Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 375: Supreme

Watching as Li Pin broke through their ranks in broad daylight, tearing past not only one of their Legends but twenty-six Master Astral Cultivators as well, Xiao Qianyuan's face darkened.

Li Pin was treating the empire's defenses as if they were nothing but air.

Xiao Qianyuan shot a glance at the surrounding Master Astral Cultivators. They had clearly formed a siege, yet none made a real effort to stop him. Furious, he demanded, "Why didn't any of you block his path?"

The reprimanded Master Astral Cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.

Why didn't we stop him?

Those directly in his escape path, in particular, felt a hint of grievance.

Why didn't we intercept him? Isn't it obvious? If you think it is that simple, why don't you do it yourself?

All the Master Astral Cultivators present could see that Xiao Qianyuan was reaching his limit; at most, he could endure only a dozen more revivals.

Of course, if he could find an opportunity within that time to deliver a fatal strike to Li Pin, he might still be able to turn the tables.

However, he had already been defeated so many times by Li Pin and hadn't found an opening for the kill. What would a dozen more attempts do?

Would Xiao Qianyuan allow himself to be battered until his astral energy ran dry and he was on his knees begging for mercy?

Of course not.

Buzz, buzz!

Xiao Qianyuan suddenly sensed a familiar astral energy resonance approaching at incredible speed.

Recognizing the aura, Xiao Qianyuan finally understood why Li Pin had suddenly left mid-battle. His expression darkened even further.

The other Master Astral Cultivators realized it as well.

"It's Lord Ge Lin!"

"What's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be guarding the Slave Valley? He can't leave his post!"

"I was the one who notified Lord Ge Lin," revealed one of the Master Astral Cultivators. "Li Pin's actions are outrageous—marching into our capital like that. If we don't strike back with full force, how will the world view the Astral Cultivators of our empire?"

Hearing the conversation among the Master Astral Cultivators, Xiao Qianyuan's face flushed with embarrassment.

As a Legendary figure stationed at the imperial capital, he couldn't even handle the crisis on his own and had to call upon Ge Lin, the empire's Supreme Expert.

Anger bubbled up within him. "Xiao Zhenglie! Since you alerted Lord Ge Lin and knew he was coming, why didn't you intercept Li Pin's escape?"

Xiao Zhenglie, feeling somewhat wronged, replied, "Lord Ge Lin didn't respond before setting out.... Maybe he wanted to keep his movements secret...."

Xiao Qianyuan growled, "Hmph! If any of you had done your job and kept Li Pin occupied even a bit longer, he wouldn't have been able to destroy the Supreme Holy Sanctuary and then walk away so arrogantly..."

At this moment, someone's voice rang out from the distant sky.

"Enough."

Soon, Ge Lin appeared, riding a streak of starlight as he swiftly approached. Where he passed, the clouds parted like they had been cleaved by a divine weapon, creating a rift in the sky that stretched for miles.

"Even if you had all tried to stop him, it would have been pointless. If Li Pin wants to leave, he could hide anywhere in the capital. With millions of people here, finding a single individual without any astral energy resonance would be near impossible," Ge Lin said.

Hearing this, all the Master Astral Cultivators lowered their heads in shame.

Even Xiao Qianyuan had to admit that Ge Lin was right.

Just earlier, when Li Pin stowed away his astral equipment, his presence had vanished from their senses completely. No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't detect even the faintest trace of him.

"A storage-type divine relic... it suits him perfectly," Ge Lin remarked, casting a thoughtful look in the direction Li Pin had disappeared.

There was a hint of admiration in his tone.

Unlike legendary astral equipment, divine relics typically offer minimal amplification properties. Their amplification was usually only slightly stronger than that of substandard astral equipment. Very few reached the level of amplification of genuine-grade astral equipment.

This low level of amplification had its merits, as it resulted in much weaker astral energy fluctuations, if any. The Void Ring in Fu Qingtian's possession and the Oblivion Ring of the East Sea's Thirty-Six countries had no astral energy properties at all.

They could be tossed on the ground and people would mistake them for ordinary metal rings.

Ge Lin's expression carried a hint of admiration, and he seemed satisfied. He remarked, "Li Pin... is as powerful as a Legend. With a storage-type divine relic for resupply, he can operate undetected for long periods. In some ways, he's comparable to the Supreme Expert wielding the Oblivion Ring in the East Sea's Thirty-Six countries.

"Given the challenges humanity faced, having more top-tier experts like Li Pin was undoubtedly beneficial."

"He's comparable to the East Sea's Thirty-Six Countries' Oblivion Ring wielder!? That's impossible!" Xiao Qianyuan was clearly skeptical. "How can he match a Supreme Expert?"

Ge Lin responded, not hiding his admiration, "What defines a Supreme Expert? It's someone who achieves invincibility in a particular area—absolute mastery in their chosen domain. Li Pin has no energy fluctuations and is undetectable by any instrument.

"With complete control over himself, he can alter his appearance, height—anything. If he chooses to hide, no one would be able to find him. Combined with his battle strength, which rivals that of a Legend, he is, in every way, a true Supreme Expert."

A Supreme Expert!

