Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 640: Burnout

Zi Zhongtian's expression darkened. "Why now of all times?"

If they hadn't just learned that Li Pin might possess tier nine combat strength, his arrival wouldn't have been much of a concern. Plenty of people here could have dealt with him. But now that they had, his arrival made them tense. A tier nine combatant was enough to tip the scales.

"Could Li Pin have... already joined forces with Ai Sa. Is he planning to eliminate the Aristocratic Alliance first? Otherwise, how could his timing be this precise?"

Yuan Xiangguang's fluctuating mental spirit carried a hint of malice. He wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Many others shared the same suspicion.

"Regardless of whether he has allied with Ai Sa or not, our situation has definitely worsened. One thing is certain. We cannot allow Li Pin and Ai Sa to launch a joint attack. Otherwise, there will truly be no hope left for us."

Zi Zhongtian shifted his gaze to Shang Jinzhao and said, "Lord Shang, I'll have to trouble you to stop Li Pin. Equipped with the full set of thirty-three Divine Weapons, your Power Level is at 410,000. You're the only one here who can confront him head-on.

"Of course, it would be ideal if you can convince him to switch sides. If not, stall him, at the very least. Once we take care of Ai Sa, we can deal with Li Pin afterward."

Shang Jinzhao nodded. "Leave it to me."

In the next instant, he stepped into the air and shot toward the Divine Treasury Hall Judiciary Department's flying vessel.

Meanwhile, Ai Sa frowned. "Li Pin?"

On top of the Aristocratic Alliance, I now have to deal with Li Pin too? According to the clan's intelligence, Li Pin is a Supreme Divine Being with combat strength rumored to be at the ninth tier. If this is true, things have just become troublesome.

With things having reached this point, his appearance can only mean one thing. He has already allied himself with the Aristocratic Alliance.

His earlier act of issuing a challenge, as if he were eager for all-out war, was likely just a ruse to lower my guard and lure me into their trap! It was all a performance, designed to provoke me into charging recklessly into the Aristocratic Alliance's headquarters, blinded by rage.

But... it doesn't matter.

Ai Sa muttered, "It makes no difference whether you've joined forces or not. Since you've chosen to stand together, I'll simply deal with you all at once!"

With that thought, his entire presence shifted, as if he had compressed himself into a star at its absolute limit. Terrifying energy surged within him.

In the blink of an eye, he went from absolute stillness to an explosive burst of speed so fast that even Legends and Divine Beings could barely perceive it.

The force unleashed in that instant was overwhelming.

Yuan Xiangguang took the brunt of the attack. He had no time to react before the sheer force, condensed to its limit, sent him flying. His protective divine gear shattered instantly.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "T-this is impossible!"

There were no gaps, no delays, no resistance in the flow of Ai Sa's power. Clearly, he had reached the Perfect Realm, a level of mastery that transcended even Absolute Control!

Absolute Control meant precise command over every fragment of one's power. On the other hand, the Perfect Realm was the unification of all strength into a single, seamless entity, flowing without the slightest hindrance.

Ai Sa, in this very moment, embodied this perfection!

530,000 units of energy intensity!? And a Perfect Realm capable of wielding it flawlessly!? How could this prodigy of the Golden Emperor Clan be so terrifyingly powerful!?

Zi Zhongtian's expression turned tense. He roared, "Attack together!"

Without hesitation, he joined Ji Fenglei and the many Astral Gods' combat-specialized avatars in surrounding Ai Sa.

At this point, their recognition of this prodigy, born just sixty stellar years ago, reached an unprecedented level.

***

"Has the battle already started?"

From aboard the flying vessel, Li Pin gazed into the distance, clearly sensing the terrifying bursts of energy erupting above Planet Storm. It was the residual energy released by Astral Gods who had lost control of their power after their defenses were shattered.

What truly shocked Li Pin was Ai Sa, who was standing at the center of the encirclement, surrounded by the Astral Gods' avatars.

For a long time, many had speculated that when Ai Sa claimed he had reached a Power Level of 530,000, he was merely referring to his energy intensity. After all, the Golden Emperor bloodline excelled in rapid energy accumulation. Reaching 530,000 in raw energy was one thing; mastering and utilizing it as actual combat power was an entirely different matter.

In the Astral World, Golden Emperor Astral Gods often sealed themselves in various forms to prevent their overwhelming energy from leaking uncontrollably, triggering the Eternal Oblivion Force.

With such precedents, many believed Ai Sa was exaggerating, misleading others into thinking his 530,000 energy intensity equated to a Power Level of 530,000.

However, through this battle, the Golden Emperor prodigy Ai Sa was proving them all wrong.

Li Pin praised sincerely, "He's strong."

At this moment, Ai Sa was like a supernova on the verge of eruption, each movement brimming with the destructive power of a collapsing star. Ordinary avatars stood no chance against him, and even Astral God's combat-specialized avatars couldn't withstand a direct strike.

