Chapter 522: Astral God

"A diversionary trap?"

The others fell silent, their expressions contemplative.

Knowing full well that powerful enemies were all around, who would dare walk out so nonchalantly? Wouldn't that be walking straight into a trap?

Bai Lu analyzed carefully. "Therefore, the best course of action is to remain still and continue monitoring his residence.

"Using a decoy to lure us away might seem clever, but he knows it won't take long for the plan to unravel once his avatar is destroyed. Therefore, his true body will quickly follow and leave. I believe this will happen within one stellar month at most."

At this moment, a man chimed in, "I've just received new information."

This was the golden-robed man whom Li Pin had clashed with in the Mara World.

He smiled faintly. "The source is a supply procurement channel. The message comes from a newcomer named Fei Bo, who has had multiple dealings with Li Pin and shares a decent rapport with him.

"According to Fei Bo, before leaving, Li Pin declared that he has grown powerful and that anyone below Tier Six Legend or Divine Beings should not bother challenging him as that would be courting death."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Courting death? How arrogant."

Bai Lu replied, "Arrogance or not, it's clearly deliberate misinformation. If someone falls for it and Tier Six Legends or Divine Beings are lured away by the avatar, Li Pin's true body could slip away unnoticed. By the time the truth comes to light, only Tier Four and Five Legends would remain to confront him."

Qi Ming added gravely, "Our analysis suggests that while Li Pin had just begun grasping inner spirit when he entered the Divine Treasury Hall, his time in the Mara Divine Treasure and acquisition of the Astral World Fragment laid the foundation for Divinity.

"With the resources from the Treasury Hall, his cultivation would have advanced significantly over two stellar years. Forget Tier Four—achieving Tier Five Legendary combat strength is entirely plausible.

"Besides, he possesses a Divine Weapon. He may walk the Celestial Martial Arts path, which prevents him from fully utilizing its power, but we must still treat him as a Tier Six Legend to be cautious."

Qi Ming paused briefly before saying, "In this regard, his public claims align with the facts."

"That's expected," Long Ying remarked. "Blending truth with falsehood makes the story more convincing. If he truly has Tier Six combat strength, and top experts are lured away, the remaining Tier Four and Five Legendaries might fail to stop him, allowing him to vanish without a trace."

"But he didn't account for one thing," Qi Ming said with a faint smile. "We've already seen through his plan."

"Then, as Bai Lu suggested, we'll stay put," Long Ying concluded. Turning to a man with a subdued presence, he added, "For safety's sake, Han Ze, follow the avatar in secret. Observe, but do not alert him."

Han Ze nodded. "Understood."

Skilled in stealth and reconnaissance, he was the team's scout. Tracking Li Pin's avatar would pose no challenge.

"Then it's decided," Long Ying finalized. "We'll wait patiently for Li Pin to reveal his hand."

***

Li Pin's eyes flickered with thought.

The Yin Luo Galaxy is currently under the administration of the Homo Sapien Alliance, and anyone not from the galaxy must undergo strict checks to enter. If they plan to act, it will likely happen before I arrive at Yin Luo.

There are two relatively remote Astral Gates leading to the Yin Luo Galaxy: the Quicksand Gate and the Sunset Gate. Both are on satellites outside the primary planet, and the trade hubs around them are underdeveloped.

The civilizations situated around these areas are not very powerful—Tier Six Legends and Divine Beings would hardly notice them.

With this in mind, Li Pin proceeded openly. He submitted the required documents, queued for the gates, and left a clear trail of records. With even a cursory investigation, anyone could see his records, deduce his destination, and calculate his route.

Half a stellar month later, Li Pin arrived at the Quicksand Gate.

The moment he stepped through, Li Pin became fully alert. his senses expanded like an immense web, spreading out in all directions.

Gifted with the Clairvoyance ability and having chosen the path of omniscience and omnipotence, Li Pin's observation and perception reached an unprecedented level of meticulousness. In an instant, all Legendary-level auras on the planet became clear to him. Even those suppressing their Tier Four or Five Legendary auras couldn't escape his perception.

The planet lacked any Tier Six Legends or Divine Beings. There were only a few Tier Four and Five Legends hiding their presence. Such forces posed no chance of successfully encircling and killing him.

Li Pin was surprised. "Nothing?"

No ambush at the Quicksand?

