Chapter 413: Hope

Rumble, rumble!

Blazing thunder, mixed with terrifying sound waves, surged forward at lightning speed.

The legendary demonic creature, under siege by both Yuan Zhenchuan and Zuo Xiangfeng quickly sensed the impending danger and let out a silent roar. It attempted to break free and flee.

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhenchuan and Zuo Xiangfeng, hearing the familiar roar of thunder, realized reinforcements had arrived. They closed in on the creature simultaneously, not giving it a chance to escape.

Realizing it was trapped, the battle-savvy demonic creature made a swift decision. It abandoned one of its arms, detonating it in an explosion of countless bone spikes that scattered like the most piercing projectiles in all directions.

Seizing the opportunity, the massive creature leaped into the air, attempting to break through the sky and escape. However, as it soared over ten meters high, an invisible force suddenly descended upon it, pinning it mid-air.

The pale blue flames burning within the Legendary Skeleton Demon flared wildly, struggling against the binding force. Just as it was about to break free, a streak of thunderous lightning ripped through the air and slammed into it.

Bang!

The dazzling lightning erupted with a devastating shockwave, high above the ground. Visible ripples spread outward, tearing through the earth. Even the solid rock surface fractured, leaving scars dozens of meters long and several meters deep.

Fragments of stone, mixed with smoke and dust, scattered in all directions.

Before the haze could obscure the scene, Yuan Zhenchuan and the others saw the demonic creature shatter under the impact. Its pale blue flames disintegrated, scattering in every direction.

When they rushed into the dust cloud that had been stirred up, the scattered flames had nearly extinguished. The only thing in sight was Li Pin, hovering silently in the air. He descended slowly, landing steadily on the ground.

Yuan Zhenchuan and Zuo Xiangfeng praised sincerely.

"Well done!"

"That strike came at the perfect moment."

Li Pin gave a slight nod.

Shortly after, Tu Tan, Fan Xiu, Qiao Baishi, and Bai Ying arrived. Their arrival sparked a realization in Yuan Zhenchuan. His eyes lit up as he asked, "What happened to the other legendary demonic creature that escaped earlier, and the Blood Demon Bishop?"

"They've been eliminated," Qiao Baishi answered, glancing at Li Pin with a hint of respect and awe. He added, "Hall Master Li was the one who dealt with them."

Yuan Zhenchuan's gaze snapped to Li Pin. "What?"

His surprise was palpable.

Eliminated by him alone?

Though shocked, he didn't dwell on the thought for long. He assumed that under the combined assault of the Supreme Experts, the demonic creatures simply fell to Li Pin's attacks.

After all, as a Martial God, Li Pin inspired far less fear in the legendary demonic creatures and the Supreme Blood Demon compared to Supreme Experts like Fan Xiu and Tu Tan.

With the creatures' full attention on these Supreme Experts, it was only natural for Li Pin to seize the moment and deliver the killing blow. This was, after all, the very reason they placed such high expectations on him.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

With this in mind, Yuan Zhenchuan quickly said, "Let's take down the Evil Dragon next! After that, we'll proceed step by step, clearing out the lower levels."

Li Pin gave a slight nod, and none of the other Legendary Experts raised any objections.

Yuan Zhenchuan remarked, his tone filled with a mix of relief and satisfaction, "Legendary demonic creatures possess extraordinary combat intelligence. Once they realize they're outmatched, they flee desperately, summoning hordes of lesser creatures to hinder us. It's their way of buying time to escape.

"In the past, it often required clearing out most of the demonic creatures in a region before we had a chance to kill a legendary one. I never expected things to go so smoothly this time—not only did we eliminate two legendary creatures, but we also managed to kill a supreme one. This will greatly aid us in clearing the Tenfold Heavenly Domain."

His words caused Fan Xiu, Tu Tan, and the other Supreme Experts to exchange awkward glances. The Legends also hesitated. They opened their mouths as if to speak but ultimately stayed silent.

Their strange reactions didn't escape Yuan Zhenchuan. He frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"

Fan Xiu broke the silence. "Well, things went smoothly because of Hall Master Li. Those legendary creatures didn't even have the chance to escape. It's no different from how we easily kill lord-level or quasi-legendary creatures. Even if they want to flee, it's impossible for them to escape us."

Yuan Zhenchuan was momentarily stunned. Then, he quickly realized something and said, "You mean..."

Fan Xiu nodded firmly and repeated the explanation he had given to Bai Ying earlier.

Yuan Zhenchuan drew in a sharp breath. "He killed a supreme creature head-on, alone? How is that possible? Li Pin... isn't his strength...?"

His gaze involuntarily shifted toward Li Pin, as if seeking confirmation from him directly.

Li Pin responded calmly, "Half a year has passed since my battle with Xiao Qianyuan. In that time, I've refined over a dozen Spirit-Essence Orb and Celestial Core Fragments worth over ten billion points. It's only natural for me to grow stronger."

Natural? In half a year, he went from standard legendary combat strength to being able to single-handedly kill a supreme demonic creature? Is that natural?

Soon, Yuan Zhenchuan reflected on Li Pin's rapid growth.

