Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 471: Escape

Yan Zun's eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of power is this!?"

His Heaven-Rending Strike, a move that had once obliterated even Tier Two Legends like the Fire Dragon God, was shattered mid-air by Li Pin's thunderous sword light.

If there had been any doubt before about Li Pin's Tier Three Legend strength, this move left no room for uncertainty.

Xue Feng, Yu Shengjin, and Qi Yan—all Legends—turned pale. "How... how can he be this strong!?"

In the distance, Yuan Zhenchuan, Solar Radiance Sovereign, and the other Heavenly realm cultivators had initially been puzzled when Li Pin casually said, "Do as you please."

Now they understood. What he meant was simple: Go handle your own affairs. Just don't get in my way.

Because with the power Li Pin displayed... even if the Divine Dragon Empire had brought together all thirteen Legends, what difference would it make?

He alone was enough to face them all.

"Hall Master Li... he seems to have gotten stronger again?"

"Yeah, he definitely has. But thinking about it, his rate of progress makes sense. He trains, consolidates, and grows stronger—just a little at a time. Feels reasonable."

"It does. After all, it's been nearly a month."

"Yeah, nearly a month. Feels like such a long time..."

The Heavenly Realm cultivators muttered to themselves, at a loss for words.

They had come prepared to sacrifice themselves, ready to create opportunities for Li Pin to take down the enemy Legends one by one.

But, it now seemed that all that mental preparation had been... pointless?

When the real fight began, all they had to do was stand aside and watch?

***

Yan Zun's heart surged with shock and anger.

It was all a trap! Li Pin had feared the Astral Formation on Miracle Star. He was worried that he'd fail to completely eliminate the Divine Dragon Empire, which could hinder Gaia's rise to dominance in the Dragon Swamp Nebula.

So he took advantage of our lack of understanding of Gaia's civilization and devised this scheme to lure us out, intending to wipe us all out at once!

Thankfully, retreat was still an option. Li Pin, after all, was only a Legendary Celestial Martial Artist. Even with the combat power of a Tier Three Legend, they still had the home-ground advantage of the Yin Luo Galaxy, where the Astral God's power radiated. Escape was not beyond reach.

"Retreat! Fall back!" Yan Zun shouted.

Hearing that, the seven Legends—already shaken by Li Pin's devastating strike that crushed the five others—turned and fled without hesitation.

Li Pin watched as the Legends burst into starlight before transforming into streams of light that tried to flee toward the depths of Death Valley.

He muttered, "My mistake was breaking through too quickly, raising my strength to Tier Three all at once. Now, there's no other choice."

In the next instant, his figure exploded into radiant lightning.

I have to end this quickly! The second phase awaits—when thousands of civilizations across the Yin Luo Galaxy compete for the Astral God's inheritance. That will be the real spectacle!

Endless arcs of electricity surrounded him as he entered a state akin to streaming light speed. In an instant, he appeared among the fleeing Legends.

A vast and magnificent planetary projection erupted, spanning hundreds of kilometers. As it appeared, it wreaked havoc on the surrounding environment.

The ground shook violently. The Celestial Magnetic Field lifted massive amounts of earth and stone.

Boulders weighing tens, hundreds, or even thousands of tons were pulled into the air, drawn into the projection as if becoming a part of it, adding to its mass.

The planetary projection contracted at an incredible speed as soon as it appeared.

As it did, the Celestial Force Field of the projection also shrank, trapping the fleeing figures—five in their starlight forms and seven who had turned to retreat—in a temporal distortion.

Despite their extremely fast speed, they were pulled farther from the underground world and closer to Li Pin.

Like ships caught in a massive whirlpool, no matter how fast they moved, they spiraled closer to the center—until the vortex swallowed them whole.

Xue Feng shouted in terror, "What is this?! What is this?!"

Qi Yan, a Tier One Legend, also cried out, his voice filled with panic, "Magnetic field strength! This is the magnetic field strength that only a Demigod can wield! Is he a Demigod from Gaia!?"

They knew very well what would happen if the magnetic field strength bound them.

"No, that's not right. I don't feel the resonance between him and Gaia's magnetic field... This power feels like... it comes from an Astral World Fragment!?"

Yan Zun, a peak Tier Two Legend who had once roamed the Yin Luo Galaxy, suddenly seemed to realize something and widened his eyes in disbelief. "Divinity! You're a Divine being!?"

The realization left him stunned. A Divine being!?

No! A Divine being is someone who could refine a Demigod-level Natal Planet into their Astral World Fragment, contained within their inner spirit.

Every movement they make is amplified by the strength of a Natal Planet at least ten thousand kilometers in diameter, granting them combat power far beyond planetary destruction.

Such a powerful being would not need to exert much effort to target a minor empire like the Divine Dragon Empire. With their status, a single command would suffice...

