Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 440: Shatter

"Astral Formation?"

Li Pin's mind conjured memories of formations described in cultivation chronicles. However, in this world, across all of Gaia, formations were unheard of, let alone something like Astral Formations.

This means that his so-called Astral Formation is....

"The power of an alien civilization?" Li Pin said.

Ji Xuanyuan responded, "Indeed! Who wouldn't know how to contact alien civilizations? Our Great Shang established contact with alien civilizations long ago, even creating the Astral Palace Mage system. But because we feared that too deep a connection might bring calamity to Gaia, we've always stayed cautious."

He seemed unable to contain himself any longer. His voice rose in anger. "But look at what Solar Radiance Sovereign did! He recklessly went and reached out to alien civilizations! One misstep, and Gaia could plunge into an endless abyss!

"And the result? Not only was he spared punishment, but he was embraced by everyone and made the acting chairman of the Gaia Alliance!"

Ji Xuanyuan's fury burst forth. "Absurd! Completely absurd! Those who follow the rules are cast aside, while those who break them seize power! Tell me—what qualifies Solar Radiance to be the chairman of the Gaia Alliance? Tell me!"

Li Pin asked calmly, "So, even now, all you care about is the presidency of the Gaia Alliance?"

"What do you understand?" questioned Ji Xuanyuan, his tone fierce. "Only under our leadership can Gaia prevail in future interspecies competition! Everything we've done is for Gaia!"

Li Pin pressed, "And for that, you'd start a civil war?"

Ji Xuanyuan cast a deadly stare at Li Pin. "Righteous, aren't you? So high and mighty! But you—you're the Martial God!

"Once you've mastered your path, you'll never have to fear becoming cannon fodder or a sacrificial offering, reduced to a fragment of the Astral God Yin Luo's successor.

"When the situation becomes irreparable, you can simply walk away. But us? We'll be drained of all our astral energy and revert to our original forms! Without astral energy, we'll grow old, feeble—practically dead! Do you even understand!?"

Ji Xuanyuan shot into the air, bathing in starlight. In an instant, all the astral energy he had expended earlier surged back into him.

"You understand nothing! Nothing at all!"

Zhao Kunwu commanded coldly, "Enough talk. Assemble the formation."

The moment he spoke, the other four Heavenly Realm Experts swiftly moved into position. Together, they formed a unique alignment, their powers converging into a single force.

Ying Huo couldn't help but ask, "Someone like Li Pin—such a genius—shouldn't we try recruiting him? Even if the chances are slim, isn't it worth trying?"

"I value Li Pin far more than you do," responded Zhao Kunwu. "But even as he pursued His Majesty earlier, he kept testing new techniques. He had opportunities to trap any one of us—two of us, even—but he ignored them, focusing entirely on His Majesty. From that, I can tell for certain that he knows. He knows everything."

His gaze fixed on Li Pin. "He knows we've been stirring up trouble in the shadows. He knows we have hidden cards. He knows this alternate dimension is riddled with traps for him...

"In fact, I've realized something else. When the Sovereign revealed the Cosmic True Dragon Secret Art to the public a year ago, Li Pin welcomed it. Why? Because only through that could enough strong opponents emerge."

Zhao Kunwu's words sent shockwaves through Zhu Zhao, Ying Huo, Jin Taibai, and the others.

"He realized that the Divine Dragon Empire was eyeing Gaia, that contact with alien civilizations was unavoidable, and that our current strength was insufficient to handle even the early stages of the second-phase crisis. So, he needed stronger opponents to push him into life-and-death battles, forcing him to surpass his limits."

Zhao Kunwu's eyes gleamed with clarity. "Does it matter to him that Solar Radiance Sovereign took his position as Gaia Alliance chairman? Do our behind-the-scenes machinations matter? Does the Gaia civil war matter? No! None of it matters! Only one thing matters to him."

For the first time, Zhao Kunwu felt chillingly calm, as if he had finally seen through Li Pin's true nature.

"To surpass his limits under our pressure, to kill us—or be killed by us."

Ji Xuanyuan, Zhu Zhao, Ying Huo, and Jin Taibai were struck by a sudden epiphany.

All the contradictions in Li Pin's actions—things that once seemed uncharacteristic—became clear.

A year ago, when he chose not to confront Solar Radiance Sovereign directly, he was already anticipating this moment. Anticipating the rise of powerful Heavenly Realm opponents capable of threatening his life, opponents who would reignite his pressure and motivation.

And then... he would have a death match—a life-and-death struggle to break through and transcend himself.

This mattered more to him than becoming the Gaia Alliance chairman or the future of Gaia's humanity. Their Great Shang had merely stumbled into his path.

His original target had likely been Solar Radiance Sovereign and the Heavenly Realm Experts aligned with him.

Why? Li Pin had already crafted a justification: collaborating with alien civilizations, a cause greater than all others.

But in truth, it was all to fulfill his most primal desire. This was the real Li Pin.

Zhao Kunwu's expression was unprecedentedly serious. He turned to Li Pin. "What do you say, Li Pin?"

Li Pin remained silent. After a long pause, he uttered, "You... Don't you think you're a bit...."

He trailed off, unsure of what to say. In the end, he abruptly fell silent again.