If not for the sheer number of Astral God combat-specialized avatars on the field, along with the restraints imposed by the three Eternal Solar Flares, Ji Fenglei, Zi Zhongtian, and Yuan Xiangguang, the battle would have been utterly one-sided.

Even so, Ai Sa still held the upper hand. He had managed to single-handedly suppress countless Astral Gods.

At this moment, a streak of light rushed toward Li Pin. It was Shang Jinzhao, one of the Eternal Solar Flares from the Aristocratic Alliance. "Li Pin! You saw it too!"

"Ai Sa's power has surpassed anything we can comprehend! He's... practically a true paragon of humanity! A genius like this should have a fair chance of becoming Cosmic Radiance through his own cultivation alone. In theory, he wouldn't even need to vie for Astral God Yin Luo's inheritance. Yet here he is, competing against us for it!"

His gaze turned solemn as he looked back. "Whether we like it or not, we must face him. Unless we defeat him, none of us can claim the Astral God's legacy! So no matter what grudges exist between us, we have to put them aside. We must join forces and eliminate Ai Sa first!"

Li Pin nodded in satisfaction. "Ai Sa is indeed powerful."

Hearing his tone, Shang Jinzhao's eyes lit up with hope. It seems our efforts hadn't been in vain after all!

He, Zi Zhongtian, Yuan Xiangguang, and Ji Fenglei had all tacitly held back, refraining from entering the Burnout State.

"Have you agreed? That's great! We can join forces immedi—"

Before Shang Jinzhao could finish, Li Pin cut him off.

"Ai Sa is this powerful... which means I can't let anything happen to him. Nothing can be allowed to interfere with the climactic battle between us for Astral God Yin Luo's inheritance. So..."

He gazed at Shang Jinzhao. "I'll eliminate you first!"

In the next instant, Li Pin stepped forward. A terrifying force field, comparable to a planet spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers, erupted from him. With the precision of his Perfect Realm, he shifted from absolute stillness to blinding speed in an instant.

To ensure a swift victory, he activated his Limit Break State. In an explosion of speed, he became a streak of crimson light, instantly closing in on Shang Jinzhao.

His energy was so perfectly contained that not a trace leaked out, nor did he disrupt the gravitational balance of the starry battlefield. The overwhelming inner spirit pressure he radiated made Shang Jinzhao feel as if an entire world was hurtling toward him with astonishing speed.

"Are you insane!?" Shang Jinzhao roared furiously. "You know how powerful Ai Sa is, yet instead of teaming up to crush him, you're coming after me!?"

He had briefly considered that Li Pin might simply be targeting the strongest foe. But he dismissed the idea almost immediately. Despite his flaws, Li Pin wasn't reckless enough to act so foolishly. The truth was clear.

"So you've been colluding with Ai Sa all along, biding your time to annihilate us in one fell swoop!"

His spiritual world ignited, and a surging power began to burn and boil within him.

"You seek death? Then I'll oblige! Tier Nine strength means nothing! You have no idea what the true power of an Eternal Solar Flare is like! Shine! My inner spirit light! "

In that instant, Li Pin sensed a complete shift in Shang Jinzhao's inner spirit. A moment ago, Shang Jinzhao's inner spirit had been as calm and still as a mirror, as serene as a lake, granting him perfect clarity over the battlefield.

Now, all of his spiritual power erupted into a blazing inferno, transforming into a radiance that illuminated the heavens. Unlike True Spirit Light, which perceives and foresees all things, this blazing radiance was intensely aggressive. It threatened to ignite Li Pin's inner spirit. Like a true sun, it shone and burned. It reduced all things to ashes.

"This technique..."

Bang!

As his inner spirit power teetered on the brink of being incinerated, Li Pin lost all awareness of the battlefield. Even his own existence began to destabilize.

Shang Jinzhao struck.

With one movement, he transformed into a sword of blazing light. It was radiant and dazzling, illuminating the vast cosmos.

With a single motion, he became a sword of blazing light, dazzling and searing as it illuminated the vast cosmos. His strike aimed not just to pierce Li Pin but to break through into his Mini Astral World and reduce everything within to nothingness.

Stage Two Limit Break State....

Li Pin made a grasping motion with his hand, and the power of his Natal Planet compressed at an unimaginable speed. The energy transfer, surpassing all limits, caused the space around him to grow so heavy that it seemed on the verge of collapsing into a black hole.

With his inner spirit ignited, his Perfect Realm's control faltered. The formation of the black hole lagged by just a fraction of a second.

Shang Jinzhao seized this fleeting opportunity and struck. He slashed his blazing sword toward Li Pin.

Forced to defend, Li Pin activated the Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness.

Darkness immediately enveloped Li Pin, devouring the searing flames within the sword's radiance.

As Shang Jinzhao's strike connected, the sword's radiance vibrated with unparalleled intensity.

Under the interference of inner spirit power, each flame seemed to gain a will of its own, relentlessly attacking and destabilizing the Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness.

Within moments, Li Pin's imperfect energy flow, a result of his burning inner spirit, revealed an opening.

The inferno surged toward his Natal Planet.