Chapter 739: Chapter 739

As Li Pin stepped onto the Ladder, the surrounding space changed dramatically.

"The Supreme Ladder only tests combat strength...."

Li Pin felt as if he had been transported into a brand-new world similar to the Primordial World, hovering above an endless continent.

Around him, the towering Supreme Ladder and the other Astral Gods who had entered alongside him, such as Liang Qiu and Wang Fuyun, had all vanished without a trace.

Having previously studied the Supreme Ladder, he knew this was the inner world of the ladder. It was a world that birthed countless others, housing millions of micro-worlds within itself.

It's said that the Supreme Ladder's essence surpasses even the Supreme, Highlord, and Transcendent Realms. When this ladder, which is immensely beneficial for cultivation and combat refinement, first appeared, many Supremes and Highlords tried to claim it and bring it back to their territories. However, no matter what method they used, they could never take it out of the Astral World.

Anyone would want to possess something so valuable.

It was because the Supreme Ladder could not be moved that Supremes and Highlords from various races had to use secret arts at great cost to channel its power into their top-tier factions, enabling anyone qualified to use it.

Li Pin pondered. The reason Astral Gods reached such heights in combat techniques and battle experience is largely due to their repeated trials within the Supreme Ladder.

Just then, he sensed something, and almost the moment he did, a brilliant, radiant light burst forth violently.

Endless light and brilliant flames, infused with annihilating power, instantly engulfed the entire world. The energy release in that instant rivaled a stellar explosion, capable of obliterating all matter within billions of miles.

Standing amidst the blazing, violent energy shockwave, Li Pin fully understood the terrifying, destructive power a peak Solar Flare possessed. "What a... reckless outpour of energy. It is great not being affected by the Eternal Oblivion Force."

A single strike could annihilate all matter within billions of miles.

However, before the fiery shockwave could consume him completely, he had already clenched his fingers into a sword and fiercely thrust toward the direction he sensed.

An invisible ripple tore through the blinding light and flames.

Tens of thousands of miles ahead, the void was pierced by sword qi, and the smooth, formless space suddenly collapsed and shattered, forming a black hole that crazily devoured the energy that had erupted.

Like a star undergoing a supernova, its ultimate fate was to become a black hole.

Under the black hole's power, the once-raging, radiant light and flames were entirely devoured and absorbed.

Through the haze, Li Pin could faintly see a figure emerge amidst the endless flames, struggling intensely, seemingly trying to escape the black hole. But in mere moments, the figure was completely obliterated by the collapsing space and its devouring force, swallowed into darkness.

When the all-consuming darkness finally extinguished all the flames, that black speck also vanished rapidly.

Everything returned to calmness, as if nothing had happened moments ago.

The only trace left was the vast expanse of land beneath his feet and the raging flames burning upon it.

However, the flames lasted only a short while.

As an invisible ripple swept by, everything vanished, and Li Pin reappeared on the Supreme Ladder.

The moment he appeared, all sorts of discussions erupted.

"He wasn't teleported back but managed to clear the stage?"

"That's so fast! How long did it even take? Looks like Li Pin has already become a solid peak Solar Flare-level cultivator."

"Getting through the steps quickly doesn't mean much. Some act cautiously and proceed steadily. It's not unusual for a single battle to drag on for decades. Others are rash and impulsive, eager to end it with one strike. Their efficiency rises, but they risk shouldering the power of the Eternal Oblivion. Clearly, Li Pin is more likely the latter." Googlᴇ search N0velFire.ɴet

"Let's see how far he can go. They say he's begun cultivating the Primordial Supreme Technique? If that's true, in theory, he could reach the eightieth step, but he hasn't even condensed his True Spirit. Clearly, he can't reach that level yet. Plus, he only recently attained Solar Flare level. Sixty to sixty-five steps is probably his current limit."

"Sixty-five steps isn't bad. It at least means that if he goes all out, he can take any Solar Flare-level cultivator down with him."

Spiritual waves rippled among the many Astral Gods beneath the Supreme Ladder.

Li Pin appeared on the Supreme Ladder. Without the slightest pause, he stepped onto the fiftieth step.

This time, what appeared before Li Pin was a neutron star with a diameter of over ten thousand kilometers.

Normally, when a star died, the resulting neutron star would barely be ten kilometers across. But this one spanned tens of thousands of kilometers and still hadn't collapsed into a black hole. It was truly a marvel.

Violent energy was bound, forming a blazing white radiance that filled the surrounding, heavily interfering with individual perception.

Li Pin adjusted his Divine Body, and he quickly withstood the effects of this neutron star.

"Solar Flare-level power is apocalyptic for stellar civilizations, even galactic civilizations," Li Pin muttered with heartfelt emotions.

With his current strength, destroying a stellar system was effortless.

