connection, they were separated by two different timelines.

"Every image transmitted had to be repeatedly reconstructed in their minds, which was an arduous process.

"And since martial arts are so complex and lengthy, along with the fact that Legends and Divine Beings mastered countless techniques, they would have quickly developed survival abilities on their own. So in the end, she probably didn't think it was worth passing on."

Li Pin let go of his thoughts.

Using Xuan Pin Gate, he focused on nurturing his exhausted body.

Soon after, hunger struck. It was a result of the earlier depletion.

He glanced down at the Blood Wolf corpses at his feet.

Li Pin sighed. "No idea if they're poisonous. If they are, I might end up being the fastest Ace Pioneer to enter reincarnation."

For now, he had no choice but to replenish his energy with their blood.

Still, saying he'd be the first to die wasn't entirely accurate.

He had only encountered six Blood Wolves, but the traces near that tree earlier suggested even larger and more dangerous creatures roamed this underground world. Those who ran into them... they were the ones truly doomed.

"...So much for inviting us to be referees for their little lovers' quarrel. If they weren't going to drop us near the key figures, they could've at least placed us in a safer human city."

After recovering his energy, Li Pin recalled the information he had obtained back in the Void Divine Treasury Hall.

"This should be the underground world of the Moon Demon Domain, home to countless cavern dwellers and ferocious beasts."

Compared to other pioneers, his intel was far more detailed.

But Shi Yiren's reports only provided broad insights. Beyond confirming this place belonged to the Moon Demon Domain and was populated by cavern dwellers and ferocious beasts, there wasn't much else.

"Being thrown into this world is dangerous, but not without advantages. According to Shi Yiren, cultivation here is much faster than in the Celestial Barren Domain."

Li Pin considered staying for a while. Once his physical strength reached a sufficient level, he'd return to the human world. Otherwise, being too weak would make it impossible to interfere with the storyline.

"This world still follows the law of energy conservation. No shortcuts. I can't absorb the world's energy and advance at breakneck speed like in the Mara World.

"Because of this, even after a whole stellar year, many fail to reach the Demigod level. Especially in the Celestial Barren Domain, where cultivation is several times slower than here."

Yet, instead of feeling frustrated, Li Pin was rather pleased.

He had already noticed that while this world was unfriendly to astral energy cultivation, it heavily favored martial arts from the Gaia era.

In fact, its martial arts system had advanced to an even higher level.

If luck was on his side, he might even reclaim his long-abandoned Celestial Martial God Manual and forge a path beyond the Legendary realm—one that could rival Demigods and Divine Beings.

If not... wasn't there still the Void Emperor?

The Emperor's human incarnation in this world was practically cheating.

Breaking the divine treasure world wasn't the real concern. As long as that one truly grew stronger with each battle, just as Shi Yiren had described, he would be satisfied.

If he could keep sparring with him, pushing himself to reach the Divine, Astral God, or even Supreme level... if he could glimpse the ultimate path of evolution through the Void Emperor...

Even if he remained trapped in the Void Divine Treasure World, reliving cycle after cycle, Li Pin would have no regrets.

With anticipation for this divine treasure world, Li Pin dragged the Blood Wolf's corpse with him. He planned to look for a relatively safe place to go into seclusion for a while.

Just then, a voice filled with surprise rang out nearby. "*&%@#￥!?"

Li Pin turned abruptly.

At some point, a figure had approached—fully clad in armor, with additional pieces strapped to his back. He was running toward him, visibly excited.

After covering some distance, he seemed to realize something and removed his helmet, revealing the face of a young man in his early twenties.

His expression radiated genuine joy as he waved enthusiastically in greeting.

He seemed... friendly?

Unfortunately, Li Pin couldn't understand a word he was saying. But judging from his body language, it seemed like he was saying...

Li Pin tested with a cautious reply. "Hello?"

The unfamiliar words made the young man pause. He scratched his head, looking a little unsure of what to do.

After a moment, something seemed to occur to him, and he rattled off another string of words.

Li Pin studied him as he spoke. Not weak. Likely at the level of a High-Class Martial God.

Li Pin had deliberately descended near a plot-relevant location. Whether his sensing was precise remained uncertain, but if it was... this person might just be a key figure in the main storyline.

He pondered, The Void Emperor? Or Baili Zhu, the master of the divine treasure world? If he was the Void Emperor... that would be ideal.

But Li Pin quickly dismissed the thought.

Baili Zhu was just a little girl in the first phase.

As for the Void Emperor, according to Shi Yiren, he was a ruthless figure, and anyone who met him died. How could someone like that show up looking so warm and friendly?

Unfortunately, Shi Yiren's intel only covered the big picture. There were no details at all.

At least, the issue with the sentence structure hadn't been solved.

After thinking for a moment, Li Pin decided to test things out.

He took a stick and wrote three characters on the ground—Baili Zhu.

Once done, he closely watched the young man, paying attention to every flicker of his emotions.

These were the written characters of this world.

If the man were a key figure in the plot, he should have reacted.

But instead, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

Clearly, he had no idea what Li Pin meant.

After a long pause, the young man picked up his own stick and wrote four characters.

Unfortunately, Li Pin only recognized the first two—Bai and Li.

However, having been closely observing his reactions, Li Pin noticed the lack of response when the words "Baili Zhu" were written. He felt a sense of disappointment.

Not a plot character. In that case...

Li Pin waved him off. "Leave. Don't disturb my training."

The young man immediately began speaking rapidly, but again, his words made no sense to Li Pin.

Li Pin ignored him and, with the Blood Wolf's corpse in tow, turned to leave.

The young man looked confused for a moment, then seemed to realize something. His expression shifted to one of admiration.

With deep respect, he bowed to Li Pin, almost as if seeing him as a hero.

After the bow, his entire demeanor shifted. Standing taller with renewed determination, he left with his head held high.

Li Pin watched, confused. This guy... was he overthinking things?

One thing was clear, though—his warmth, politeness, and friendly behavior suggested no connection to the main storyline.

Especially when compared to the ruthless figure, the Void Emperor, who would wipe out entire clans just for a glance. The contrast was striking.

"I need to train harder. Even if I face the Void Emperor in his human form, dying at his hands would be worth it. But I want to die in a real fight, not be killed instantly without a chance to retaliate."

With that thought, Li Pin found a safe spot and began refining the Xuan Pin Gate and Five Elements Body-Refining Art, aiming to quickly gain strength in the underground world.

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