Chapter 331: The Eve

Seeing them make a run for it, Li Pin moved.

He was swift as a thunderbolt.

It was undeniable that Top-Tier Astral Cultivators were fast. They could theoretically reach the speed of light in their starlight form. However, they were far from achieving that. It was nearly impossible for a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator to maintain that kind of acceleration, so the most they could do was achieve bursts of speed that surpassed the speed of sound.

The duration that Top-Tier Astral Cultivators could maintain their starlight form was limited. Just like now, when they activated their starlight form, Li Pin had been left behind by over ten kilometers. However, as Yun Wu and Hei Sha's energy depleted, Li Pin quickly caught up to them.

Sensing the terrifying presence approaching from behind, Yun Wu couldn't help but shout, "Master Li, we are from the Martial God Hall! We represent not only the Martial God Hall but also the Great Shang Empire! While your combat prowess is impressive, if you make an enemy of the Great Shang, there will be no place for you in this world!

"Why not let the two of us go instead? We are willing to mediate for you within the Martial God Hall. This will turn our conflict into cooperation, ensuring mutual benefit!"

Yun Wu and Hei Sha couldn't understand how things had come to this. Why was it that Lan Qi had dealt with Wen Xingchen so easily, yet when it was their turn to act, they hit a brick wall?

This person was Wen Xingchen's master, but even then, hadn't the Martial God path been established for only a year at most? How could he have grown so strong in only a year?

If Martial Gods could grow so strong in so little time, how were Astral Cultivators supposed to live?

The opportunity to capture the Dragonfist Sect's Sect Master had been something they fought for from the Royal Empire, even!

Rumble!

At that moment, sparking electricity tore through the void space, interrupting Yun Wu and Hei Sha's thoughts.

This electricity was the answer to their pleas.

"The Dragonfist Sect!"

Hei Sha let out an unwilling roar as he rapidly began to swell. With qi and blood surging to their peak, he seemed to transform into an ancient Tyrannosaurus.

His fist force smashed out like the gaping maw of the Tyrannosaurus, seemingly wanting to swallow Li Pin and the entire surrounding void space.

Crackle!

A ring of visible electricity pierced through the air.

Li Pin, already at extreme speed, accelerated further just as Hei Sha turned to counterattack.

Like a Kunpeng riding the wind, he evaded Hei Sha's fist force amidst a series of electric and fire sparks. He thrust his right hand forward and pressed it against Hei Sha's head.

Hei Sha stared wide-eyed as the Force erupted.

Boom!

A hurricane, mixed with blood, splattered across dozens of meters of space.

"The reason we... wanted to take you to the Martial God Hall... was to give you a... brighter future... Why...?"

As Hei Sha's aura faded, Yun Wu knew what fate awaited him.

Hei Sha's tone was filled with unwillingness to accept this outcome. There was even a trace of confusion.

Li Pin looked at Yun Wu, his hand extended out before him as if there was a world spinning in his palm. "Yes. If Great Shang holds such bright prospects, why bother to travel so far to die?

"I'll tell you why. It's because you guys believed that you are powerful, so only you guys can control the fate of others. No one should dominate your fate... so... you were fearless."

Yun Wu did his best, swinging his war saber heavenward. The Saber Intent and aura, brimming with his determination and resolve, surged forth as if to fight to the death.

It was futile. Before the rotating, devouring power of the "world" in Li Pin's palm, the saber aura was ground to dust, and all the Saber Intents disappeared like stones sinking into the sea.

Even Yun Wu's war saber made from Darkmoon Crystal, a top-tier astral equipment, broke under the force of the palm strike.

In his final moments, Yun Wu seemed to see the heavens and earth collapsing within that palm, burying his entire being. His vision and senses were reduced to blankness, ground into nothingness.

Only the faint remnants of a final thought remained in his mind.

"But would you know that in this world, nothing can remain eternal and unique? Everyone will fall and die... just like the Martial God I am, it's the same for you guys... Top-Tier Astral Cultivators... There's no exception."

***

Swoosh!

The sound of something breaking through the air approached rapidly.

Shi Shihu, Xing Ying, and Ri Chi had just caught up. They arrived just in time to witness Li Pin slay the last two Top-Tier Astral Cultivators from the Martial God Hall.

"Gather the spoils and exchange them for Primordial Electric Crystals as quickly as possible," Li Pin ordered.

Whether it was Yun Wu, Hei Sha, or Liang Chi, each of them had more than one top-tier astral equipment. The price of each of these top-tier astral equipment reached hundreds of billions. By selling these top-tier astral equipment alone, they could be exchanged for thousands or even tens of thousands of Primordial Electric Crystals.

With such a vast amount of resources, not only could it satisfy Li Pin's cultivation needs and rapidly increase his magnetic field strength to 30 points, but there would also be more than enough to share with others for their cultivation.

The strong always remained strong; this was always the way things had been since ancient times.

***

Shi Shihu, Xing Ying, and Ri Chi felt as if they were in a dream as they watched Li Pin leave.

These were Top-Tier Astral Cultivators he had killed!

These were existences that were considered a core part of a nation's strength, even in the Six Extremities.

Not long ago, these three were still Martial Saints. Back then, they wouldn't even dare imagine striking against such powerful Astral Cultivators.