The number of stellar systems that could foster intelligent civilizations in a galactic cluster was limited, a million at best. If he were to travel using Astral World Traversal, he could destroy eight to ten stellar systems in one day. Erasing all civilizations in a galactic cluster would take him at most a thousand years.

Any intelligent lifeforms would fear death and revere power. Destroying tens of thousands of stellar systems would be enough to make the rest of the civilizations bow to him.

By then, he could rule over these civilizations and have them destroy the disobedient ones. In total, it would take just a few decades to conquer an entire star system.

What applied to star systems also applied to star clusters and star domains. This was why Solar Flares could rule star clusters and even become lords of entire star domains.

As Li Pin studied this planet, a beam of light condensed to its extreme, likely reaching billions of degrees, shot through the void toward him.

The light beam was several kilometers wide. The energy it released surpassed the combined output of over a hundred stars, so immense that even the terrifying gravity of the neutron star couldn't bend or contain it.

Li Pin glanced at it and quickly estimated its power. "This is already the release of around forty-five million combat power."

The Supreme Ladder was a creation from the ancient Astral World Era. In those times, the power of the Eternal Oblivion did not exist. As such, the world within the Supreme Ladder was free from it, allowing combatants to fight to their hearts' content.

That was also why the Supreme Ladder was considered the best standard for measuring someone's strength.

If the Perfect Realm represented the lower limit of an Astral God's power, then the Supreme Ladder represented a person's upper limit.

If a cultivator could release such tremendous power in the Supreme Ladder, mastering it fully in the future would only be a matter of time. It would be all about a slow polishing of their Perfect Realm through the ages from there.

Faced with such an immense energy release, Li Pin followed the same method. He once again formed a sword with his fingers and pointed out a stream of sword energy.

The terrifying light beam, piercing through at the speed of light, seemed to hit an invisible wall of vacuum and became stagnant several kilometers in front of Li Pin.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a stream of sword energy that had collapsed the void.

The sword energy shattered the void, preventing the energy beam from advancing. At a glance, it appeared as if it had slammed into an invisible air wall, unable to proceed further.

Realizing the attack had failed, the opponent in the distance once again surged with power, and a more violent wave of energy erupted from beneath his feet.

Li Pin quickly became aware of something. "The opponent this time is a Star Spirit?"

Each level of the Supreme Ladder featured different opponents, and the environments varied as well. It thoroughly simulated any unexpected situation a challenger might encounter.

For example, an encounter with a Star Spirit in the environment of a supermassive neutron star posed a challenge no less difficult than the fifty-first or even the fifty-second step of the Supreme Ladder.

"The Supreme Ladder is both a trial and a tempering."

Relying on his understanding of the Celestial Force Field, Li Pin directly suppressed the rampaging neutron star beneath him. At the same time, his sword intent erupted beyond his previous control, instantly causing the energy beam piercing through the void to collapse layer by layer.

However, during its collapse, countless flames mixed with intense heat exploded under the bombardment of the sword intent.

Had this kind of attack occurred in the Astral World, the Eternal Oblivion power would have already intervened. Thankfully, this was the Supreme Ladder, where the Eternal Oblivion Force did not exist.

During the process, Li Pin precisely sensed his control and release of energy, rapidly making adjustments.

As the adjustments continued, the energy fluctuations leaking from the destruction of the energy beam by the sword intent became increasingly weaker.

If on the first day, the dissipated energy exceeded five million, then by the second day, it was reduced directly to four million, and on the third day, it dropped to only 3.5 million.

In just half a month, the confrontation between Li Pin and the Star Spirit no longer leaked any energy. Every stream of sword energy he released precisely neutralized the Star Spirit's attacks.

This meant that he had elevated his perfected combat power from just over forty to forty-five million in merely half a month.

"Very good, I've already adapted. As expected, combat is the fastest way for me to improve."

Li Pin smiled slightly. "This so-called forty-five million perfected control has not been truly tested by the Eternal Oblivion power and may have some exaggeration. But with the absolute control granted by my Clairvoyance, converting this somewhat superficial Perfect Realm into a solid one would only take one or two more real battles with someone of the same level."

The Supreme Ladder was truly worthy of being the supreme treasure coveted by Supremes and Highlords alike. Its auxiliary function did not disappoint.

Li Pin chose not to continue the battle with the Star Spirit. With his power surging, the Star Spirit was swiftly defeated by the sword intent.

Li Pin reappeared on the Supreme Ladder.

As he reappeared on the Supreme Ladder, Li Pin silently sensed the state he had achieved during the previous battle. Using the profound insight from his Clairvoyance gift, he directly imprinted that state and level of perfect control, updating it on his attributes panel.

[Perfect Realm–45 Million Form: 0/1]

It meant that he would only need one actual battle for him to adapt to and unlock that state.

"Continue. I hope this time it gives me an opponent with fifty million combat power and an environment that is most advantageous to him."

Li Pin ignored the discussions outside the Supreme Ladder and stepped forward once again, ascending to the fifty-first level.