It had taken Li Pin only two years to go from a newly risen Martial God to a Martial God with Legendary strength. Taking that into consideration, it wasn't entirely unreasonable for him to rise from Legendary strength to Supreme strength in half a year.

Nevertheless, Yuan Zhenchuan, the supreme commander of the Special United Squad and a candidate for the presidency of the Human Alliance, couldn't help but find it unreal.

Everything was happening too quickly! Li Pin's growth rate... was too rapid! It was so rapid that it left others struggling to keep up!

If he maintains this growth rate....

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed Yuan Zhenchuan's mind. He couldn't hold back his excitement and asked, "Half a year! Li Pin! If we give you six more months, do you think you could achieve power surpassing that of a Legend?"

Before Li Pin could answer, he quickly added, "I mean, in the path of the Martial God, could you break through to a level above that of a Legend?"

"Above the level of Legend..." muttered Li Pin.

That referred to the realm beyond "Celestial Breaker" in the Celestial Martial God Manual. Li Pin hadn't defined what that realm was yet. However, he had temporarily named it the "Supreme Expert" realm.[1]

However... to reach that realm in just six months would be... impossible.

Li Pin shook his head. "That's impossible."

Yuan Zhenchuan pressed, "What about a year? If we grant you an entire year with unrestricted access to all the resources you need, can you do it?"

Fan Xiu, Tu Tan, and the others quickly understood the source of Yuan Zhenchuan's excitement. Given Li Pin's potential, if anyone in this world could achieve power surpassing that of Legends in a short time... it would be him.

Moreover, looking at his history of growth, he had always been someone capable of creating miracles.

Thinking of this, the Legends' gazes turned fervent.

Li Pin, however, felt a little speechless. That was especially true when he saw the expectant looks in their eyes. He couldn't help but sigh. "Do you really think this is realistic? Breaking through to a level above Legend in just one year?"

"It is absolutely realistic!"

"Exactly! You became a Legend in two years, reached the Supreme stage in another six months, and in another year, you'll surpass even that. How is this not realistic!?"

"This is completely reasonable!"

The Legends spoke in unison, their voices full of unwavering faith in Li Pin.

Unfortunately for them, Li Pin just shook his head.

Based on his research, achieving the Celestial Breaker stage required his magnetic field strength to reach 250—or even 300—in an extremely short period. Otherwise, the Natal Planet cultivated within his body would resonate with Gaia's Celestial Force Field and be crushed.

His best option was to first raise his mental spirit to 400 and above—the higher, the better.

With a higher mental spirit, he could better control the Celestial Magnetic Field within him. This would help avoid premature conflicts with Gaia's field. It would also greatly aid him in smoothly completing the Celestial Breaker phase in one go.

Of course, acquiring two or three Celestial Core Fragments was just as crucial. Without at least two Celestial Core Fragments, or another way to rapidly boost his magnetic field, he had no intention of attempting the Celestial Breaker phase. Finding these fragments meant venturing deep underground. That was a difficult task.

"For now, let's focus on clearing the Tenfold Heavenly Domains," said Li Pin, glancing at Yuan Zhenchuan. "Once it's cleared, I believe we should convene a new Human Alliance Expansion Conference to discuss its restructuring. This can't be delayed any longer."

Yuan Zhenchuan quickly understood Li Pin's meaning. His expression grew serious as he nodded.

If humanity continued as a fragmented force, they might not survive the second phase.

However, for safety's sake... Yuan Zhenchuan signaled for the group to head toward the area where Wu De confronted the Evil Dragon.

As they walked, he sent a spiritual message to Li Pin, "Hall Master Li, is it truly impossible to reach a realm beyond Legend in a year? Given your growth rate—where you went from a level roughly around a High-Class Astral Cultivator to a Legend in only two years—surely, crossing another in a year is possible...."

"Cultivation always gets progressively harder," Li Pin replied.

"And what about two years? Or three?"

Li Pin remained silent.

He could use Spirit-Essence Orbs to raise his mental spirit. Though their effectiveness declined with use, he could easily raise his mental spirit to 400 within two or three years if he had a steady supply.

Celestial Core Fragments, on the other hand... were a much bigger problem.

Moreover, the Celestial Breaker phase was uncharted territory. Even he was uncertain about the dangers involved.

Li Pin said frankly, "If I can acquire two or three Celestial Core Fragments, along with enough legendary-grade resources to temper my mental spirit, I could reach the threshold of a realm beyond Legend in two or three years. However, I can't guarantee I'll cross it."

"How confident are you, roughly?" Yuan Zhenchuan asked, his expression serious.

Li Pin thought for a long moment before giving a cautious estimate. "Sixty percent."

Yuan Zhenchuan was taken aback. "Sixty percent!?"

He had expected Li Pin's chances to be slim—perhaps less than ten percent.

But... sixty percent!?

With enough resources, there is a sixty percent chance of reaching a realm beyond Legend in just two or three years!?

That was a significant chance!

"Let's do it!"

1. Not to be confused with Supreme Martial Saint or Supreme Martial God. ☜