Chapter 523: Limit

At this moment, Han Ze and the others monitoring Li Pin from afar felt their breaths freeze.

An Astral God! A True Astral God had descended with an avatar! An Astral God had actually cast aside their dignity to descend upon Li Pin to make a move against him!

On closer thought, however, it almost seemed reasonable. The Divine Treasury Hall provided significant protection to pioneers, particularly against Astral Gods, whom they heavily targeted. Yet, this didn't mean no Astral God would dare to take the risk.

Li Pin supposedly possessed a Solar Flare Divine Weapon. Such a treasure could rival the entire wealth of an Astral God—perhaps even more.

Many Astral Gods, even if they gave up everything, might still fail to acquire one.

In such circumstances, what would stop an Astral God from risking retaliation from the Divine Treasury Hall to seize it outright?

The Astral World Ocean was chaos incarnate—both in factions and geography. Countless unexplored regions, formed by drifting Astral World Fragments, served as perfect hiding spots. Once an Astral God stole a Divine Weapon and vanished into one of these places, the Divine Treasury Hall would be left powerless.

After the commotion subsided, they could reforge the Divine Weapon, making it unrecognizable.

Han Ze's thoughts raced as he desperately suppressed his aura, reducing his astral energy fluctuations to the bare minimum.

Unfortunately, no matter how meticulously a Legend concealed themselves, it was utterly meaningless in the eyes of an Astral God.

Moreover, this Astral God was clearly someone who didn't want any witnesses to his actions. He raised his right hand, and a sword light began to form in his grasp, rising and intensifying.

Seeing this, Han Ze's heart sank. A chilling realization hit him. "This is bad!"

In the next moment, he and the other Legends hiding nearby could no longer bother concealing their presence. Each unleashed their full power and fled in all directions. Some rushed toward the Astral Gate, attempting to force it open, while others darted straight into space, hoping to escape.

But it was futile.

The gap was insurmountable. Against an Astral God's avatar with a Power Level exceeding 100,000, a group of Legends barely reaching 20,000 in Power Level was nothing. Calling it a one-sided crush would be an understatement.

Their fates had been sealed the moment the Astral God's avatar descended.

Raising his sword-light-infused hand high, the Astral God sent the light shooting skyward, piercing the heavens. When it reached a sufficient height, it erupted, scattering into countless sword beams.

The sword beams varied in size. The larger ones, a dozen or so, streaked toward the Legends. The smaller ones, as fine as strands of hair, dispersed in all directions.

The moment Li Pin realized the Astral God's intent, the beams were already tearing through the void at near-light speed, targeting every corner of the satellite.

"No!"

Amid the despairing cries of Han Ze and the other Legends, the larger beams pierced their bodies and detonated instantly. The energy unleashed was so meticulous and precise that it perfectly destroyed their bodies without causing any destruction or harm to the surroundings.

Even the hair-thin beams accurately struck every structure, eliminating all life within while leaving surrounding buildings and electronic equipment untouched.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

When the light of the swords finally faded, the satellite housing the Sunset Gate fell into eerie silence. From the bustling activity moments earlier, it descended into absolute stillness. Death.

With a single strike, the Astral God's avatar had wiped out all life on the satellite, which spanned over two thousand kilometers in diameter. Millions of lives were extinguished in an instant.

He achieved this by simply raising his right hand and condensing sword light.

Apart from eradicating all life and destroying a few monitoring devices on this planet, no energy was wasted. This unparalleled precision in energy control left even Li Pin, who was walking the path of omniscience and omnipotence, deeply shaken.

It was his first time witnessing an Astral God in action.

This was merely an avatar whose energy intensity wasn't even twice that of a Tier Fier Legend. The destructive effect of the precise strikes brought the true meaning of control home to Li Pin for the first time.

"It's quiet now," the Astral God remarked calmly.

He turned his gaze toward Li Pin and said, "No need to be nervous. I'm only here to borrow something."

"The Solar Flare Divine Weapon?" Li Pin asked.

"Talking to someone smart is refreshing," the Astral God replied, extending his hand. "Hand it over. You can't use it. And keeping it is a waste. Lend it to me. I'll put it to good use. When you ascend to the Astral God Realm, I'll return it to you."

"Alright," responded Li Pin, stretching. "I agree."

"

Oh?

