Chapter 733: Chapter 733

A flying vessel drifted slowly through the Shattered Star Sea.

Inside the vessel, six Astral Gods worked in tandem, carefully sensing the surrounding environment for any potential danger.

"Jingya, from this point onward, we're entering the Shattered Star Sea," one of them said to a newcomer, whose aura still carried the rawness of inexperience.

With a solemn and measured tone, he continued, "This place is different from anywhere else. It's said that a great battle once unfolded here. Dozens of alien Cosmic Radiances infiltrated the area to ambush a supreme prodigy protected by a guardian.

"The clash eventually forced a Sacred Monarch to intervene, and in a sweeping display of power, he obliterated all the Cosmic Radiances involved. The aftermath left behind remnants of energy, which eventually condensed into matter. That incident is what formed this Shattered Star Sea.

"Here, countless Astral World Fragments and cosmic dust constantly travel at incredible speeds. If we're not careful, they could strike our bodies at any moment.

"Even though we've already forged Divine Bodies, a sudden impact from such fragments could still be deadly. We must remain on high alert... A single mistake could expose us to the power of the Eternal Oblivion Force."

The words "Eternal Oblivion Force" made the newly advanced Astral God visibly tense.

He nodded with a solemn face. "I'll be careful."

Another Astral God in the vessel watched as the elder advised his younger kin. He couldn't help but sigh, sorrow welling in his chest. "The Zi Clan once built a grand city on the Cangjie Continent. We ruled over more than a million citizens and commanded thousands of Astral Gods, nearly a tenth of whom served our house. We basked in glory.

"But now... after suffering persecution from the Divine Treasury Hall, we've been forced into exile. Even us elders must take on such dangerous tasks just to earn meager income..."

Cangjie Continent wasn't one of the four core continents, but as a land created by the White Emperor, it was still considered one of the top-tier domains, offering considerable safety.

"Enough," another Astral God said in a low voice. "The only path left for the Zi Clan to rise again is to pour everything into supporting our Grand Patriarch's breakthrough to the Cosmic Radiance Realm.

"If he succeeds, he'll earn privileges even within elite factions. At that point, the Divine Treasury Hall wouldn't dare touch us again. As long as we avoid Li Pin, even if he becomes a Cosmic Tyrant someday, he won't be able to do anything to us."

Jing Ya's expression turned complicated. "Li Pin..."

From what he remembered, the first conflict between the Zi Clan and Li Pin had arisen from the inheritance of Astral God Yin Luo.

Back then, Li Pin had already earned some renown within the Divine Treasury Hall, but he was nothing compared to the mighty Zi Clan, which ruled over the Zi Luo Star Cluster.

They were on completely different levels.

When Jing Ya first met Li Pin, Li Pin was still far from being on their level. Jing Ya saw himself as superior—a scion of an aristocratic clan offering an invitation to someone beneath him.

When Jing Ya first met Li Pin, Li Pin had already earned some renown within the Divine Treasury Hall, but he was still far from being on their level. Jing Ya saw himself as superior—a scion of an aristocratic clan offering an invitation to someone beneath him.

But now... how long had it been? A little over a hundred stellar years, and Li Pin had already risen meteorically. People now hailed him as the one most likely to become a Tyrant. He had joined the Humanity Sanctum and even earned the position of Sacred Child.

Compared to other members of the Humanity Sanctum, especially those so-called prodigies under the Eternal Ascent of Humanity Initiative, Li Pin's chances of condensing a True Spirit were far higher.

If he truly succeeded within ten thousand stellar years... the consequences would be unimaginable. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel✶fire.net

Another Astral God couldn't help but scoff. "Cosmic Tyrant? Hmph! As if it were that easy. The only reason people think Li Pin can achieve the Cosmic Radiance Realm within ten thousand years is because of his outstanding performance in the Heavenly Prison World.

"But that world is unique. He essentially absorbed the fortunes of countless prodigies to advance so rapidly. Condensing a True Spirit is an entirely different matter."

He spoke with a tone bordering on a curse. "Countless Solar Flare-level cultivators have been stuck at that stage, unable to progress even a little, forever losing the chance to reach the Cosmic Radiance Realm. Li Pin might be no different.

"If he fails to condense his True Spirit after several eras, both the Humanity Sanctum and the Divine Treasury Hall will turn their attention elsewhere. By then... he'll just be another Eternal Solar Flare who's lost his halo."

An Astral God interrupted coldly, "With the level of mastery he has achieved in the Supreme Technique, once he becomes a Solar Flare-level cultivator, he'll undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of that realm. Even our Grand Patriarch might not be his match. Given those circumstances, do we even have the right to speak of him so lightly?"

His words immediately drained the color from the others' faces.

That's right. Even if Li Pin never reached the Cosmic Radiance Realm or became a Tyrant, he would still be a top-tier Eternal Solar Flare. Unless their Grand Patriarch broke through and used his superior realm to suppress him, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Forget their own Grand Patriarch. Even if the Grand Patriarchs of the Yuan, Shang, and Ji Clans joined forces, they might still be unable to deal with him.

Someone like that... was far beyond what ordinary Astral Gods like themselves could hope to challenge.

As for whether Li Pin could reach the Solar Flare Realm... not a single person in the Astral World doubted it.

