Chapter 567: Captain

Li Pin quietly observed this depiction.

"I've witnessed the rise and fall of countless worlds, the fading of countless eras, wandering aimlessly through endless voids for what could be billions of years. In the time it takes a mortal heart to beat, countless galaxies and star systems vanish in dazzling brilliance before my eyes.

"Yet, even now, I feel nothing for them—no emotion, no sympathy. I am the void itself, unable to hear, see, or feel anything... Ten million, a hundred million lives—vanishing into nothingness. I am eternal life, eternal death, eternal emptiness, eternal nothingness..."

At this moment, he was seated in a private room within the Void Divine Treasury Hall.

The one who had invited him was Fang Chunyang of the Mara Divine Treasury Hall, accompanied by Fang Zhiqian and Xu Anping.

"This is an ancient scripture, a depiction of the Void Emperor," Fang Chunyang explained as he presented the document. "This is also why the Void Divine Treasure World became a forbidden treasure."

"Was this divine treasure world left by the VoidEmperor?" Li Pin asked.

"Obviously not," Fang Chunyang replied. "We were recruited as special pioneers, and if all goes well, we will form a small team...."

He paused and glanced at Li Pin. "With you as the leader."

Fang Zhiqian smiled. "In this team, I'm probably the weakest. Captain, you won't abandon me, will you?"

"How could I? The more people, the stronger we are," Li Pin replied. "It's just that I'm worried I won't make a good leader."

"We trust you," Xu Anping chimed in.

He was a Tier Six Legend and an exceptional talent from the Xu Clan.

He continued, "Just look at your success in breaking the Mara Divine Treasure World in less than one cycle. That alone proves you have a unique way of thinking when exploring divine treasure worlds. This could be the key to unlocking the Void Divine Treasure World."

Like Si Yue, he was a pillar-like figure in the Xu Clan, being groomed as the next Astral God.

"It was just a coincidence," said Li Pin humbly. "Don't blame me if we get stuck in the Void Divine Treasure World."

Li Pin's success in breaking the Mara World had earned him much recognition within the Divine Treasury Halls. The Divine Treasury Hall had already informed him about assembling a special squad and making him the leader.

Many Gold Pioneers, despite their extensive experience with multiple divine treasure worlds, hadn't actually been the ones to break through them. In hundreds of stellar years, many had never cracked open a single divine treasure world.

Fang Chunyang said, "We're not doing this just because of the Hall's order; we're doing it because we truly trust you."

Both Fang Zhiqian and Xu Anping fully agreed.

They had seen Li Pin's growth firsthand. When he first arrived at the Mara Divine Treasury Hall, he was no more than a Tier Four Legend. Yet now, in less than ten stellar years, he had risen to the point where he could defeat the Astral God's combat-specialized avatar.

Such strength made it impossible for anyone to dismiss his potential to reach the Astral God level, even if he was a Divine Being.

Moreover, during his time in the Mara Divine Treasury Hall, he had offered them invaluable intelligence in return for basic help from Fang Zhiqian. This alone showed his integrity.

He had power, ability, potential, and trustworthiness. A person like this, as long as they didn't fall prematurely, was bound for limitless achievements.

Having come from noble families and received excellent education, they naturally felt inclined to form strong bonds with him.

Fang Chunyang explained, "As a special squad chosen by the Void Divine Treasury Hall, we've received ample support, especially in terms of information. For instance, the data on the Void Emperor was provided by the Hall."

He then smiled and looked at Li Pin. "Captain Li, you must have already met one of the Hall Masters, right? Was it Hall Master Ran or Hall Master Bai? They should have mentioned this to you and passed on this information."

"I met Hall Master Ran, but... the conversation wasn't pleasant," Li Pin replied. "Before he could say much, Hall Master Bai asked me to leave."

Fang Chunyang was momentarily confused. "

Uh...

"

At that moment, Li Pin seemed to recall something. He had indeed received a message not long ago. However, having already accepted Fang Chunyang's invitation to come here, he hadn't had time to look into it.

Glancing down, he said, "Yes, the message did arrive."

"That's good," Fang Chunyang said, letting out a small sigh of relief.

He had feared there might have been an issue.

Fang Chunyang continued, "I don't know if the information you received differs from ours, but in the materials we received, it was mentioned that this divine treasure world is certainly not the Void Emperor's. That one... even if the Astral World were to collapse, he probably wouldn't fall so easily."

He paused before adding, "Based on years of research by the Divine Treasury Hall... this Void Divine Treasure World might actually be a prison—a prison created by the Void Emperor to imprison Baili Zhu, the Lord of this divine treasure world. To break the Void Divine Treasure World, we should start by addressing this aspect."

