Chapter 358: Civilization

Li Pin did not provide a clear response.

There was a simple reason for that: he didn't trust the Lin Royal Family.

Despite Lin Baizhan's heartfelt pleas and logical reasoning, even his emotional outbursts that nearly brought him to tears, it still didn't change Li Pin's stance.

He simply didn't believe them, at least not for now.

Citing the need to form his own judgments, Li Pin followed Lin Baizhan and the others to a small village in the Peach Blossom Secret Domain.

With the size of this secret domain, it could theoretically house a population of over a thousand people. However, most of the mortals who had initially entered succumbed to the corrupting influence of dark magic and mutated into monsters before being killed. Those who survived were primarily Astral Cultivators.

Over the past 66 years, these Astral Cultivators managed to reproduce, doubling the population. Despite this growth, their numbers barely exceeded 200. Even so, this modest number made the village feel quite cramped, and many people left to live out in other areas of the secret domain.

Li Pin chose a farmhouse on the village's outskirts. After refusing Lin Baizhan's offer for assistance, he settled down to calm his mind.

Although Li Pin had no idea what level of power the mutated Lin Xuanyao possessed, he regarded him as a legendary demonic creature.

He was well aware of how powerful creatures of this level were; the Legendary Ghoul he had encountered outside the alternate space already made it very clear what kind of gap existed between them.

At present, Li Pin was merely a High-Class Martial God. He wouldn't just struggle against legendary creatures; he wouldn't even have any advantage against those at the pinnacle of the Master Astral Cultivator level.

However, Li Pin estimated he'd be able to elevate himself to become a Top-Tier Martial God in a little over a month, so he didn't feel rushed. He planned to investigate that creature once he became a Top-Tier Martial God.

As for whether his sudden two-month absence would cause problems at the Celestial Martial God Hall, that wasn't any of his concern. He wasn't their caretaker. Their relationship should be one of mutual assistance and benefit, rather than one side relying entirely on the other.

Only then would such a relationship be long-lasting, allowing the hall to function properly.

With this mindset, Li Pin studied the alternate space while quietly training.

***

The arrival of a stranger in the Peach Blossom Secret Domain sparked curiosity among many. After all, they had lived there for over sixty years. An outsider was a refreshing sight to them.

Because of this, people occasionally stole glances at Li Pin's farmhouse; even Lin Baizhan couldn't help but be curious.

Li Pin didn't keep to himself and was friendly with the locals. Through his interactions with them, he gradually learned more about the alternate space, the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, and Lin Xuanyao.

Then, a month later, an unexpected discovery prompted Li Pin to summon Lin Baizhan once more.

***

In a sparsely furnished living room containing only a few wooden pieces, Lin Baizhan placed a jet-black gem tinged with crimson on the table. "Martial God Li, please take a look. This is what dark magic looks like after it condenses."

By now, they had learned Li Pin's name and understood why he possessed immense strength despite lacking astral energy fluctuations.

Out of respect for this trailblazer, or perhaps fear of his power, the elder spoke more courteously than before.

Li Pin picked up the crimson gem and sensed it for a moment. "Just as I thought."

Upon learning that all those infected by dark magic would mutate into monsters, Li Pin had already felt that this power was vaguely familiar.

Now that he had gotten his hands on this gem containing dark magic, Li Pin instantly recognized its nature.

"It's the Purgatory Stone," he stated.

"Martial God Li, you recognize it?" Lin Baizhan seemed surprised. He quickly thought of something. "Could it be that this power has appeared in the outside world?"

Li Pin nodded and took out the Purgatory Stone he had obtained from the Blood Skeleton.

Lin Baizhan examined it closely, his expression growing grave. "The purity of the dark magic within this gem... is even higher than what we've collected!?"

"Probably due to the astral energy," Li Pin replied, glancing at the crimson gem on the table. "The dark magic in this alternate space should be in its primitive state, while the Purgatory Stone I hold is a product of dark magic absorbing a significant amount of astral energy."

Lin Baizhan looked astonished.

Li Pin stored both items and glanced at Lin Baizhan. "When you discovered this alternate space, did you notice anything unusual aside from the dark magic?"

"Anything unusual?" Lin Baizhan paused, deep in thought. After a while, he responded, "If I had to mention something unusual, it would be the materials for forging the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor... When we entered this alternate space, there were no signs of life, only a few massive corpses."

He quickly added, "I mean there were no signs of life whatsoever, not even an insect. It was so quiet that it felt as if an invisible force had consumed the souls of all living creatures. The current ecosystem of this secret domain consists solely of the experimental remains we left behind."

"What kind of corpses?"

"Some mutated humanoid monsters," Lin Baizhan replied. "However, due to the extremely powerful corrosive and mutative abilities of dark magic, we didn't think much of it at the time. We considered them just creatures that had stumbled into this secret domain and had been corrupted. But now that I reflect on it..."

