Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 475: Treasury

In the Imperial Palace of Divine Dragon City, the capital of Miracle Star.

When Emperor Yan Hui observed the terrifying energy fluctuations erupting on Demonic Dragon Star, he immediately grasped that something was afoot. He sent message after message, attempting to contact the empire's pillar—Yan Zun.

There was no response.

Yan Hui's heart sank.

He immediately ordered the imperial elite to activate the Tier Six Astral Formation in Divine Dragon City, said to withstand attacks from a Tier Three Legend.

Most of the Astral Gates leading to Miracle Star were sealed, and he used the connections left by the Grand Patriarch Yan Zun to reach out to powerful figures for aid.

His response was swift, but the traitor had already struck.

With Yu Shengjin's assistance, Li Pin, leading three Tier One Legends and dozens of Heavenly Realm Experts, bypassed the stationed forces on Demonic Dragon Star. They leveraged the Astral Gates to strike directly at Miracle Star.

Thanks to Li Pin's ability to bypass the astral energy detection system, he arrived just before the Tier Six Astral Formation could reach full power.

With his Cosmic River Sword Attack, he descended in a single, devastating strike.

The critical nodes of the formation, pinpointed by Yu Shengjin, were destroyed instantly. The Tier Six Astral Formation crumbled before it could unleash its full strength.

Even if fully activated, with only Yan Hui—a Tier One Legend—at the helm, it stood no chance against Li Pin's Tier Three Legend-level might.

The formation's defense against a Tier Three Legend relied on Yan Zun, alongside at least three other Tier One Legends and over a hundred Heavenly Realm experts.

With only Yan Hui and a group of Heaven Realm cultivators, holding off a Tier Two Legend for ten days would already be their limit.

With the capital's Astral Formation destroyed, the outcome was inevitable.

Yu Shengjin personally ended Yan Hui's life. The once-mighty Tier Six Astral Formation became a prison, sealing off all escape.

***

Standing before the Divine Dragon Empire's palace, Solar Radiance Sovereign's expression was somewhat dazed. "The Divine Dragon Empire... such a powerful interstellar civilization.

"It dominated a whole nebula, with four primary planets and over a hundred resource planets... And yet, it was destroyed so easily."

Beside him stood Yuan Zhenchuan, Fan Xiu, Wu De, and Xiao Donghai, who had accompanied him but had barely intervened.

The three newly allied Legends, eager to prove their loyalty or vent their anger at Yan Zun for their misfortune, had attacked without mercy.

There had been no need for Heavenly Realm Experts like them to act. It was as if they represented Gaia Civilization, following Li Pin to collect the spoils.

Yuan Zhenchuan sighed at Solar Radiance Sovereign's words. "A world where supreme power rules...."

He mused, "If it were Gaia, and not for the Human Alliance's interference, wiping out a smaller nation wouldn't have been much harder for us."

Solar Radiance Sovereign fell silent.

What left him dazed wasn't that Li Pin alone had destroyed the Divine Dragon Empire. Rather... he still clearly remembered the first time he interacted with the Divine Dragon Empire.

Back when he had first learned that the Divine Dragon Empire controlled the Dragon Swamp Nebula, over a hundred resource planets, and had thousands of Heaven Realm Experts under it, a feeling of utter insignificance had gripped him.

This realization had opened his eyes to how weak Gaia truly was. He had always believed that the Gaia civilization was powerful. But it turned out to be nothing more than a small, backward tribe when put up against a modern superpower like the Divine Dragon Empire.

The gap between the two civilizations was so vast it made resistance seem hopeless.

But now... how long had it been?

The Divine Dragon Empire, once so powerful that it left them gasping for air and without hope of resistance, was now beneath their feet.

"Hall Master Li... is far too powerful," Fan Xiu said with genuine admiration. "I could somewhat grasp his strength before, but now... he's grown beyond anything we can comprehend."

Wu De nodded in agreement.

When the world first recognized Li Pin as a Supreme Expert, his strength hadn’t even reached the threshold of the Heavenly Realm. Later, during his battle with the Solar Radiance Sovereign—who had mastered the Cosmic True Dragon Secret Art—his power had only just touched the lower limits of that realm.

But after that, his strength began to soar. When he first used the Vacuum Pulverizer to slay the five Legends of Great Shang in a single move, he had likely already stepped into the Top-Tier, if not the Invincible Heavenly Realm.

That alone marked a leap of two to three realms.

However, that wasn't even the most shocking part.

He could still comprehend Li Pin rising from the Heavenly Realm to the Invincible Heavenly Realm.

What he couldn't understand... was the Celestial Break phase and the transformation that followed, when Li Pin redefined what it meant to be a true Supreme Expert.

That breakthrough didn't merely propel him from the Invincible Heavenly realm to the initial threshold of Tier One Legend. It was a straight jump to a level comparable to a Tier Two Legend, allowing him to effortlessly crush Yan Zhong, the leader of the Divine Dragon Empire's vanguard.

Then, in less than a month, he achieved another breakthrough, stepping into the Tier Three Legendary Realm!

How long had it been? Less than a year!

He had jumped straight from a Tier One to a Tier Three Legend in one go. It was simply unbelievable.

"I don't understand it," said Xiao Donghai heavily. "But I'm utterly amazed."

