Chapter 491: Stage

Li Pin felt as though he was traveling along a river of light, guided by a profound stirring deep within his inner spirit.

As he moved forward, he could sense his inner spirit being influenced. This influence, however, was like an unchangeable law—irresistible and immutable. Even if there were a power capable of opposing it, it would ultimately be rejected, severing its connection to the Mara World.

Under this influence, he gradually transformed into a stream of light as he advanced further into the depths of the river. That was until he arrived at the riverbed, where he glimpsed a world. This world's level of civilization resembled Gaia's. However, it seemed more advanced in certain areas of technology.

When Li Pin descended with the light, he found himself standing in an alley within a city.

"I've arrived?"

Li Pin quickly assessed himself.

He confirmed that his Clairvoyance still worked, though it was significantly weaker. That was likely due to the suppression of his mental and inner spirits. It was almost identical to the state he had experienced when he first arrived in Gaia.

His precise perception allowed him to sense how weak he currently was. It was as if he had fallen from the Legendary Realm right back to where it all began, an ordinary mortal.

He had become a fragile human being, someone who would starve without food or water. A fall from a three or four-story building would now kill him.

"So this is really a world devoid of supernatural elements,"" Li Pin remarked.

He examined his current state.

He could vividly recall every detail of his time as a Legend. He could even remember the detailed method of circulating the Celestial Martial God Manual. Yet, these memories were akin to experiences within a dream, fading away upon waking up.

He attempted to circulate his Natal Plant and draw upon the Celestial Magnetic Field, but a barrier seemed to have been erected, separating reality from illusion.

Li Pin glanced around, taking in the dilapidated alley, where piles of household trash emitted a sharp, pungent odor.

The sensation was oddly novel to him.

Ever since he formed his Natal Planet, these "mortal sensations" had diminished greatly. To experience such vivid perceptions of the world again was rare.

Li Pin stepped out of the alley. As he approached the street, he noticed a distinctive mark.

Pioneers entering the divine treasure world often followed different paths: some, brimming with self-assurance, preferred to act independently; others, having pre-arranged rendezvous points, left marks to facilitate joint exploration.

Besides these, there were also marks such as the one Li Pin had spotted. These symbolized mutual aid among pioneers.

In the divine treasure world, pioneers could die and return through rebirth. True death only came when a person exhausted their lifespan, after centuries of entrapment within the divine treasure world. As a result, Pioneers rarely feared deceit when it came to mutual aid.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

For newcomers, visiting a "mutual aid society" to gather information about the Mara World was often the best choice. Some pioneers even took on relevant tasks to provide foundational knowledge to new arrivals while continuing their own explorations.

Naturally, they seized the chance to trade valuable information. Such transactions in the divine treasure world relied solely on personal credibility due to the lack of secure transaction methods.

Li Pin memorized the mark and blended into the bustling street, quietly listening to the street chatter.

He thought,

The language hasn't changed. It's still the universal script from the Great Unification Era.

This realization reassured him. The language had been part of their preparation during the Mara Divine Treasury Hall's briefing, ensuring communication wouldn't be an issue.

As Li Pin observed, his sharp senses picked up the presence of several young men approaching from ahead. Their movements were steady and confident, exuding the strength of martial artists.

However... Li Pin could tell they were still confined to the realm of mortals.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he noticed something that made his expression turn strange.

His gaze had landed on a massive screen in a nearby shopping mall. An advertisement for an energy drink was up on display. In the ad, someone leapt tens of meters in a single bound and, with a few punches, killed a massive beast resembling a rhinoceros, covered in armor plates and weighing several tons.

Li Pin thought,

What happened to the supposed absence of extraordinary powers? What happened to the "Warlord" world I was briefed about? Could ordinary people achieve this?

Li Pin continued to observe, studying his surroundings. It didn't take long to confirm the truth—this world possessed extraordinary powers.

So... the Mara Divine Treasury Hall had provided incorrect information.

Upon reflection, it wasn't surprising. The Mara Divine Treasury Hall could only gather indirect data, speculating on the nature of Astral God Mara and deducing the rules of her divine treasure world. Everything was built on speculation.

Who could possibly predict the worldview Astral God Mara might leave behind?

Understanding it would be like trying to grasp what someone is thinking deep in their heart just by knowing everything about them.

That could never really be that accurate. That was why the Divine Treasury Halls always included a disclaimer:

all provided information is for reference only; reality takes precedence.

Li Pin pondered, his expression growing slightly more serious.

Hold on. If extraordinary powers truly exist, wouldn't the pioneers have succeeded long ago? How could they still be trapped after six hundred stellar years, unable to break through this world?

As Li Pin walked along, he noticed many martial arts halls lining the streets.

Martial artists carrying weapons and riding exotic beasts moved casually through the bustling city.

The stark contrast between the towering skyscrapers, advanced electronic devices, and the martial artists' distinctly primitive attire felt deeply jarring.

However, recalling the era when Gaia faced the threat of demonic creatures, he found this contrast easier to understand.

Li Pin soon located a city map, glanced at it briefly, and found his destination. He followed the streets for three kilometers, eventually reaching the city outskirts, where he turned into a martial arts hall.

The hall wasn't large. It was a four-story building with a three-hundred-square-meter courtyard.