He frowned, pondering. "Those four monster corpses wielded weapons... it's quite strange."

"Are they still here?"

"Part of them was disassembled into materials, but a heavy steel fork and a longbow were left behind," said Lin Baizhan.

Lin Baizhan called out to someone outside.

The Top-Tier Astral Cultivator waiting outside swiftly departed and soon returned with a nearly three-meter-long heavy steel fork and a longbow almost two meters tall, radiating a fierce and savage aura.

Each of these weapons was undeniably sturdy and massive, clearly belonging to the heavy weapon category.

Li Pin picked them up, feeling their weight in his hands. Using such heavy weapons... these monsters had to have been at least at the lord level!

What struck Li Pin as particularly noteworthy was the distinct style of these weapons. They were unlike anything from any nation he knew.

"These are definitely not weapons suited for human use; they are too large. They're crude and primitive, but they're weapons nonetheless. The people who made them must have been from a civilization that is technologically inferior to ours, but undeniably powerful," Li Pin stated solemnly.

Lin Baizhan was taken aback. He paused for a brief moment, then deliberated, "Could they be some intelligent demonic creatures?"

Li Pin shook his head. The strength of demonic creatures comes from astral energy, while dark magic and astral energy belong to entirely different powers.

With his suspicions growing, Li Pin examined the two heavy weapons of contrasting styles. A hypothesis began to take shape in his mind.

It was a widely accepted fact that astral energy contained information. Any life form exposed to starlight would instinctively evolve toward the Astral God form.

This phenomenon could be observed in creatures like Wild Boarmen, Demonic Cats, and the Beastfolk. These creatures had all abandoned their beastly forms to learn how to walk upright and wield weapons like humans.

This effect of the starlight was least noticeable in humans because they already closely resemble the Astral God's form.

If the Astral God weren't humanoid but rather resembled night cats, boars, or tyrannosaurs instead, who could guarantee that the people of Gaia wouldn't have evolved in that direction?

Furthermore, this raised further questions. If even plants could transform into Man-Eating Flowers or Demonic Trees, could rocks or iron ores ultimately also evolve into similar life forms? Like the statues in the Degenerate Temple?

The radiance of the Astral God extended throughout the galaxy. Humanity had speculated about the existence of other civilizations since the dawn of time, yet that is largely irrelevant now. Under the influence of starlight, it was inevitable that civilizations would arise, whether they existed before or not. And it would only be a matter of time before Gaia made contact with these civilizations.

Li Pin's gaze fell upon the two rugged heavy weapons.

It was also highly likely that certain civilizations had already intersected with Gaia without anyone realizing it, with people merely perceiving them as ferocious beasts or demonic creatures.

Li Pin furrowed his brow slightly.

Some matters needed to be addressed quickly.

He turned to Lin Baizhan and said, "Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, we'll attempt to delve into the cave, retrieve the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, and kill that demonic creature."

Lin Baizhan was astonished to hear that. "Martial God Li, you've agreed?"

Li Pin nodded.

"Good! Good! Good! This is wonderful!"

Lin Baizhan spoke excitedly, trembling with exhilaration. "All the Top-Tier Astral Cultivators will do their utmost to assist you. We'll draw away the monster Liu Xuanyao mutated from, while you conceal your aura, delve in, and obtain the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor. And then, we'll work together to eliminate the mutated Lin Xuanyao."

"

Mhmm."

With that, Lin Baizhan left, filled with hope.

As for Li Pin... he took a moment to sense his own condition.

Thanks to the "stress" state brought on by the pressure of life and death, his training progress had accelerated beyond expectations over the past month. At this moment, he stood at the critical point of becoming a Top-Tier Martial God. If all went well, the intensity of the Celestial Magnetic Field would reach thirty points that very night.

At this stage, the operation of the Celestial Magnetic Field would enter a closed-loop cycle, enabling it to function autonomously at all times. Even if he fell into a deep sleep, the magnetic field would still gradually strengthen, providing a level of defense and counterattack even in an unconscious state.

Moreover, thanks to this cycle, the Celestial Magnetic Field would no longer be as easily disrupted as before.

Li Pin estimated that, since his Celestial Magnetic Field had long merged with his physical body, directly enduring an attack from a Pale Boarman might be challenging. However, if he could deflect the attack slightly and not take the blow of such a lord-level demonic creature head-on like some target dummy, he should be able to walk away relatively unscathed.

Additionally, with the enhancement of the magnetic field, both his explosive power and attack capabilities would significantly increase.

If he faced the Legendary Ghoul outside again, he could at least ensure his safe escape.

The mutated demonic creatures within the cave were slightly inferior to the Legendary Ghouls outside, so acquiring the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor and defeating it should not pose much difficulty.