Chapter 734: Chapter 734

The moment those words left the Astral God's mouth, a light flashed in the eyes of everyone present.

Zi Jingya blurted out, "Those forces... they're elite factions!"

Before he could finish, the leading Astral God cut him off. "They must be the top-tier forces within our human territory! I've seen those reports too. There's no doubt they've taken notice of Li Pin's talent and want to take him in as a disciple!"

He didn't give anyone else a chance to speak and continued, "Better to resolve grudges than deepen them. Since Li Pin doesn't seem to have any guardians traveling with him, he likely hasn't joined any faction yet.

"In that case, why not pass this information along to those top powers? Let the big names behind them come forward and offer to take him as a disciple. That way, we'd at least be helping him secure a future. If he ends up apprenticed to a Sacred Monarch, or even a Heavenly Emperor, he might be satisfied enough to let go of his grudge against the Zi Clan."

The other Astral Gods and Zi Jingya quickly caught on.

"That's right. Since that Highlord didn't choose him, he's probably trying to prove his worth in his own way, out of pride. That would explain why he hasn't taken a new master yet. But in the Astral World, solitary cultivation can never match the guidance of a renowned teacher.

"Li Pin hasn't been here long, so he may not realize that yet—but we certainly do. If we can bring a great mentor to him, he'll surely feel grateful in time. That might be enough to end the feud between him and the Zi Clan."

"Surviving in the Astral World is no easy feat. Li Pin is still too young. We're doing this for his own good. We can't just watch as a supreme prodigy of the human race wastes thousands or even tens of thousands of precious stellar years, especially while bearing the burden of the Eternal Oblivion Force. Once he realizes how harsh the Astral World truly is, he'll surely thank us."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's send out the message—spread it far and wide. The more factions that know, the more options Sacred Child Li will have to choose from."

The Astral Gods all chimed in. The heavy, oppressive air from earlier was gone from their faces.

While speaking, they even started laughing.

Zi Jingya watched the scene unfold. He recalled the former glory of the Zi Clan back in the Cangjie Continent, which was a stark contrast to their current predicament.

And then... his mind drifted to that vast, towering mountain glowing with terrifying brilliance, stretching across tens of thousands of kilometers.

Not one of them had made any move to stop it.

Zi Jingya silently muttered to himself, "If you want someone to blame, blame your luck... for letting us find you."

After a moment, he added, "He's been so high-profile, not hiding his movements at all. Maybe he's already been noticed and reported to the alien races that infiltrated the area early on. So even if he gets ambushed and killed by them later, it wouldn't really be our fault."

With that thought, his heart finally settled.

Deep within that mountain that gleamed with the intense radiance of neutron star matter, Sasha, currently in her girl form, suddenly said, "You've been spotted."

"We've reached the outer edge of the Shattered Star Sea. The number of Astral Gods here hunting for Astral World Fragments has increased, so the chances of being discovered have naturally gone up. Just to make sure word of my whereabouts gets out, let's move even farther out and let more people notice me," Li Pin replied.

He couldn't hold back and asked, "Can artificial intelligence even make mistakes? Especially one like you, who's already walking the path toward omniscience and omnipotence. You said the alien infiltrators would come to kill me within three to four stellar years. It's been eleven now, hasn't it?"

Sasha responded, "First of all, AI is just good at gathering and analyzing data. Second, I'm only walking the path toward ultimate mastery—I'm not omniscient or omnipotent yet. Even true Transcendent beings wouldn't dare claim that title. And finally, as for why you haven't been discovered in eleven stellar years... perhaps you should be asking yourself that question."

Li Pin was confused. "Me?"

Sasha raised a hand, and an astral map of the Shattered Star Sea projected in front of him.

Countless points of light filled the void. They clustered densely along the outer rim. But as it extended inward, the lights grew sparser and more radiant toward the center.

At the core, one section was clearly missing, standing out like a glaring hole in the pattern.

"That's where you've spent the past seven or eight stellar years," Sasha pointed out. "This is the very center. Every single Astral World Fragment, whether it's an island or mountain, that crashes here releases energy exceeding ten million.

"You know what that means? Even an Eternal Solar Flare has to stay on high alert in this place. One misstep and they risk taking on the burden of the Eternal Oblivion Force. And Eternal Solar Flares... they're the wealthy class of the Astral World. Aside from a few outliers, most wouldn't come anywhere near a place this dangerous."

She glanced at Li Pin. "Obviously, in just a few stellar years, you haven't run into any of those outliers. Because... there's no point."

"No point?" Li Pin was surprised. "If not for the countless Astral World Fragments in this core region, I wouldn't have reached peak Solar Flare in just eleven years. This place is practically a cultivation paradise."

