Chapter 554: Perfect

"I finally made it!"

Li Pin, having rushed at full speed, appeared to be bathed in a flowing crimson radiance.

The red glow resembled flames, yet it wasn't real fire. In the vacuum of space, there was no friction to generate heat, no oxygen to sustain combustion.

The intense blaze surrounding him was the outward manifestation of his burning urgency, as his inner spirit power flared so fiercely that it created the illusion of fire.

Fortunately, with this searing, battle-ready resolve, he had arrived before the two sides engaged in a final clash, just in time.

As the two Astral Gods charged toward him, he immediately entered his Stage Two Limit Break. "Good timing!"

He did not wield his Solar Flare Divine Weapon, the Ruoxi Sword.

However, with one of the Astral Gods having descended with a combat-specialized avatar and wielding a Divine Weapon, he decided to use the World Heart.

The brilliance of the World Heart spread through his Astral World Fragment. His mind grew incomparably clear, his perception pushed to its peak.

With this heightened awareness, further enhanced by his Clairvoyance, the world unfolded before him in unparalleled clarity.

He saw beyond the Astral World barrier, into its deeper layers, where higher energies—and perhaps traces of dimensional mysteries—revealed the true forms of the two Astral Gods. He even perceived the intricate flow of energy within their avatars.

The energy levels of their avatars were not particularly high. They were below that of a Divine Being.

If an avatar were too powerful, Astral Gods would need to expend more of their mental and inner spirit power to maintain their connection. They would be constantly drained while maintaining the connection.

In other words, if their avatars grew too strong, the Eternal Oblivion Force within them would constantly accumulate. No matter how slow the increase, over time, the numbers would reach an astronomical scale.

Even so, their mastery over their own power far surpassed that of a Divine Being.

White Mirror's combat-specialized avatar, in particular, wielded Divine Weapons, elevating his energy level even further. His techniques had reached a level beyond perfection.

As the two Astral Gods struck from both sides, their sudden shift from absolute stillness to extreme motion left Li Pin in awe.

Li Pin could clearly see the two Astral Gods' attacks with his enhanced perception, and his energy level was higher than theirs, but he still couldn't block them.

The moment they initiated their attacks, they had already anticipated his reactions. Their strikes locked down every possible escape route, leaving him no choice but to take them head-on.

To top it all off... a Divine Being's control over their own power simply couldn't compare to an Astral God's avatar. They had no wasted movements, reaching maximum speed in an instant. Even if their raw power was slightly inferior, their mastery of battle left no openings.

Every choice in their attack pattern suppressed his ability to gather strength for a counterstrike, forcibly putting him at a disadvantage.

In that instant, Li Pin realized. "I can't block it!"

A blinding radiance flared deep within his inner spirit, like an ultra-high-temperature beam piercing into tritium atoms.

In the next moment, an even more violent surge of energy erupted, blazing furiously as it turned into an unprecedented spiritual force, flooding every fiber of his being.

He had harnessed his mental spirit to control his physical body, pushing it beyond its absolute limit, aligning its speed with his thoughts.

Flashed Stage Two Limit Break!

His body twisted sharply, raising his arm in defense. Simultaneously, the deadly sharp Reaper Sword streaked past his side.

No energy scattered. No shockwaves erupted.

Even as the blade passed through a small asteroid, the celestial body remained untouched—at least, for now.

Yet Li Pin understood the devastating outcome had the strike landed.

His entire Mini Astral World, along with his Natal Planet within it, would have been torn apart by the blade's edge.

While avoiding White Mirror's strike, Yu Zhenxuan's attack followed seamlessly, and Li Pin blocked it with his raised arm.

The punch seemed ordinary, devoid of any mystical power.

But in that instant of impact, Li Pin felt a surge of energy erupting from a miniature star. The force released was so terrifying it could obliterate more than just a living being; it could even shatter a planet tens of thousands of kilometers in diameter.

Li Pin had prepared for this.

His Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness transformed him into a black hole.

The miniature star's energy burst was instantly warped, absorbed, and neutralized by the black hole's power, causing Yu Zhenxuan's punch to appear truly ordinary to any onlooker.

However, Li Pin was no Astral God. Unlike them, he couldn't achieve perfect control over every ounce of his power to precisely counterbalance forces.

The Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness was eventually overwhelmed after absorbing and neutralizing almost half of the miniature star's energy.

Li Pin's defense collapsed.

A brilliant flash of light erupted. Though no longer as intense as a miniature sun, it still rivaled the release of a billion-ton hydrogen bomb.

The flash was so bright that it could be seen clearly even from millions of miles away.