He hadn't been moving that quickly, after all.

He expanded his senses once more. Aside from one Tier Five Legend, there were no notable experts.

After giving it some thought, Li Pin decided to stick with his original plan.

"It seems they plan to concentrate their forces at the Sunset Gate. Long Ying's team has been tracking me for so long; they won't let this go. I need to hurry to the Sunset Gate."

With that thought, he continued his journey, though not in haste.

On the way, he stopped at a high-tech civilization and spent a large sum on a virtual reality system, intending to use it with the World Heart to create the Moon Goddess Domain for nurturing the Spirit Clan on Gaia. After studying the system's operation, he resumed his journey.

One stellar month later, Li Pin arrived at the Sunset Gate.

Compared to the Quicksand Gate, the area around the Sunset Gate was a little more lively. Two Tier Three Legends were stationed there.

Those who had mastered inner spirit and attained Tier Four would choose to venture out and explore. They wouldn't remain stationed at a gate like this.

Li Pin activated his senses to the utmost once more upon stepping onto the planet.

In the end, aside from a few Tier Four and Five Legends, there were no real threats.

Li Pin was surprised again. "Still no one?"

His gaze subtly shifted in a few directions. "Surely, they wouldn't just send a few Tier Four or Five Astral Cultivators to deal with me? I've made it clear—without a Tier Six Legend, it's a death sentence. Didn't they hear me?"

Since they still sent people at that level his way despite his warnings, he had only one way to describe their behaviour.

"Arrogance," uttered Li Pin.

Yes, behaviour like that could only be described as arrogant.

But if they refused to send anyone, what else could he do? He couldn't just assume malice and attack them all, could he?

For a moment, Li Pin felt at a loss.

***

Li Pin wasn't the only one speechless. Han Ze and several Tier Four and Five Legends felt the same as they hid in the shadows. They were monitoring Li Pin and waiting for someone to expose the truth about his avatar. They had followed Li Pin all the way from the Mara Divine Treasury Hall to this place.

Relying on what they believed were exceptional concealment techniques or leveraging connections with individuals they knew within the Astral Gate network, they moved silently without alerting anyone. After all, the Divine Treasury Hall had explicit rules. If Li Pin, who had only breached the Mara World a few stellar years ago, were ambushed, it would tarnish their reputation.

If there were gains, a scapegoat might suffice to smooth things over. But without any results, they'd only draw criticism, suffering a complete loss.

With this in mind, they all waited for Tier Six Legends or Divine Beings from other factions to take the lead, destroy the avatar, and test Li Pin's true strength. Yet, the Divine Beings and Tier Six Legends remained motionless, sharing the same intent to let others act first.

"If this keeps up, Li Pin will reach the Yin Luo Galaxy," Han Ze muttered anxiously.

Just as his nerves tightened, he noticed Li Pin's gaze shift toward him. Li Pin, apparently impatient, seemed ready to force them out.

Han Ze's heart skipped a beat. But before anything could happen, Li Pin suddenly paused. He stood still, quietly sensing something.

In a single breath, he looked up abruptly.

The sky above transformed into an endless, resplendent starfield. The dazzling expanse stretched tens of thousands of miles, encompassing the entire satellite where the Sunset Gate was located.

What caught everyone off guard was that this starfield didn't resemble the cosmos but a vast, mirrored surface.

As the mirrored starfield took shape, its center shattered, scattering countless rays of starlight.

From the point of rupture, a beam of starlight pierced through endless astral rivers, descending like a projection from a high-energy realm. It formed a towering figure in an instant.

This figure had an almost perfect face—yet it seemed devoid of any distinct features. If one had to describe it, it resembled the ideal visage constructed by artificial intelligence. If it weren't for the attire they wore, it would have been impossible to distinguish their gender.

The armor they wore suggested a masculine identity, but the long white hair and the starlight constantly radiating from them blurred such distinctions again.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yet these details were secondary. What truly mattered was the overwhelming pressure and aura radiating from the figure.

The figure had suppressed its astral energy characteristics, making its presence less oppressive than Astral God Mi Meng and Xuan Jian. Nevertheless, the manner of its appearance and the dense astral energy fluctuations—far beyond what any Astral Cultivator could possibly possess—left no doubt about its identity.

This was an Astral God's avatar! A presence far more revered and powerful than even Tier Six Legends or Divine Beings.