"

The Astral God seemed slightly surprised by Li Pin's straightforwardness but soon chuckled. "Not many are as sensible as you. As a reward, I'll allow you to seek my protection once you enter the Astral World—"

"No rush," Li Pin interrupted, shaking his head. "Since I've agreed to give you the Solar Flare Divine Weapon, I'd like you to agree to one condition."

"Name it."

"Use all your strength to defeat me." Li Pin raised his right hand and gestured. "If you can defeat me, everything I possess—the Divine Weapon, treasures, techniques, legacy, even my life—will be yours."

"I thought you were a smart person..." lamented the Astral God. "I killed everyone on this planet to leave no trace. At least I was willing to grant you a quick death. But you... why won't you listen?"

"I'll listen," Li Pin said, his voice steady. "As long as you can defeat me!"

In the next moment, Li Pin erupted like a thunderclap, radiating blinding light. "Defeat me if you can!"

Eternal Light, Fleeting Gleam!

Amid the roaring thunder, Li Pin appeared instantly before the Astral God's avatar. His Natal Planet, now hundreds of times heavier, trembled violently. It unleashed a binding force that enveloped the Astral God, while wild power surged into Li Pin, propelling his punch.

His fist shattered the void, creating a dark vacuum that pulverized atoms.

Eternal Light, Thunder God!

***

However, the Astral God didn't even bother to raise his eyelids in the face of Li Pin's most powerful coordinated attack.

Buzz, buzz!

With a single step, the power within him seemingly transformed into flowing water.

Though the binding force restricted him, his internal power flowed like water, following the direction of the Celestial Magnetic Field. The force vibrated, slowing the binding field and allowing him to step free.

The entire process made it seem as though he wasn't bound at all.

At the same time, his right hand stretched out, and brilliant starlight erupted from his palm. As his hand opened, the force that shattered the vacuum was absorbed like an all-consuming black hole, with all its power completely neutralized and canceled out.

He was manipulating atomic forces, using them to fill the shattered vacuum and allow astral energy to flow again, countering Li Pin's attack.

His right hand eventually sealed the dark space left by the shattered vacuum, ensuring no energy escaped as he easily gripped Li Pin's punch. It seemed as though Li Pin's punch had been perfectly delivered into his open hand, held effortlessly with a casual grip. It didn't feel like a fight. More like two familiar people exchanging moves.

The Astral God gripped Li Pin's fist with his right hand and pushed forward with his left.

It seemed like a gentle push with no force behind it. Just before it landed, Li Pin's Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness activated spontaneously. Under his precise control, the light around him seemed to vanish, and he became like an unshakable shadow, impervious to all attacks. Yet, as the shadow clashed with the starlike brilliance of the Astral God's hand, it was dispelled and filled.

The next moment, an energy powerful enough to rival a star's explosion erupted from the Astral God's hand

Even with another instant use of Fleeting Gleam, Li Pin still felt utterly consumed by intense heat and flames.

No! It wasn't just a feeling! In an instant, Li Pin appeared tens of thousands of meters away. His front was almost entirely incinerated into charcoal, charred beyond recognition.

But at the same time, the precise control ingrained deep within his cells and genes rapidly stimulated his body, causing the dead skin and muscles to regenerate swiftly.

In the span of a breath, most of the damage was healed.

Meanwhile, the Astral God, now thousands of meters away, frowned slightly. He glanced at his hand.

After a while, he shifted his gaze back to Li Pin, who was recovering swiftly. "Not bad. Your combat power is nearly at the Divine Realm. You've even forced me to leak some of my power."

He seemed genuinely impressed. "You should be proud of yourself for struggling to this extent."

He was being truthful. To make him use power beyond his control... in the Astral World, that was enough to burden him with a layer of the Eternal Oblivion Force.

Of course, his true form in the Astral World was far stronger than his avatar here.

An Astral God's true form, even the weakest among them, facing a Divine Being, was like a newly ascended Tier Four Legend facing a Divine opponent. The gap was overwhelming.

Li Pin took a deep breath and muttered, "Astonishingly strong."

His heart burned with excitement. His blood boiled rapidly.

It had been far too long—too long since he'd encountered such a powerful adversary. Strong enough to severely wound him in a single clash and bring the weight of mortal peril crashing down upon him.

This was... exhilarating!

"In my current state, I'm no match for you. Therefore..."

In the next instant, his inner spirit erupted. Inner spirit power, strong enough to rival any Tier Six Legend, flooded every corner of his body in an instant, squeezing him to the limit and plunging him into a special state that transcended perception and exceeded all limits.

This was... the Limit Break State!