A man, appearing to be in his early thirties, greeted him with a smile. "Hello, are you here to learn martial arts?"

Li Pin replied in the universal language.

The man froze for a moment before recognition dawned on him. "Oh, the hall master's homeland dialect? You must be here to see the hall master. I'll take you to him."

"Thank you," Li Pin replied.

The man led him to the second floor and called out, "Hall master, someone from your homeland has come to see you."

Shortly after, a voice came from a room that resembled an office. "Understood. You can return to your practice now."

The door opened, and a man in his forties or fifties stepped out. He looked at Li Pin and smiled. Speaking in the universal language, he said, "The Mara Divine Treasury Hall?"

"Yes, I joined not long ago," Li Pin replied.

The middle-aged man's smile widened. "I figured. The last cycle ended not too long ago."

Li Pin nodded. A single cycle in the Mara World lasted a little over one stellar year, which was equivalent to eleven years in this world. The Divine Treasury Gate would only open during a "cycle reset," sending people into the Mara World.

"My name is Fang Zhiqian, a Silver Pioneer. I've taken on the role of Guide assigned by the Mara Divine Treasury Hall. Are you here from another hall or...?"

"I am a newcomer," Li Pin responded.

Then, seemingly recalling something, he asked, "Fang Zhiqian? Are you related to Fang Chunyang?"

Fang Zhiqian laughed. "We're from the same family. He's over thirty generations older than me. However, among Legends, such generational gaps don't mean much. Regardless of his seniority, we're considered equals now."

He continued with a chuckle. "He entered in the previous cycle. After assessing the situation, he quickly regained his strength and rushed to seize the Supreme Demonic Sword. But a single sword qi obliterated him. He died miserably without even making it past the second phase!

Hahaha

!"

Realizing it might seem improper to mock his own family in front of an outsider, Fang Zhiqian cleared his throat and gestured toward a seat. "Please, sit."

As Li Pin took the seat, Fang Zhiqian remarked, "Being a newcomer without an established identity might be a bit challenging, but it's manageable."

"What are the stages of the Mara World?" Li Pin asked.

The Divine Treasure Worlds represented an Astral God's most profound memories. Each memory corresponded to a distinct period in their life, where shifts in thoughts and perceptions create vastly different worldviews.

"There are four stages," Fang Zhiqian explained. "The first stage is the safest, lasting about three stellar months, which translates to a little over three years here. The second stage lasts about six months and remains relatively safe. Our area belongs to the Mortal Domain, where the main storyline doesn't unfold."

His expression turned bitter as he continued, "If the first and second stages feel like a vacation, the third and fourth are nothing short of hell."

He glanced at Li Pin. "In the third stage, Astral God Mara slaughters all cultivators. By the fourth stage, as you might already know, the descendants of cultivators gain power from divine weapons to resist, only to face total annihilation."

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "No one escapes the slaughter? This world seems different from the descriptions I have read. Isn't it an extraordinary world with the vast array of extraordinary systems at the Pioneers' disposal, is rapid growth even a concern for them?"

"That brings us to two rigid rules," Fang Zhiqian replied with a sigh. "In the first and second stages, Astral God Mara appears as a little girl. Her worldview holds one absolute rule: 'My dad is invincible.'"

He looked at Li Pin. "Do you know what that means? It means no one's power can surpass her father's—the Netherlord. Trying to defeat him with skill alone, while staying within your current realm? It's impossible! She has an absolute, unshakable belief. If she says he's invincible, then that's the absolute truth. It's an immutable law."

Li Pin understood the difficulty of dealing with such "worldviews" or rules. "That's literal invincibility...."

Fang Zhiqian said, "Three years might not be long, but it's enough for many to master the cultivation system allowed by this world. The highest level permitted by the rules is God King."

"The cultivation hierarchy here consists of Myth, God King, God Monarch, and God Emperor. Forget the rest; only these matter. In Mara's current 'recognition,' there are only a few God Monarchs. All the God Emperors are dead. No matter how hard we train, we can only reach the level of God King."

"God King and Monarch?" Li Pin raised an eyebrow. "Those titles...?"

"The titles aren't important. People call them whatever they like. In some mortal worlds, martial artists with mortal bodies are even called 'Earthly Immortals,'" Fang Zhiqian replied.

He said helplessly. "Once, several hundred God Kings joined forces to attack the Netherlord, hoping to break the rules. In the end, he killed every last one of them. Originally, it was thought that three to five God Kings together could match a God Monarch like him."

Li Pin asked, "So, in the third and fourth stages, everyone gets killed by the Netherlord?"

"Not the Netherlord. By that time, he's already dead. Astral God Mara, Cang Ruoxi, is the one who carries out the massacre."

Fang Zhiqian's expression soured. "If the first and second stages still had some loopholes, the third and fourth stages are completely unsolvable."

"Unsolvable?"

Fang Zhiqian explained, "Yes. In the first and second stages, you could stay safe by avoiding the Netherlord. But in the third and fourth stages, it goes beyond invincibility.

"Those two stages are bound by an irrefutable rule tied to the Supreme Demonic Sword."

"What rule?" asked Li Pin.

"A rule in the most literal sense," answered Fang Zhiqian, sighing. "The power of the Supreme Demonic Sword—it's unstoppable."