Chapter 912: Chapter 912

The Luminous Ark drifted slowly through space. Its propulsion didn't rely on any conventional engine, but instead drew power from the spatial ripples that pulsed through the fabric of the universe itself.

To the naked eye, these ripples seemed almost imperceptible and unbearably slow. But on a cosmic scale, they could carry the vessel across hundreds of thousands of light-years in a single day, moving at speeds far beyond that of light.

Li Pin was standing on the deck with his gaze fixed on the starlight streaking past.

Each glimmer represented a star, a celestial body capable of illuminating space for several light-years. Yet at his current speed, it flashed by in mere seconds.

Just then, Sasha's voice came through, cutting into his thoughts. "Your Majesty, we're approaching the Frostbound Star Abyss."

The Frostbound Star Abyss was where the Gaia System resided. Spanning over 300 million light-years in diameter, its countless star systems and clusters orbited a single, massive gravitational core.

Within its vast bounds lay hundreds of star regions, and throughout history, it had given birth to hundreds of Cosmic Radiances. Even now, more than a dozen Cosmic Radiances still resided within the abyss.

Surprisingly, the most powerful faction in the entire Frostbound Star Abyss wasn't the Xuanye Empire, founded by Xuan Yu, a newly ascended Tyrant. Instead, it was the Sunflare Sword Sect, sustained by the combined strength of six Cosmic Radiances.

The sect's history dated back tens of thousands of eras. Its founder had once been a Sacred Monarch.

That Sacred Monarch had long since fallen, but the vast network of influence he built, along with the powerful divine weapons he left behind, was enough for the Sunflare Sword Sect to maintain its grip over the Frostbound Star Abyss.

Of course, this partly had to do with the fact that Tyrant Xuan Yu's ascension was still recent.

But as time went on, old ties would fade and favors would run dry. If the Sword Sect couldn't raise another Tyrant soon, then in a few dozen or even a hundred eras, it would only be a matter of time before they were dethroned.

"Reduce speed and switch to standard navigation," Li Pin ordered. "We'll 'walk' the rest of the way."

"Understood," Sasha replied.

The Luminous Ark disengaged from the universe-scale ripples. The flowing scenery around them slowly stabilized, revealing the stars, planets, and even artificial celestial bodies nearby.

As their speed dropped, Sasha quickly plotted a course. "The nearest port belongs to the Xuanye Empire. It's the third-largest: Lightport. It's one of the most commonly recurring port names, often causing conflicts due to name duplication.

"But this one has a unique story. About 303 light-years from here, there was once a triple-star system. One day, all three stars exploded at the same time. The overlapping waves of light from the explosions spread outward in dazzling, tide-like rings, forming a breathtaking luminous belt."

As she spoke, she projected a stunning visual display.

"The Xuanye Empire spent a fortune preserving this phenomenon, and it's now one of their most famous tourist attractions. Lightport owes its rise entirely to the tourism industry."

Li Pin glanced at the projection. It's indeed bright and beautiful.

"Supernovae," he murmured.

Energy of that scale would be catastrophic in a mortal world. Even without such a blast, simply placing a human in space meant certain death.

Li Pin reached out, clearly sensing the universe's biting cold and the countless life-threatening rays surrounding him. These harmful radiations were only deadly to humans. For some alien species and Unique Lifeforms, they were sustenance. The fact that Li Pin remained unaffected under such conditions further affirmed his evolution into a higher lifeform.

"Your Majesty, would you like to go and take a look?" Sasha asked.

"I remember there's a prison planet not far from Lightport," Li Pin said.

"Yes, the one holding members of the Darkfeather Clan," Sasha replied. "They live within shadows and possess incredible talent, but the moment they're exposed to light, they combust. If the burning lasts more than half an hour, they die.

"That prison planet has almost no cover, and its rotation cycle falls just under thirty minutes. The imprisoned Darkfeather clansmen must constantly run, staying on the planet's dark side to avoid direct sunlight. If they don't, they suffer unbearable agony under the blazing sun, again and again. But the exposure is always just short of fatal. When the shadow returns, they recover... and the cycle repeats endlessly."

Sasha pulled up the planet's data.

Li Pin read through the description, especially the punishment designed for the Darkfeather Clan. It was nothing short of hell. And this wasn't the only such planet.

Li Pin had once seen another, created specifically for a race of so-called "Immortals."

These "immortals" were subjected to an interesting form of suppression using oxygen.

Their cultivation-related memories were sealed, and flaws in their personalities were exploited to prevent any chance of escape. Then oxygen, harmless to many but corrosive to them, was used to slowly erode their vitality, compressing their millennium-long lifespans down to just a few stellar years.

"Let's go to Lightport. We'll use the Astral Gate there to reach the Yuan Yang Star Domain," Li Pin ordered.

The flying vessel restarted.

Li Pin remained on the deck, gazing into the vast and boundless starry sea ahead.

Once, he had been just an ordinary man, looking up at the night sky with endless wonder and longing for the stars. But at the time, he was far too weak to grasp what lay beyond them.