"Perhaps this is what it means to be a genius," the Solar Radiance Sovereign acknowledged sincerely. "He's a genius beyond our imagination."

"It's an honor for Gaia to be his birthplace," Yuan Zhenchuan said. "But Gaia must stand on its own. We cannot trouble Hall Master Li with every little matter. His future... will undoubtedly take him to the vast galaxies."

Everyone recalled how Li Pin had sent them to track down Xue Feng, Qi Yan, and Yu Shengjin. Yet, they could only watch helplessly as those invaders slipped further away.

If not for the timely intervention of Si Xing from the Homo Sapien Alliance, the three Legends would have escaped unscathed.

They all felt a pang of guilt.

At the same time, they understood why Si Xing had been so eager to help—it was for Li Pin.

This was perhaps the biggest indicator that Li Pin wouldn't stay on Gaia much longer. For a small place such as Gaia to produce a peerless genius of such caliber was a disaster as much as a blessing. If Li Pin didn’t join a major faction, the outcome might very well mirror how Yu Shengjin was currently rampaging through the imperial palace.

The other Heavenly realm Experts echoed this sentiment.

"Gaia shouldn't become Hall Master Li's burden."

"Hall Master Li was never Gaia's caretaker. He has already done enough for us."

"Indeed. Only by venturing into the greater world can Hall Master Li ensure Gaia's unshakable position.

"The higher his future achievements, the greater the benefits for Gaians. After all... no matter where he goes, Gaia will always be his homeland, and he will always be one of us."

At that moment, Yuan Zhenchuan seemed to sense something. He glanced at the electronic book in his hand, then looked up. "The Celestial Dragonian, the Burning Sun Nation, and the Flaming Dragon Empire have all sent messages... requesting to visit Hall Master Li. It seems they can no longer sit still."

The Solar Radiance Sovereign said, "Report to Hall Master Li for instructions. However, I doubt he'll concern himself with such trivial matters. We should prepare several plans in advance and let him choose one to implement. This way, we won't waste his valuable time on unnecessary details."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Gaia cannot compare to the Divine Dragon Empire's heritage. As a result, the atmosphere in Dragon Swamp Nebula will remain relatively lenient for now. But the Divine Dragon Empire's share of the pie must not be lost to other civilizations. "

"With Hall Master Li's reputation, I believe these civilizations will make the right choice."

After exchanging a few more words, the group quickly busied themselves with preparations.

***

Meanwhile, the battle inside the imperial palace had concluded.

Li Pin was inspecting the treasury of the Divine Dragon Empire.

The Divine Dragon Empire had reigned as the overlord of the Dragon Swamp Nebula for over a thousand stellar years. Though there had been ups and downs, it had never fallen from its position as a first-rate power.

The treasury was filled with countless rare and precious resources. Just the Astral Core Fragments alone numbered in the hundreds. In addition, there were astral equipment, Astral Crystals, and Heavenly Treasures piling up across the entire treasury.

Among these treasures were items that enhanced physical strength, increased astral energy, and fortified one's mental spirit. Some could even help people achieve enlightenment. Every single one of these treasures was worth astronomical sums, often starting at billions when converted to Secondary Cosmic Currency.

After a single lap around, Li Pin realized that even without considering the treasures he didn't recognize, the ones he did amounted to over 300 billion in value.

The total value of the entire treasury likely approached a trillion, if not more.

Li Pin stood before one of the platforms. "Spirit-Essence Orbs... even these qualify for a place in the Divine Dragon Empire's treasury."

There were over sixty Spirit-Essence Orbs on display.

After a moment's thought, he found it understandable.

Spirit-Essence Orbs, Bodhi Seeds, and Celestial Fruits were treasures born from the fall of Astral God Yin Luo. These treasurers gave emerging civilizations the confidence to catch up to the established civilizations in ten or twenty stellar years. Their value couldn't be measured by conventional standards

Gaia was a prime example.

Despite relying solely on fragmented information from starlight and fumbling their way through building a cultivation system, the abundance of natural treasures had allowed dozens of cultivators to accumulate enough energy to reach the Heavenly Realm. What they lacked now was only the combat strength to truly ascend.

Still, the resources a Nebula Overlord accumulates over a thousand stellar years far exceeded Gaia's wealth by a hundredfold, Li Pin thought to himself.

He planned to prioritize resources useful to martial artists to members of the Celestial Martial God Hall.

As for those not suited for martial artists, he'd keep a portion to trade with other civilizations.

About thirty percent, which wouldn't fetch fair prices on the open market, would go to Gaia's Astral Cultivators.

Li Pin thought about the immense difficulty a Martial God faced in breaking through to the Supreme Expert level. "The Martial God path is truly arduous...."

He'd already considered letting the members of the Celestial Martial God Hall switch to cultivating the Celestial Martial Arts inheritance: Heaven-Subjugating Technique.

However, he remembered that the purpose of establishing the Hall was to leave his mark on Gaia. "The most talented martial artists will continue to cultivate the Celestial Martial God Manual and follow the Martial God path.

"I'll take the time to refine and perfect the Celestial Breaker phase of the manual. Those a level below will cultivate the Heaven-Subjugating Technique and follow the Celestial Martial Arts path. As for those with average talent..."

Well, the untalented have no choice, he thought.

"They can do whatever they want."