After several breaths, a faint smile appeared on Li Pin's face. "You guessed it right."

He raised his head and looked directly at the figures of the Great Shang Legends, encased in the formation. "Your killing strike is ready. Now..."

He crouched slightly. "Let's begin."

Bang!

As soon as the words left his mouth, the ground beneath him—about a hundred meters in radius—collapsed with a deafening roar.

Before the falling debris and dust could spread, a visible white shockwave erupted from above the area, blasting outward.

At the same time, a triumphant laughter rang out in front of Zhu Zhao. "Hahahaha!"

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Bang!

Before Zhu Zhao could react, a force far beyond what a Heavenly Realm Expert could withstand shattered his body. Blood mist, laced with starlight, exploded in the void.

At the same time, Li Pin's voice, mingled with the shockwave, rang out, "Let us embrace the ecstasy of life, the boundless freedom, and the great leap between life and death!"

Zhao Kunwu roared, "Five Emperors Demon-Slaying Formation! Kill him!"

In an instant, countless strands of golden light surged from every corner of the alternate dimension, sweeping toward Li Pin as if to firmly bind him.

Li Pin took a deep breath and threw a powerful punch. "Break!"

The space ahead rippled violently under the Force of his strike, shattering the golden threads instantly.

However, the entire alternate dimension seemed to have been inscribed with a formation. As the threads disintegrated, the residual energy quickly coalesced, reforming into new threads that continued to bind him.

At the same time, the five Heavenly Realm Experts radiated brilliant starlight, transforming into massive sources of light.

Upon closer inspection, the light came from the Divine Radiance Beams they released.

Four of the five beams merged under the formation's influence, converging into the Mental Spirit Ring wielder, Ji Xuanyuan's hands. There, they formed a terrifying beam of light ten meters in diameter. It was aimed straight at Li Pin, whose movements were restricted by the golden threads.

The instant the Divine Radiance Beam tore through the air, its brilliance outshone the virtual sun above. The intense heat and energy carried within it sent a wave of bone-chilling, deadly danger through Li Pin.

"Good!" uttered Li Pin.

He unleashed his Atomic Disintegration Technique, his fist crashing into the incoming beam.

Atomic vibrations erupted. The light and heat carried by the atomic particles violently disintegrated and trembled.

What came into everyone's sight was the massive beam of energy forcibly halted as it collided with Li Pin. This tremor and disintegration lasted only for a moment.

As the energy within the Divine Radiance Beam poured in continuously, the ripples from the Atomic Disintegration Technique gradually dissipated. The unleashed radiant light pierced through and instantly dissolved Li Pin's Celestial Magnetic Field.

If he hadn't retreated in time, the Divine Radiance Beam would have incinerated him, killing him on the spot.

This was just the beginning.

Having barely avoided the first strike, the beam's radiance surged toward him again.

The divine radiance was swift, but Li Pin was even faster.

With neural reflexes now three times faster than a year ago, the moment Ji Xuanyuan unleashed the Divine Radiance Beam, Li Pin had already acted. Like a thunderbolt tearing through the heavens, he charged fiercely toward Ying Huo, the closest target.

The sheer speed was overwhelming. Ying Huo had no chance to counter, not even to dodge, and could only transform into starlight in a desperate attempt to evade.

Yet, even as Ying Huo became starlight, the stability of the Divine Radiance Beam remained largely intact. Though its power diminished slightly, it still easily dissolved the defenses of the Celestial Magnetic Field.

"It's pointless," Zhao Kunwu's voice echoed through the sky. "We've spent nearly a year gathering astral energy for this battle.

"A Heavenly Realm Expert's starlight form can recover only one to two hundred times in a short period. However, with this formation continuously accumulating astral energy, our recovery is amplified a hundredfold—as long as the energy remains undiminished.

"Unless you can kill us tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of times, we are invincible within this formation!"

His gaze burned like a flame. "But you... if we kill you even once, there's only one outcome for you..."

"Death!" echoed Ji Xuanyuan, Zhu Zhao, Ying Huo, and Jin Taibai in unison, their voices carried through spiritual waves that reverberated across the alternate dimension, forming an oppressive spiritual intimidation.

Yet instead of suppressing Li Pin's Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, this pressure was like a spark falling into a barrel of oil, igniting the inner spirit power deep within him.

He stared at the Divine Radiance Beam hurtling toward him again, sensing its unbearable heat and energy flood pressing down. "Kill you tens of thousands of times? Hundreds of thousands of times?"

This time, Li Pin didn't dodge.

"One true kill is all it takes!"

As long as he could be faster, stronger!

Rumble!

He attacked!

As the ten-meter-wide energy beam surged toward him like an unstoppable torrent, Li Pin began to punch—frantically! Within a single second, he unleashed a flurry of punches, clashing head-on with the Divine Radiance Beam!

Each strike carried the force of the Atomic Disintegration Technique.

If three punches weren't enough, he'd throw ten. If ten failed, then thirty. If thirty couldn't do it, then a hundred!

"Astral energy can't be destroyed, but the atoms carrying it can be dismantled, annihilated... if my strikes can reach their ultimate peak... faster, stronger..."

He'd destroy every atom, reducing the world to a vacuum!

Until... the power of his inner spirit ignites! And obliterates the vacuum!