"A prison?" Li Pin was surprised. "So the Lord of this divine treasure world is the Void Emperor's enemy, imprisoned here, and perished with the collapse of the Astral World?"

Fang Chunyang nodded. "That's highly likely."

But then, he remembered the intelligence from the Mara World and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Of course, no one really knows the specifics. It's like the Mara World. While the information we gathered isn't entirely unrelated, it's mostly useless.

"So, we'll have to wait until we enter the Void Divine Treasure World and learn from the pioneers who've already gone in before making any decisions."

Li Pin agreed with his point of view.

They hadn't even entered the Void Divine Treasure World yet, but they had already considered countless possibilities.

While it was always better to be prepared, the Mara World had already proven that these preparations... were mostly of little use. They'd do for now, but beyond that, it was all about adapting to the external environment as things unfolded.

"Forbidden divine treasure. world.." Xu Anping sighed. "If we make it out of this divine treasure world safely, regardless of whether we gain anything extra, I'll start integrating into the Astral World and push for Astral God status."

"You're not the only one. I'm thinking about trying it too."

Fang Chunyang also seemed somewhat melancholic. "The path of cultivation... if you don't advance, you fall behind. Achieving Divinity is already a slower process, and it can even hinder your inner spirit. If we keep delaying... I fear that one day, I'll lose the courage to ascend to an Astral God."

Li Pin turned his attention to them, focusing especially on Fang Chunyang. "Are you ready?"

Though Fang was more capable than ordinary Divine Beings, transforming from Divinity to Astral God was not something that could be guaranteed.

Fang Chunyang responded with a carefree tone. "Being ready... is never enough. Because you never know what awaits you once you enter the Astral World. If it's a calm place with a massive, unclaimed Astral World Continent to shelter me from the storm, the integration will go smoothly.

"But if I end up in a shattered zone, with all the Astral World Fragments moving at near-light speed... no preparation will help."

Li Pin listened, thinking of the manuals describing the Astral World.

The fragmentation of the Astral World had scattered countless debris across space.

Astral World Islands and Continents were somewhat protected, shielded by something like an atmosphere, which burned up smaller fragments before they could collide.

But for newly ascended beings, their Natal Planet, or Mini Astral World, was like a small island with no atmosphere.

And if they suddenly appeared in the Astral World Ocean, it would be like a planet suddenly appearing in an asteroid belt. The gravitational pull they generated would inevitably draw nearby fragments toward them.

If there weren't many fragments and they moved slowly, it wouldn't be a problem. But if the area was dense with fast-moving debris, the gravitational force would alter their paths.

The fate of a newly ascended Astral God in such conditions was often inevitable: they'd be crushed and destroyed.

It was precisely because of such uncertainties that, even though Li Pin had mastered the Perfect Realm, he still hadn't rushed into ascension.

Still, this was all relative.

Once a Divine Being ascended to the Astral World, their power cap was no longer the island they transformed into but rather the gravitational field of that island. In terms of planets, it's the planet's gravitational field.

Only by quickly absorbing nearby small celestial bodies within the gravitational range and forming an atmosphere could one truly break through to the Astral God level.[1]

By then, they could be considered to have barely secured their foothold.

And the more fragments around them, the faster their growth as an Astral God, provided... they could control this power.

"Your Legendary path seems better—you directly enter a stable, Mini Astral World," Fang Chunyang remarked.

"Legends rely on Astral Gods, but that doesn't mean there are no costs or responsibilities," Xu Anping said with a self-deprecating smile. "In some ways, we're no different from ascendants."

Fang Chunyang countered. "It's not the same. Ascendants are completely dependent on Divine Beings, island masters, or mountain lords.

"Without the protection of these Astral Gods, they couldn't survive in the Astral World, but you... not only can you perfectly control your own power, but you also integrate into the Astral World.

"The only thing that can restrict you is your own integrity and conscience. If you choose to break your promises and walk away, no one can stop you."

Xu Anping shook his head. "In the Astral World, trust is crucial. Without it, any Astral God would struggle to survive."

Fang Chunyang responded, "It's still better than our situation as Divine Beings."

"With patience, the clouds will part to reveal the bright moon. Let's keep going together," Li Pin said with a smile, ending the conversation.[2]

Fang Chunyang, feeling his negative emotions a bit heavy, nodded. "Together."

1. atmosphere here refers to a layer of gas surrounding a planet. ☜

2. A metaphor to describe that difficult situations will clear up, leading to a positive outcome. ☜