A mortal body and the cosmic sea were two completely unrelated paths. One was small, while the other was vast. They were destined never to meet—until now.

Only now did he truly possess the strength to carve out a place for himself in the universe. Pulverizing planets had once been nothing more than a mystical notion, yet he had achieved it years ago. Now, roaming the universe had also transcended mere fantasies.

"From a mere mortal to pulverizing planets, and from pulverizing planets to roaming the universe. Step by step, I've achieved a mortal's ascent," Li Pin muttered, his voice calm, his expression serene.

The essence of karma and the Transcendent Path had already been fully revealed.

Karma was nothing more than the soul's bond with matter, energy, time, and space. Fulfilling promises made to others was a way of releasing those bonds, and so was achieving the goals one had once set.

Only when all bonds were finally severed, when nothing remained to weigh on the heart, could one attain true freedom and ease. Once they became one with their true self, they would face the world, understand it, and ultimately transcend it.

That was the true severance of karma.

Soon, the Luminous Ark arrived at the Lightport.

The Luminous Ark was nowhere near the size of those colossal battleships or merchant vessels. But as a Sovereign Divine Weapon, even with its divine radiance restrained, anyone with true discernment could immediately recognize its extraordinary nature. Because of this, the ship wasn't stopped for inspection or registration upon entering the port. Instead, it was directed into the VIP channel immediately.

As the vessel entered the VIP passageway, Li Pin quietly surveyed the surroundings.

Lightport was essentially a massive space city, built just beyond its primary planet—Planet Light.

Docked around the outer edge of the city were tens of thousands of merchant vessels, packed densely together. Further out, battleships patrolled the perimeter.

Every now and then, powerful auras belonging to Legendary Beings would flash by, seemingly declaring to the world the strength these warships possessed.

After watching for a while, Li Pin spoke. "Does Lightport usually have this many warships stationed?"

Sasha replied, "No. Normally, Lightport only maintains three patrol fleets and three main battle fleets. Each fleet has eight to ten ships at most. But recently, with the widespread fall of Astral Gods into Eternal Oblivion, the entire universe is undergoing a new reshuffling of power.

"The Homo Sapien Alliance had quickly issued emergency orders, declaring harsh punishment for anyone who dares to stir up chaos, but there are still plenty waiting for an opportunity to exploit the situation.

"Right now, the deterrence power of the Homo Sapien Alliance still holds. That's why things have remained relatively stable in recent decades. But with time... a major upheaval across the universe is inevitable. Official source ıs novelFirｅ.net

"Of course, with the Supreme Council and the Homo Sapien Alliance keeping things in check, a full-blown cosmic-scale war likely won't break out. But starfield-level, even star-abyss-level conflicts? Those will be anything but rare."

Li Pin turned his gaze back toward the port.

Under normal circumstances, a bustling hub would only need a single Astral God's avatar to ensure complete security.

An avatar's destructive power could not rival that of a top-tier warship. Their true strength lay in the fact that the Astral God's True Body resided in the Astral World, rendering them virtually immortal. They could descend into the material world at any moment, striking without warning.

Unless someone of equal strength could eliminate the True Body within the Astral World itself, there was no stopping such sudden assaults.

Once their own lives were no longer secure, even the mightiest civilizations would begin to collapse from the top down.

At that moment, Sasha received a transmission and said, "Supreme Dao Origin has responded. He's currently in the Xuanye Empire."

Li Pin looked surprised. "In Xuanye?"

Sasha explained, "He was originally out hunting Abyssal Beasts. But with recent disturbances in the Astral World and growing unrest in the Abyssal Rift, he chose not to delve deeper.

"Over a decade ago, with help from a friend, he suppressed an ancient Abyssal Beast in the material universe. Since then, he's been using this opportunity to study it. That's why he came to the Frostbound Star Abyss.

"On one hand, he needed a quiet place to carry out his research. On the other hand, he heard about your legendary deeds in the Astral World—about how you, a Sacred Monarch, slew a Divine Emperor. He's been eager to meet and exchange thoughts with you ever since. So he chose to come to your homeland, the Frostbound Star Abyss.

"The Xuanye Empire is the dominant power in the region and has constructed numerous Astral Gates in recent years. As long as you return to the Frostbound Star Abyss, he can use those gates to meet you right away."

She looked up. "Supreme Dao Origin is asking for your current location."

"Leaving an ancient Abyssal Beast unsupervised without a Supreme watching over it is too dangerous. Plan me a route. I'll go to him now," Li Pin said.

Sasha wore a smile. "If you're no longer planning to 'walk' the whole way and want to travel at full speed... all you need to do is activate your clearance level. Your file in the Human Database might not have been updated to the highest level 100 yet, but your achievements in the Ten Thousand Tribes War and the slaying of Divine Emperor Yuan Jie have already earned you a level 99 clearance."

She turned her gaze toward the Astral Gate in Lightport. "With that level... Wherever you want to go, the path will open on its own, stretching out beneath your feet."