Yet now, these existences they had looked up to as invincible, were lying cold before them, corpses.

And the one who had killed them was their sect master, whom they revered as they would a God.

Xing Ying gasped. "The Celestial Martial God Manual recorded that refining the Lifeform Force Field into a Celestial Magnetic Field makes one a High-Class Martial God, comparable to a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator!

"From the techniques the sect master displayed, that was clearly the power of a High-Class Martial God's Celestial Magnetic Field. However, the Celestial Martial God Manual only mentioned that this realm could compare to Top-Tier Astral Cultivators, not that it could so easily crush them! This is really... unbelievable!"

To Xing Ying, everything that had happened could only be summed up as unbelievable!

Ri Chi was also deeply shocked. It was only a few months ago when he entered the Ghoul King Hall with Li Pin and Yue Ying. There, he had personally witnessed Li Pin slay 32 Top-Tier Astral Cultivator-level Ghoul Kings with overwhelming force.

Therefore, while he was surprised that he could kill three Top-Tier Astral Cultivators, he quickly accepted it.

"The sect master's understanding of the Martial God path is probably far beyond our imagination," Ri Chi said solemnly.

"The Celestial Martial God Manual not only recorded parts of the High-Class Martial God but also included the Top-Tier Martial God! And in great detail too! These were likely all created by the sect master himself!

"Although he currently only displayed the cultivation of a High-Class Martial God, his realm is far beyond that, being even above the Top-Tier Martial God. Killing Top-Tier Astral Cultivators came as naturally as crushing dry weeds!"

His words made Shi Shihu and Xing Ying also come to a realization.

In fact, when they received the heritage, they had already realized this. They even felt that they wouldn't face any bottlenecks or obstacles when they transition from Martial God to High-Class Martial God, and from High-Class to Top-Tier Martial God.

As their physical strength and magnetic field strength become stronger, they would naturally attain a breakthrough.

They had originally thought this was a normal phenomenon. However, from the looks of things now... it wasn't so simple.

This was clearly a heaven-sent opportunity.

"Although Li Pin from Tianyun was the one who pioneered the Martial God, I can guarantee that... the sect master has gone further down this path than Li Pin!" concluded Ri Chi firmly.

He continued, "Think about it, during the time of Li Pin on the Crimson Flame Island, there was no way he could have achieved this level, right? There were even a dozen Legends and Supremes who claimed that his Celestial Force Field couldn't even affect Top-Tier Astral Cultivators in their starlight form!"

Shi Shihu and Xing Ying exchanged glances.

"The sect master has gone further than the founder of the Martial God path, Li Pin..."

After a brief moment of thought, they agreed with this view.

At this moment, Xing Ying seemed to think of something. Her eyes widened in shock, and she exclaimed, "Sect Master Li... his surname is Li, and like the founder of the Martial God path, Li Pin, he is also from Tianyuan...Do you think...?"

Her words caused Shi Shihu and Ri Chi to narrow their eyes. Their voice trembled as they spoke.

"Are you saying that... Sect Master Li, he...."

"That's right!" Xing Ying nodded firmly. "Could Sect Master Li... be the father of Li Pin, the Martial God!?"

Ri Chi's voice trembled. "They... they don't look like father and son, do they..."

He could hardly imagine what kind of impact this guess would have on the world if it were true.

"There are plenty of children that don't look like their parents," Xing Ying said firmly. "I can almost picture it: the two of them, working together through hardship, brainstorming to open up the Martial God path!

"After the success of opening the Martial God path, Sect Master Li remained in seclusion, tirelessly cultivating, so his name wasn't known. But Li Pin, being young, couldn't bear the agony of seclusion after becoming a Martial God. He couldn't sit still, and through the King of the Century Competition, he made his name known throughout the world, spreading the light of the Martial God everywhere!"

This was a reasonable guess! It was very reasonable actually!

"Yes, it's very likely to be true!" Shi Shihu clenched his fist. "The sect master is Li Pin's father! That must be it!"

Ever since Li Pin opened the Martial God path and perished alongside a Legend, Martial Saints across the world have gone crazy over it. They revered Li Pin as their master, seeing him as the pioneer of the martial path.

Take Tianyuan's Divine Martial Sect for example. Almost every day, Martial Saints from around the world visited to pay homage and learn about Li Pin's various deeds with a pilgrim-like mentality.

If a second Martial God were to appear at this time, then the Great Moon and the Dragonfist Sect would immediately become the center of the martial world, gathering all the glory!

***

At the peak of Hualong mountain.

Li Pin calmly returned to his training chamber.

"Killing the three Top-Tier Astral Cultivators from the Martial God Hall had its downsides—I offended the great power of Great Shang. The advantage... is that it was enough to intimidate the small fries, making them hesitant to act rashly," muttered Li Pin. "However, in any case, this peaceful life I've had over the past year is probably gone for good."

It wasn't just because of Great Shang, but because Wen Xingchen was also captured. With the methods of the Astral Cultivators, they had plenty of ways to uncover the secrets of the Martial God's path from him.

That would include the Skill Crystal.

However... he had rested for a year, and that was enough. This period had allowed him to reflect and completely clarify the Martial God path.

Now, it was time for the Martial God path to face its true test.

Otherwise, a life like this would be a little dull.