"You said it yourself. It only took you eleven years to go from Solar Flare to peak Solar Flare. Do you know how long it takes others, on average, to reach the same level?" Sasha countered.

Li Pin thought about it and quickly understood what she meant. "I see."

Cultivation for Astral Gods in the Astral World emphasized one thing: stability. What others lacked wasn't energy or mass; it was the realm required to perfectly control them.

Li Pin clearly got it now and didn't want to hear more, but Sasha pressed on, insisting on getting her point across.

"6.6 million stellar years! That's right, not 660 years, but 6.6million! You did in eleven years what others need over six million to achieve. If you can't quite grasp the scale of that... let me give you a metaphor: you ate 6.6 million years' worth of food in 11 years."

Li Pin understood exactly what she meant.

A person has to digest their food. You can't just stuff yourself endlessly.

The same applied to Astral Gods. Power wasn't something one could simply accumulate. It had to be fully controlled, or it would risk triggering the Eternal Oblivion Force.

However, none of that was Li Pin's focus right now. He instead smiled as he offered praise, "Not bad, Sasha. You're even using metaphors now."

Sasha paused for a moment. Li Pin's words had unknowingly struck a nerve, but she told herself that he was her authorized one and eventually mustered two words.

"No need to be polite," replied Li Pin. He then took a moment to assess his current state and said, "Pure neutron star core matter—it's nearly impervious to all attacks below the Astral God level. In other words, any Astral World Fragments under ten thousand meters in size crashing into my body won't affect me at all. With this density and energy, I can already withstand most Astral World cataclysms."

Sasha responded softly, "Mm."

For once, she didn't pull up any data to verify his claim.

"Now that both my energy and energy level have reached new heights, and I have no intention of settling down to enjoy eternal life."

Li Pin made up his mind.

Deep within the mountain's core, a dark singularity began to form. Countless matter started collapsing inward.

Seeing this, Sasha immediately understood what he intended. "You're planning to condense a Divine Body?"

"Yeah. Maintaining a physical form was just to help digest Astral World Fragments faster and raise my energy and level. Now that both have reached their current limit, it's time to shift into an energy state."

Li Pin paused, then continued, "Just like you said, a Divine Body is better suited for combat. And after this short round outside, the days ahead won't be easy." Googlᴇ search n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

"To convert your current energy and level into a Divine Form... that might take—"

Sasha instinctively tried to consult the database. But she quickly realized none of the data there applied to Li Pin anymore. Therefore, she instead sensed his condition directly and ran a swift calculation. After a moment of awe, she muttered, "Your Highness... you're fast."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Li Pin said as he continued transitioning from physical to energy form.

By now, he fully understood the difference between the two.

What they referred to as the material form was more like a cultivation form. If it could resist the disasters of the Astral World, it was ideal for laying low and living comfortably.

In ordinary circumstances, the material form was far more stable than the energy form.

On the other hand, the energy-based Divine Body condensed immense matter into energy, all compressed into one divine vessel. Every movement, every word, carried enormous power.

However, it also made one more susceptible to attracting the Eternal Oblivion Force. A single burst of excessive power, and that force could latch on.

Both forms had their own pros and cons.

"You've got a full production line of standard-issue Divine Items in your body. Do you have any plans to develop subordinates?" Sasha asked. "The infiltrating aliens won't be able to lead full armies and will have to rely on elite squads. I suspect many of them will act as suicide warriors, hoping to use the Eternal Oblivion Force to drag you down."

"If the Eternal Oblivion Force could bring me down, it would only show that my understanding of the Perfect Realm is still lacking," Li Pin replied. "And if, in the end, I do fall to the Eternal Oblivion Force..."

Li Pin's expression remained calm and composed, as if the threat of the Eternal Oblivion Force didn't concern him at all. "Then I'll abandon everything in the Astral World, withdraw, and start over."

Sasha froze for a moment. "Abandon everything... and start over..."

She didn't know what to say.

Earlier, she had worried that if Li Pin left the Astral World, his immense size would make it impossible for him to return. But now, it was clear.

He could discard everything inside the Astral World and fall back to the Divine Realm, then re-enter the Astral World as a Divine Being, essentially beginning anew, just like a Tier Six Legend.

After all, it had only taken him a little over twenty stellar years to rise from Starshine to the peak of Solar Flare. That kind of time... he could afford to lose.

For a moment, her gaze fell on the significantly increased Eternal Oblivion Force swirling around Li Pin.

Part of it had surged when he refined astral energy, while another portion... had been drawn to him on its own.

At the time, she hadn't understood why. But now, it all clicked. He had planned it from the very beginning.