Yan Zun's mind tumbled.

No! They wouldn't even need to personally give the command. A mere indication of dissatisfaction with the Divine Dragon Empire would be enough.

A Tier Three Legend would take action, uprooting the entire Divine Dragon Empire to please that Divine being.

Not a Divine Being, yet possessing the power of a Demigod and able to harbor a Natal Planet...

"You must have stumbled upon an Astral World Fragment by chance. To prevent others from seizing it, you chose an incredibly weak planet to fuse with, becoming a Demigod. Yet your strength only matches that of a third tier Legend..."

A sudden flash of insight struck Yan Zun. At that moment, the fog of confusion cleared entirely.

As for why Li Pin obtained an Astral World Fragment... it was obvious.

The Yin Luo Galaxy was the chosen resting place of the great Astral God Yin Luo. It was entirely normal for such a being to scatter things across this galaxy, including Astral World Fragments—treasures unimaginably precious even to ordinary Astral Gods.

After all, that being was none other than the Light of the Ark—Cosmic Radiance Yin Luo!

For the first time, jealousy surged within Yan Zun's heart. An Astral World Fragment! An Astral World Fragment!

This was a treasure that could give countless Top-Tier Demigods hope for further advancement, and they would fight tooth and nail to obtain it, even at the risk of losing their lives.

To think a primitive being like him has managed to obtain such a priceless treasure... No, he's only a Tier Three Legend. His combat strength is nowhere near that of a peak Demigod or a Tier Six Legend.

Such an anomaly will surely draw the attention of powerful figures! I just need to stir things up, spread rumors that he hasn't fully refined the Astral World Fragment. That will attract a lot of big names here!

As the saying goes, "It's easier to start a rumor than to stop one."

The Tier Four and Five Legends, along with the powerful figures acting on behalf of mighty Demigods, would come with high expectations.

But when they discovered the rumors were false, not only would they have wasted their time, they would also be forced to watch helplessly as a priceless treasure remained in the hands of a so-called "primitive" being. And what would that lead to?

An overwhelming sense of imbalance!

In that state, it would be highly likely for them to attack Li Pin.

In other words, as long as he handled it well, he could easily orchestrate a "borrowed knife" scheme to have someone else kill Li Pin for him!

By ensuring his identity as the "slanderer" remained hidden, he could use the power of these big figures to eliminate a formidable enemy threatening the Divine Dragon Empire's dominant position in the Dragon Swamp Nebula.

With that thought, a cold glint flashed in Yan Zun's eyes.

Thunderous light erupted from his Divine Thunder Armor. The heavy sword in his hands blazed like the sun as he swung it fiercely at the contracting planetary projection.

"Sun Chaser!"

Rumble, rumble!

The radiance of the rising sun transformed into a sword qi that burned everything in its path, exploding with overwhelming force.

The sword qi managed to briefly stall Li Pin's Celestial Force Field, which was contracting and binding the thirteen Legends. The force field trembled, distorting under the attack.

Seizing that brief moment of instability, Yan Zun shot forward like a fiery meteor, diving into the Death Valley below and vanishing into the alternate dimension.

Xue Feng, Qi Yan, and Yu Shengjin seized the opportunity as well, unleashing their full power to escape the range of the planetary projection.

From deep within the earth, Yan Zun's triumphant laughter echoed. "Hahahaha! Li Pin! You think you've won? In the end, I will be the true victor!"

At that moment, Li Pin clenched his fist, driving the speed of the Celestial Magnetic Field's collapse to its peak.

In an instant, the trapped Legends were all bound, crushed into starlight by the field's force.

Before the starlight fragments could break free, the entire field suddenly collapsed.

The power of Atomic Disintegration spread from the center, forming a void that swallowed everything, like a black hole crushing all the starlight within.

The nine Tier One Legends hadn't even had the chance to show themselves or launch any meaningful attacks before they were reduced to nothingness in the atomic collapse.

After dealing with them, Li Pin glanced toward the three Tier One Legends fleeing in different directions.

Through his communication bracelet, he issued a command to Solar Radiance Sovereign, Yuan Zhenchuan, and the others, "Use every means possible to pursue the three Legends. Don't give them the slightest chance of escaping Gaia."

With that, Li Pin exploded into brilliant thunderlight as he surged toward the underground world.

Eternal Light, Fleeting Gleam!

Solar Radiance Sovereign and Yuan Zhenchuan snapped out of their shock at Li Pin's overwhelming display of power and immediately responded.

"Track them! Pursue those three Legends with everything you've got!"

"We cannot let them escape Gaia. If they do, they'll bring endless trouble!"

"Did you hear the Hall Master's command? Move! Move! Move!"

Each of the Heavenly Realm Experts sprang into action at full speed.

At the same time, various observation systems operated at full capacity.