Xiao Qianyuan was annoyed and frustrated that Li Pin had slipped away, convinced that victory had been within his grasp. However, hearing Ge Lin's words of acknowledgment finally made him calm down.

Where did his pride stem from?

It came from him knowing that no matter how many times Li Pin killed him—be it dozens or hundreds of times—he could always revive thanks to his life imprint. On the other hand, if he killed Li Pin only once, Li Pin would die for good.

To Xiao Qianyuan, how could someone whose life was so fragile be seen as a formidable opponent?

However, according to Ge Lin's assessment... that didn't seem to be the case.

If Li Pin sensed something amiss, he could always choose to leave and no one would be able to stop him. He could disappear, vanishing without a trace.

How could anyone be sure they could get a single chance to kill him?

At that moment, a Master Astral Cultivator specializing in intelligence and reconnaissance spoke up. "We've located Lin Xingchen."

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He quickly added, "From what we've gathered, it seems Li Pin attacked the capital after repeatedly sending messages asking us to release his disciple, Lin Xingchen. However, His Majesty rejected these requests, forcing Li Pin to come to the capital himself.

"This suggests Lin Xingchen holds significant value to him... If we capture Lin Xingchen again, we might be able to force Li Pin to reveal himself. Then, Your Highness Xiao Qianyuan, Lord Ge Lin, with the both of you—"

"Enough!"

Ge Lin's sharp rebuke cut the Master Astral Cultivator off mid-sentence.

The wrath of a Supreme Expert was unmistakable. Even as a Master Astral Cultivator, he couldn't help but feel a chill run through him at the rebuke.

Ge Lin's cold gaze swept across the room. "Do you even understand what you're suggesting? If you dare use Lin Xingchen to threaten Li Pin, be prepared for everyone around you to become pawns—prepare yourselves to be threatened as well!

"Not just the people close to you—each of you may even find yourselves used as bargaining chips."

A shiver ran down the spine of every Master Astral Cultivator present.

Li Pin had captured Zhang Dongwang alive!

What did that mean? It meant that, while he couldn't kill a Legend, he could easily take down Master Astral Cultivators.

A Master Astral Cultivator muttered under their breath, "What an idiot! We should already feel grateful that Li Pin hasn't used his ability to attack us secretly. And now you're considering threatening him through those close to him? Are you out of your mind?"

Their voices were low, but everyone present was a Master Astral Cultivator. Such veiled criticism was just as harsh as open confrontation.

Xiao Qianyuan understood the consequences if they dared to disregard morality.

Like earlier—if Li Pin had chosen to fight within the capital instead of above it, the entire city would have been reduced to rubble, and countless lives would have been lost.

"This matter must never be mentioned again," said Xiao Qianyuan.

He turned to one of the Master Astral Cultivators. "Prepare a team to escort Lin Xingchen back to the Celestial Martial God Hall. Make sure nothing happens to him along the way!"

The Master Astral Cultivator, understanding the gravity of the situation, nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"Wait," Ge Lin called out. "You go yourself."

The named Master Astral Cultivator paused in surprise.

"Though I've been stationed at the Slave Valley, I've learned a bit about this matter because of Li Pin. From the Royal Empire's perspective, your actions aren't wrong. But to Li Pin—as a Legend, perhaps even a Supreme Expert — it's clear you have completely disregarded him, blatantly challenging the limits of a Supreme Expert."

Ge Lin looked over the crowd. "Thus, the empire will indeed need to make reparations for this."

Xiao Qianyuan frowned. "This would mean... that our empire is yielding to him?"

Ge Lin spoke indifferently. "If you don't want to yield, then in future matters involving Li Pin, don't blame me or the Ge Family if we stand by."

Ge Lin and the imperial family had a mutually beneficial relationship. Like many other Legends and Supreme Experts, he pursued something beyond the empire's affairs.

Was he pursuing what lay beyond Legend? Perhaps. Or maybe he sought what lay beyond even that, to venture into the stars and glimpse the vast universe.

He had a completely different goal from the Legends of the Imperial Family. Those people only cared about their own turf. They only cared about securing their interests.

Ge Lin found Li Pin to be someone who aligned with his "kind." Though Li Pin was still a bit unpolished, the key lay in his youth. Given enough time, Ge Lin was certain Li Pin would truly become one of them.

As such, Ge Lin wouldn't risk offending a potential future ally over an empire clinging to its fading glory.

"Please calm your anger, Lord Ge Lin," appeased Xiao Qianyuan. He had inferred Ge Lin's intentions. "If Li Pin truly possesses the power of a Legend... then we have truly treated him inappropriately. Naturally, our empire is willing to make amends. I will request an audience with the Emperor to discuss reparations immediately."

"Do as you like," Ge Lin responded.

He cast a cold glance at Xiao Zhenglie, a fellow imperial family member, and warned, "Unless absolutely necessary, don't send messages to me in panic. If the Slave Valley's Slave Lords sense an opportunity to escape, will you be the one to bear the responsibility?"

Leaving this thinly veiled reprimand to the Xiao Imperial Family behind, the Supreme Expert took to the skies, transforming into starlight and disappearing over the horizon.