Perhaps sensing that his words had dampened everyone's spirits, the Astral God softened his tone. "Let's just focus on collecting as many Astral World Fragments as possible and exchanging them for resources. Only when our Grand Patriarch breaks through and enters the Cosmic Radiance Realm will the Zi Clan have a chance to rise again."

The others nodded gravely, but none of them had any interest in continuing the conversation.

"I'll scan for nearby Astral World Fragments," one of them said as he stepped forward and activated a disk-like instrument over half a meter wide, resembling an oversized compass.

But as the device powered on, the first thing that appeared wasn't a fragment. It was a brilliant, overwhelming light. A dazzling beam of radiance burst out and quickly covered the entire compass interface.

The sheer intensity of the light stunned all the Astral Gods for a moment.

"Radiance as enduring as the sun itself... It's an Eternal Solar Flare!"

"There's an Eternal Solar Flare ahead! Hurry, turn back!"

The sharper ones reacted instantly, one of them already moving to steer the flying vessel in a different direction.

In the Astral World, the Astral Gods maintained peace with each other, but that was only true on the four continents and in other orderly regions.

The Shattered Star Sea, for instance, was a different story. It was a no-man's-land, a gold rush zone.

Battles between Astral Gods rarely broke out without cause. However, if Starshine Astral Gods like them encountered an Eternal Solar Flare, they would still have to retreat far away.

No one wanted to face a being who could decide their life or death in a place with no order or law.

It was like in the mortal world: even in a lawful nation, if you came across a hulking brute wielding a deadly weapon in some remote mountain pass, you'd instinctively step aside.

This was the kind of risk-awareness that any being with intelligence should possess.

"So fast! It's heading toward us!"

"Dodge, quickly dodge!"

A few of them panicked, scrambling to act.

After a while, the flying vessel swiftly pulled away from the relatively safe area.

Not long after they avoided the danger, they were stunned to see a massive mountain, more than ten thousand kilometers in diameter, traveling at an incredible speed toward the edge of the Shattered Star Sea. The mountain appeared to be made entirely of material from neutron stars, radiating intense light without any energy release.

This confirmed the precise control of its power. They looked at the numbers projected on the disk...

"39.5 million!" One of the oldest and most experienced Astral Gods gasped in shock. "Peak Solar Flare! This is the pinnacle form of an Eternal Solar Flare! With no Cosmic Radiance around, it's clearly one of the most powerful beings!"

The words made the remaining Astral Gods tremble inwardly. "Peak Solar Flare!"

Having reached the peak of Starshine, they knew how incredibly difficult it was to raise their energy levels any further. It was like writing a thousand words versus crafting a thousand-word essay of high quality.

Even an elementary school student could manage the former, but the latter would be unthinkable without sufficient cultural knowledge.

Some had tried, but every attempt had been fruitless. Instead of making any real progress, they only increased the burden of the Eternal Oblivion Force on themselves.

If breaking through from Starshine to Solar Flare was already so difficult, reaching the pinnacle of Solar Flare after that was even more unimaginable. A person would be required to continue compressing themselves, and it would take hundreds of millions of years of meticulous cultivation to even attempt it.

It would require continuous self-compression, along with hundreds of millions of years of meticulous cultivation just for a chance to succeed. Without such extensive refinement, they wouldn't even have the courage to attempt it.

While the other Aatral Gods were still stunned by the suffocating glow of the mountain, Zi Jingya fixed his gaze on it, disbelief in his eyes.

"Jingya, what's wrong?"

"Li Pin! It's Li Pin!" Zi Jingya struggled to suppress his trembling voice. "I can sense Li Pin's aura from that mountain..."

He quickly added, "The reason I became a pioneer is due to my almost innate tracking ability. By obtaining the items left by the owner of the divine treasure world, I can precisely track crucial clues within those worlds...

"Li Pin, I've met him before. When I encountered him, the feeling I had then was exactly the same as how I feel looking at this floating mountain now!"

The others were stunned.

Then, they all looked up, staring at the massive mountain that stretched over ten thousand kilometers. Despite no energy being released, the blinding white glow alone struck a deep terror in their hearts. Their expressions were filled with shock.

The Astral God who had once believed Li Pin could never reach the level of a Tyrant spoke with a trembling voice. "Impossible! How can this be?! The intensity of the light and the structure of the material in that mountain correspond to the energy reaction of a Peak Solar Flare.

"Li Pin... he only emerged from the Void Divine Treasure World about twenty stellar years ago, right? Even if he ascended to Astral God the moment he came out, it's only been twenty years! How could he possibly have cultivated to Peak Solar Flare in that time!? It's impossible!"

The others said nothing. They had all fallen into silence.

For most, advancing from Starshine to Solar Flare, or even to peak Solar Flare, in just twenty stellar years was unthinkable. But Li Pin was a person whose talent had already been proven.

The Black Abyss Highlord might have granted him some treasures to help him. Even the Void Divine Treasury Hall could have awarded him special items for breaking through the Void Divine Treasure World. This would make it entirely possible for him to reach such a level in twenty stellar years.

What they couldn't accept was that Li Pin had already reached a level where he could easily overthrow and destroy the entire Zi Clan.

At that moment, an Astral God broke the tense silence in the flying vessel. "I remember seeing a list somewhere. Some factions have been searching for Li Pin's whereabouts and have offered a hefty price..."