Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

In the study, Fang Chunyang appeared exceptionally enthusiastic, with absolutely none of the airs one might expect from someone of his divine status.

Their successful return with a full haul owed much to Li Pin's early warning. Moreover, Li Pin had unlocked the Mara Divine Treasure, reaping immense rewards.

While achieving the Astral God Realm or attaining eternal life wasn't guaranteed, reaching the Divine Realm, like Fang Chunyang, seemed only a matter of time.

"The Hall Master asked me to give this to you," Fang Chunyang said, handing a jade pendant to Li Pin. "This signifies your status as an Elite Pioneer. It's also an extremely stable storage treasure. As long as you avoid storing highly volatile materials like neutron stars, it should remain intact."

Li Pin accepted the jade pendant and inspected it. Inside the empty storage space lay several Legacy Crystals. Yet, when he sensed the information encoded in the pendant, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

"One million Divine Treasury Points?"

"Anything you need can be exchanged directly with the points. Simple and straightforward," Fang Chunyang said with a smile.

Then, as if recalling something, he added, "There should also be legacy techniques. The Hall Master's senior sister, a Solar Flare Astral God who reached over fifty steps on the Supreme Ladder, followed the same Divine path to achieve Astral God status."

Li Pin examined the Legacy Crystals and selected one. "The Heaven-Subjugating Technique, Astral God Chapter."

"I'm afraid it's likely more complex than just the Astral God Chapter; there should be annotations on it," Fang Chunyang added.

Li Pin focused on its contents briefly.

As expected, it wasn't only the content of the Astral God Chapter; every section of the content had detailed annotations, describing the Astral God stage of this cultivation method clearly and distinctly. It was virtually the same as a revered Astral God bestowing all of their cultivation experiences and insights without holding back. If it lacked anything, it would be hand-in-hand live instruction.

Fang Chunyang advised, "You've cracked the Mara Divine Treasure and obtained its Astral World Fragment. For now, focus on refining and mastering it until you achieve Divinity."

He paused momentarily before adding, "Resources won't be an issue. With the Hall Master's million points and the over one million points we owe you, your total will exceed two million Divine Treasury Points. That should be enough for you to reach true Divinity. If it's still not enough, I can lend you some."

Fang Chunyang chuckled. "You're much richer than me now. Even with the gains from your warning, I'll likely end up with less than a million points after distribution."

"Two million is enough," Li Pin replied.

Flipping through the Heaven-Subjugating Technique, Astral God Chapter, Li Pin paused. "The descriptions of the Astral World here seem a little different from what I know."

After a moment of thought, he added, "The mentions of ascension and the unique characteristics of Divine Beings upon reaching the Astral God realm remind me of the grotto-heavens, blessed lands, and Earth Immortals from the myths of our world."[1]

"Grotto-heavens? Blessed lands? Earth Immortals?" Fang Chunyang chuckled. "A fitting comparison."

"What do you think the true Astral World looks like?" Fang Chunyange asked.

Li Pin speculated with curiosity, "Free and boundless, wandering across the cosmos, observing the planets, comprehending the universe's mysteries, eternal life."

"Such a world..." Fang Chunyang sighed. "Before the Astral World shattered, it might have been so. But now, it's different."

He glanced at Li Pin. "If not for the pursuit of eternal life, many wouldn't even venture to the Astral World.

"The constant turmoil caused by ambitious individuals only exacerbates the deep concern of many Tier Six Legends and Divine Beings who understand the Astral World's current state. This is also why an increasing number of new cultivation systems are emerging and gaining widespread acceptance."

Li Pin silently gazed at the descriptions of the Astral World in the Astral God Chapter. After a long pause, he said, "But even if it's different from what one might imagine and the environment is harsh, the mere promise of immortality is enough to drive countless cultivators forward."

"Indeed," Fang Chunyang agreed. "Besides, when necessary, there's always the real world as a fallback."

Li Pin did not respond. His attention remained on the descriptions in the Heaven-Subjugating Technique's Astral God Chapter. The Astral World had shattered into countless fragments. Once they were refined by the Divine, they would eventually return to the Astral World.

If the current Astral World were likened to a space that had just emerged from chaos, each fragment resembled a spaceship. A Divine ascending to be an Astral God, then carrying a fragment of the Astral World back into it, would be like a spaceship leaving a planet and entering the vast cosmos.

Within this vast Astral World, the most perilous threats were the erratically flying Astral World Fragments, including wreckage and meteors. Following closely were the artificial beings hidden within the wreckage.

Additionally, the watchful eyes of other Astral Gods aboard their respective "ships" was a danger not to be underestimated.

The fragments, wreckage, and meteoroids moved at extreme speeds, their trajectories entirely unpredictable. A collision would inevitably inflict catastrophic damage on the "spaceship" that sustained the Astral God's existence.