Despite Li Pin's desperate attempt to reactivate his Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness, the explosion hurled him backward.

Bathed in searing light and heat, he felt his body disintegrating rapidly.

At the same time, a steady stream of energy from the Astral World Fragment, drawn from his Natal Planet, enveloped him. It formed a protective field, shielding him from the intense light and heat, while his body rapidly regenerated and reconstructed.

During this recovery, his Eternal Light, Absolute Darkness made rapid adjustments, adapting at an astonishing speed.

With this enhancement, if Li Pin faced a similar attack from Yu Zhenxuan again, he would no longer lose control as he did before, being pushed to the brink of being completely overwhelmed.

"Good!"

With a long howl, he steadied himself amid the raging torrent of energy.

His Natal Planet projected its power from within the Astral World Fragment, and a visible Celestial Force Field swirled around him at high speed, making him seem like a steadfast reef facing a tsunami.

With the World Heart in hand, his perception reached its peak. Even as the surrounding space was consumed by destruction, nothing escaped his awareness. He could already foresee the fatal strike from the White Mirror Astral God's combat-specialized avatar.

If he failed to block it... he would die.

His body, Astral World Fragment, and Natal Planet—his vitality, qi, and spirit—would all be cleaved apart by that single strike.

The pressure of impending death sent a searing heat through him, like particles growing hyperactive under extreme heat. This wasn't just heat; it was the burning of his battle intent and inner spirit power, pushed to their absolute limits.

"Blade..."

In this heightened state, he seemed to transcend both spirit and perception, attaining a state akin to the Astral God's

Utmost Sincerity Foresees the Future.

[1]

His inner spirit became a mirror, clear and pure, reflecting the only future he sought—the shadow of that strike.

Brilliant. Sharp. Perfect.

In this profound state, time seemed to freeze for Li Pin.

His thoughts fixated on that strike—its mastery of power, the trajectory it followed, the space it sealed. And... the terrifying sharpness hidden within. Once unleashed, it would erase matter, energy, and even spirit.

His heart skipped a beat. "Too beautiful..."

That strike was flawless beyond words.

At this moment, he finally understood the greatest difference between an Astral God and all beings beneath them.

Si Xing had told him before. Countless books had repeated it. The essence of an Astral God lay in absolute control over their own power.

Yet no words or reasoning could compare to the deep resonance he felt now.

Following that fleeting realization, his body moved on its own. He reached out with his hand... to block White Mirror's blade.

The instant he moved, a strange resonance formed between him and his Natal Planet within the Astral World Fragment—A resonance beyond the comprehension of any cultivator below the level of an Astral God.

It was like how, in the real world, the most advanced forms of communication could be speech, phone calls, or video transmissions, yet none could compare to the telepathic bond between twins.

At this moment, Li Pin's control over the power of his Natal Planet bypassed all conventional methods—no longer relying on specific movements, techniques, or spiritual guidance. These were mere primitive approaches.

Instead, he achieved a level of direct inner spirit resonance.

From now on, the flow of power between them required no intermediary, no barrier. It was like the leap from a conductor to a superconductor.

The next instant, Li Pin, wielding the immense force of his Natal Planet, struck.

Buzz, buzz!

With his mortal hands, he caught White Mirror's descending blade. He caught it. Just like two performers who had rehearsed a scene a thousand times, even tens of thousands of times. One struck while the other effortlessly caught it.

Time seemed to freeze.

White Mirror stared at Li Pin.

Li Pin, gripping the blade, stared back.

Their eyes locked.

At that moment, White Mirror's mind was consumed by a single thought.

The Perfect Realm.

It was a state few ordinary Astral Gods could even begin to comprehend.

Due to the Eternal Oblivion Force, any Astral God who ventured deep into the Astral World had to fully control every ounce of their power. They had to ensure that not a single trace of their power would leak out, lest they be detected by the Eternal Oblivion Force.

This state of control was called the Perfect Realm.

However, fully controlling their power only allowed an Astral God to avoid detection by the Eternal Oblivion Force. When it came to combat, maintaining such control was nearly impossible.

It was like holding one's breath underwater—remaining still and engaging in strenuous activity were two entirely different things.

If an Astral God could maintain full control over their power even during battle, preventing a single trace from escaping, that mastery would be known as the Perfect Realm.

This was the lifelong pursuit of all Astral Gods, from the moment of their rise.

And yet, this person, without the pressure or support of the Astral World's Eternal Oblivion Force, had actually done it?!

1. The phrase expresses the idea that someone who possesses perfect sincerity or absolute honesty can attain a level of insight so profound that they can "foresee" future outcomes. ☜