To counter this, the Astral Gods—the captains of these spaceships—had to intervene, destroying the Astral World Fragments. Yet the presence of the Eternal Oblivion restricted their actions.

Faced with these threats, the Astral Gods had only two choices.

One was to grow stronger, enhancing their own power while guiding others to "ascend" onto their "spaceships." These newcomers would then assist in destroying meteoroids and mitigating dangers, increasing the "spaceship's" chances of survival.

The other was to merge their "spaceship" with those of other Astral Gods, forming a larger and more robust vessel to better endure collisions with meteoroids.

This was the Astral World.

Occasionally, the incoming meteoroids and debris would bring opportunities.

Ancient relics left by Astral Gods or the high-quality materials of the debris itself could strengthen the individual and improve the "spaceship's" technology, increasing its mass and making it more formidable.

This was the risk faced by the Divine Beings once they ascended to be Astral Gods. They piloted their "spaceships" away from their home planets into the boundless cosmos, bearing every danger alone. The destruction of their "spaceship" meant only one outcome—death.

However, the same thing didn't apply to the Tier Six Legends who ascended to be Astral Gods. They could directly choose to join the largest "spaceships," living in comfort and sharing in the benefits.

To enhance the power of the "spaceships," their rulers welcomed the arrival of new Astral Gods. This explained why Divine Beings held less prominent positions than Tier Six Legends despite being stronger.

Of course, the term "spaceship" reflected only Li Pin's understanding. These days, people commonly refer to the Astral World as the "Astral World Ocean." Smaller fragments were called Astral World Islands, while fused fragments were known as "Astral World Mountains" or "Astral World Continents." freёnovelkiss.com

Titles such as island master, mountain lord, summit master, and lord had become customary.

"By this reasoning, the Ancient Astral World was far better than its current state," Li Pin remarked.

Fang Chunyang added with a hint of lament, "But compared to the law of the jungle in the vast universe, the Astral World Ocean at least offers a degree of protection.

"A Starshine Astral God who offends a Cosmic Radiance Astral God won't face complete annihilation if the grudge isn't irreconcilable. At most, it ends with compensation.

"In the vast universe, however, the factions behind the Cosmic Radiance Astral God would have already wiped out the Starshine Astral God's family."

Li Pin had to admit that Fang Chunyang's perspective held merit.

The Eternal Oblivion, in some ways, curbed the dominance of higher-tier Astral Gods over lower ones. It even granted Tier Four Legends—those who ascended through cultivating inner spirit alone—the ability to harm Astral Gods, including Cosmic Radiance ones.

The harm might be minimal, such as leaving a faint trace of Eternal Oblivion on the attacker when struck down, but... at least it was akin to inflicting a "life point -1" effect on the Cosmic Radiance Astral God. This stood in stark contrast to the cosmic starry sky, where one might crumble under the overwhelming aura of a Cosmic Radiance Astral God without ever glimpsing them.

Fang Chunyang continued, "We are different from Tier Six Legends. The Astral World Ocean constantly shifts.

"Even if we stand beside an Astral God, holding up an Astral World Fragment to achieve Divinity, the distance between us and that Astral God will be immeasurable. Until we find protection, survival depends solely on our own efforts."

He glanced at Li Pin. "So, work hard during the Divine Realm. Ensure that by the time you merge into the Astral World, you have enough strength to protect yourself."

Li Pin nodded.

Thanks to Fang Chunyang's deliberate goodwill, he had learned much about the Divine Treasury Hall, the Divine Treasure World, the Divine realm, and the Astral World. Though far from comprehending the vast universe, he now had a solid grasp of the star systems they resided in.

After Fang Chunyang left, Li Pin visited the information search area to study the cultivation systems across the vast universe, focusing on the Legendary Astral Cultivation system.

With Moon Spirit's assistance and information storage, he completed this immense task within half a stellar month.

After a thorough analysis, he spent over 300,000 Divine Treasury Points to acquire a large number of techniques, manuals, and resources restricted to realms below the Astral God. He studied and comprehended them, filling the gaps in his knowledge.

Simultaneously, he refined and perfected his Eternal Light combat techniques.

Two stellar months later, Fang Chunyang and the others returned with the Mara World's divine equipment, reimbursing Li Pin with 1.4 million Divine Treasury Points.

Li Pin patiently used a portion of these points to exchange for cultivation materials to enhance his strength. He then converted the rest into manuals to build the foundation for his pursuit of omniscience and omnipotence.

As time passed, Li Pin's growth rate remained astonishing in the eyes of others.

In no time, he had spent two stellar years living comfortably in the Mara Divine Treasury Hall.

1. They symbolize the Taoist ideal of harmony between heaven and Earth, and the possibility of achieving spiritual and material fulfillment. ☜